ODYSSEY: best diving live-aboard in TRUK LAGOON
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© Copyright 2005-2008,
The ODYSSEY
TRUK LAGOON WRECK DIVING
Micronesian Pacific
MUST-SEE REMINDER re’ TRUK ODYSSEY PRICING & AVAILABILITY –
THIS TRUK DIVING YACHT is a PHENOMENON in the DIVE TRAVEL
INDUSTRY, PURE & SIMPLE. AMIGOS del
MAR, PLEASE TAKE THIS as the FRIENDLIEST of CAVEATS, a HEADS-UP to all our
CLIENTS: IF YOU DO NOT BOOK THIS VESSEL
2-3 YEARS EARLY, YOU WILL HAVE VIRTUALLY ZERO OPPORTUNITY to DIVE from HER. EVER.
GREAT NEWS, SUNSEEKERS -- good things come to those who are patient ! -- 3 new spots just opened up this week for our group trip to Truk, June 7-14, 2009. This is a blessing, considering the next 2 years are nearly sold out. If you're an interested solo diver, or a couple, call us at 952-953-4124.
Message to our dive shop owners, dive clubs & corporate teams: the TRUK ODYSSEY for several years has proven
to be one of the 3 or 4 fastest-selling scuba diving live-aboards in the world. This
red-hot Truk Lagoon diving market is fast-moving beyond anybody’s
predictions. All vacation
plans must start VERY early to work at all.
Bottom Line: there is precious little space available for any new divers for most of the next 2.5 years, we're sorry to report. Yes, we know, it’s astonishing. But it's
true, sunseekers. Years 2008 & 2009 are already sold out entirely for the
TRUK ODYSSEY, except a handful of special cruises. New openings may occur weekly, if you keep checking at 952-953-4124. We have some good space left in 2010 & 2011. Call us soon & we can reserve staterooms for you. Now the current manifests for 2009 & 2010 may change with abrupt cancellations
down the road, especially after late summer (typically) so please keep in close touch. Truk Lagoon is a moveable feast. And here’s how that works. Typically,
the last 4 months of each year, random surprise cancellations can occur, which
offer great opportunities for ready-to-roll groups of 1-4
divers.
You must plan 2 to 3 years in advance for this exceptional yacht, every year, due
to the relentless popularity of Truk wreck diving. We have
worked this Truk Lagoon market for more than 16 years; & we see no signs of
this steep demand curve abating any time soon.
So there you have it. Now
let’s go with the flow & have some fun with Truk scuba diving adventures !
Be of good cheer, mateys. Here’s some happier news for the small groups,
so take heart … From now on, due to the keen demand for Truk diving vacations, to
help our singles & couples (who mean a lot to us), the ODYSSEY will offer
one week per month for January through May each year – to be reserved only for solos,
couples & small groups. Please feel
free to phone our Pacific live-aboard vacation experts Mon – Sat, 10 am – 4 pm
CST-USA, at this dive-vacation hotline -- 952-953-4124 -- for detailed info on current prices, DEMA specials,
group discounts, space availability & seasonal flux in weather or air
ticket pricing.
As with all our Pacific liveaboards, telephone callers receive top
priority client service. Yes, we do offer wholesale-discount air tickets
for solos, couples & groups from the
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What’s the SCUBA DIVING like in TRUK LAGOON, on the TRUK ODYSSEY ?
Because many dive magazines, for years, have been waxing
rhapsodic about remote Pacific dive vessels barely worth their bilge pumps, we
tend to understate a vessel’s merits, just to let our travel-savvy clients make
up their own minds. When customers are paying top dollar for
world-class destinations & scuba liveaboards of the 4-star ilk, they want
to rely on reputation, not Madison Avenue hype.
But one thing is for sure here: no need for frothing
hyperbole about the many advantages of this exceptional Truk diving yacht. Divers
across the USA & Europe insist the boat’s quality speaks for itself, & the
record shows it does so, resoundingly. What Cliff Horton & his partner did,
coming into Truk Lagoon a few years ago -- & in short order deposing one of
the most famous scuba liveaboards in the world -- is nothing short of diving
industry legend. They proved those few folks willing to be
their critics wrong, big time, & have engineered
one of the most remarkable success stories in the last 20 years of the dive
travel world.
U.S. Dive Travel has repped nearly every major
liveaboard fleet in the world since the early 1990s,
& we have never seen anything like the Odyssey’s meteoric climb to
popularity. Not in the
The TRUK ODYSSEY has succeeded far beyond some industry
analysts early predictions for three simple reasons:
Diving in Truk Lagoon is an adventure you will never
forget. Dozens of visually dazzling
WWII wrecks are scattered across 77 square miles. The wrecks are covered with marine life, stem
to stern. There are more than 300 varieties of hard
& soft corals. This Truk liveaboard will show you tons of
life, amigos !
On the outer reef you'll find mountains of coral that
stretch as far as the eye can see, & drops off into the abyss. Here
it is not unusual to see pelagic sharks. This is also where we do our exciting shark
dive.
The water temperature ranges from 82 to 84 degrees
Fahrenheit. Visibility ranges from 30'
to 100' depending on where you are in the lagoon & there is little current.
Since each day aboard the Truk Odyssey offers new
adventures, no day is really typical. Nothing
is routine & our schedule will vary depending on location.
The day aboard Truk Odyssey begins after a 7:00 a.m. hot
breakfast with your first dive briefing around 7:45 a.m. You
will be able to do two dives before lunch on most calm-weather days.
During lunch we usually move to a new site. After lunch you have the option to either do
another dive, or relax on the either of the sundecks or in the privacy of your
own stateroom. A late afternoon dive is
also offered.
Around 6:30 p.m. a sumptuous & delicious dinner will
be waiting for you. After dinner you
may choose to do a night dive or simply hang around the salon, talking story
& relaxing.
At night guests usually gather in the entertainment
lounge to enjoy a movie, or review what was captured that day in video.
Since most of the dive sites in Truk Lagoon are fairly
close to each other, it is easy for us to move around. The best part about diving aboard Odyssey is
that we don't require everyone to dive at the same time.
So it is not unusual for you & your buddy to be the
only divers on a 500' wreck. For
photographers, this offers more opportunities to shoot those popular scenes
without having to wait for others to move out of the way.
( U.S. Dive Travel owners would like to thank
Cliff Horton & esteemed colleagues at the Truk Odyssey for their help in offering
the most exciting dive vessel ever to ply the waters of Truk Lagoon. This live-aboard experience is world-class in
every sense of the phrase, stem to stern.
All photos, the logo, the maps & most text blocks below here are courtesy of Odyssey Adventures
& are copyrighted by Odyssey. )
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CLASSIC WRECKS & REEF SITES that TRUK ODYSSEY
will likely visit:
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JAPANESE World War II VESSEL NAME |
TRUK DIVING SITE
HIGHLIGHTS for
the best wreck diving in the Pacific ! |
VESSEL LENGTH |
Depth Range of Dives |
|
Fujikawa Maru |
Lush coral growth. Zero airplane
fuselages & wings. Eerie & cool. Truk diving mavens love this wreck. |
439’ |
0’-120’ |
|
Yamagiri Maru |
18" diameter artillery
shells of Battleship Musashi. Ordnance ! One of the
most-visited Truk diving sites. |
437’ |
60’-120’ |
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2 man tank & artillery guns
on deck. Photogenic wheelhouse. Another of the Truk
diving classics. |
353’ |
50’-150’ |
|
Heian Maru |
Torpedoes & submarine
telescopes. Massive size makes it one of Chuuk Lagoon’s largest wrecks. |
510’ |
35’-100’ |
|
Sankisan Maru |
Lush soft coral growth on
mast. Lots of machine gun ammunition still stacked down in the hold. |
200’ |
0’-100’ |
|
Hoki Maru |
Trucks, bulldozer & tractor
in hold. Mysterious wreck. Massive destruction to the bow. Makes for cool photos. |
250’ |
45’-150’ |
|
Unkai Maru |
Photogenic bow gun. Good coral
growth on masts. Colorful site! This is one of the Truk diving classics. |
360’ |
30’-130’ |
|
Rio de Janiero Maru |
Awesome ship size. Photogenic
propellers. Large engine room. Tons of fun nooks & crannies. |
461’ |
40’-120’ |
|
Hanakawa Maru |
Lush soft & hard coral
growth. Dazzling colors on this huge sunken vessel are an U/W photographer’s dream. |
363’ |
10’-100’ |
|
Fumitzuki
Destroyer |
Bow & stern guns, torpedo
launcher. Nobody builds naval destroyers like this one anymore. A real relic. |
320’ |
80’-120’ |
|
Betty Bomber |
Japanese small twin engine
bomber. We always wonder where in the world they got this name? |
60’ |
50’-60’ |
|
Momokawa Maru |
Aircraft parts, truck frames
& artillery shells. Be sure not to tuck one into your BC pocket, eh ? :) |
380’ |
80’-150’ |
|
Shinkoku Maru |
Lush coral growth. Fantastic
marine life everywhere. Excellent engine room to scoot
around & explore. |
500’ |
30’-130’ |
|
Aikoku Maru |
Massive destruction of bow.
Photogenic stern gun, once a huge wartime threat, now a stark symbol. |
270’ |
100’-200’ |
|
Maru |
Tanks on deck. Trucks, mines,
bombs & ammunition in holds. Again, divers always
exercise due caution. |
375’ |
100’-200’ |
|
Pizion Reef |
Wall dive. Large coral heads in
the shallows. Sharks galore, baby
! Your adrenal glands will dance ! |
N/A |
15’-200’+ |
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Not all sites are visited every week
by the Truk Odyssey. Weather, water conditions, dive skills & experience & guest
requests are all taken into consideration on planning the particular
itinerary of each trip. Each new diving voyage is a pearl of originality
+ brilliant hands-on service. |
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On board the Odyssey, Truk’s finest liveaboard vessel,
you’ll find amenities equal to the world’s top liveaboards:
TRUK ODYSSESY’s DIVE DECK FACILITIES INCLUDE:
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TRUK TECHNICAL DIVING FACILITIES INCLUDE:
PHOTOGRAPHER-SUPPORT SYSTEMS INCLUDE:
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS of TRUK ODYSSEY:
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ODYSSEY OFFERS all TRUK LAGOON WRECK
DIVING CLIENTS these SERVICES:
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Length of Truk Diving Vacation: Seven nights on board
the Odyssey. Sunday to Sunday. Up to
5 dives daily off the mother ship.
Arrival & Departure Information: Guests are greeted at the
airport by an Odyssey crew member. Transfers to & from the airport are
included in the price at the beginning & end of the scheduled charter for
those arriving & departing on charter schedule. Boarding time on Sunday begins at 5 PM &
continues through the evening.
Number of Passengers: The maximum number of
passengers the Odyssey will accommodate is 16. There are nine cabins; two single cabins, six
king or twins & one double/twin bunk. All cabins have private head & shower.
Crew-to-Client Ratio: As a rule, the crew
members to passenger ratio will be 1:2.
Vessel Departs From: Weno,
BRIEF HISTORY of TRUK LAGOON, aka
Also known as Truk Lagoon, but was changed to it’s original name in 1986 when the Compact of Free
Association went into effect. The
compact is a 15-year political relationship with the
