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Dive Review of Odyssey Adventures in
Micronesia/Truk Lagoon

Odyssey Adventures, Oct, 2013,

by Jorge J. More, IL, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 7360.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments If you are interested in diving WWII wrecks then the Odyssey liveaboard for the Truk Lagoon is a great choice. There are a number of caveats, so read on.

The wrecks are the result of Operation Hailstone, a two-day attack by a US Task force In February 1944. More than 45 ships were destroyed; few of the troops aboard the ships survived. The Truk Atoll (40 miles wide) contains the wrecks, eight islands of reasonable size, and many that are essentially one-person islands. The setting is beautiful.

We visited 13 wrecks in 6 days of diving. The wrecks included a destroyer, a submarine tender, a tanker, an aircraft transport, a water transport, a Betty bomber, and several supply ships. The ships range in size from 350 feet to just over 500 feet. Most are upright but a couple are on their side.

The extremely detailed briefings by Captain Nelson covered the history and items of interest in the ships. Of special interest were torpedoes, bombs, airplanes, tractors, trucks, bicycles, beer bottles, guns, gas masks, bullets, periscopes, and many personal items.

Dives were generally done with a Chuukese divemaster that would take a group of divers (at most 4) and point out items of interest. The Chuukese have intimate knowledge of the wrecks so I was quite happy to follow them into the deepest parts of the ships. We would usually enter by a cargo hold but in one case entrance was by a torpedo hole.

Caveat #1: You may not want to do penetration dives since they require swimming in tight corridors.

Caveat #2: You should be prepared to do decompression (deco) dives. I did multiple deco dives and ended up with an average max depth of 105 feet for my dives.

Caveat #3: Buoyancy control is of major importance since most of the wrecks are silty.

You do not need to go dark and deep to enjoy the wrecks since the coral growth in the ships can easily keep you entertained. In some cases the coral tended to camouflage features in the ship. You decide what kind of diving you want to do and the crew will try to accommodate you.

The Odyssey is well-designed with a spacious dive deck. My room was huge! There was a double bed with a single bed on top, a sink, a chair and a TV on the wall. The best feature was that all rooms had air-conditioning controls so the temperature could be set to your liking. On some liveaboard I dread going into my room because it is freezing cold.

The meals were outstanding. Cold breakfast available at 6am, hot breakfast at 6:30am, snacks between the dives, lunch and dinner. The hot breakfast was made to order; options included eggs in any conceivable combination, pancakes, belgian waffles, french toast, plus sides of bacon and sausage. Two dinners stood out: one featured freshly caught tuna while the other had steak and lobster.

The crew deserves high praise. They gave me pointers that improved my diving and made this trip truly memorable.
Websites Odyssey Adventures   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Palau, Yap, Socorro, Galapagos, Cocos, Cayman Islands, Turk and Caicos, Bahamas, Thailand, Coral Sea, Cozumel, Bermudas, Belize, Key Largo.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas calm
Water Temp 82-86°F / 28-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No restrictions, but safety was emphasized
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish N/A
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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