Is Truk easy to dive?

I overheard two divers talking at the store yesterday about Truk Lagoon being "hard to dive" and only for experienced divers. I quickly found out they had never been there, but I also realized that this misconception is on of the main reasons divers don't consider Truk (as opposed to Palau and Yap) to visit.

My quals to write this? I started diving Truk in the Coast Guard in 1975 and have been there at least 50 times. Used to fly in there and land on a really small runway that scared the hell out of you....now its long and wide. Also, remember I'm biased when it comes to easy diving.........I LOVE it. Something about very long bottom times, not much swimming, lots of stuff to see, getting older, etc., etc.

I also invite other divers like Tim Rock, Dave Hendricks, Diane Strong, Lee Webber, and other who have been there often to send their comments.

OK, here goes.

EASE OF DIVING

I think if you'd ask anyone who's been there they will confirm that Truk is one of the EASIEST places to dive in all of Micronesia, with Guam probably topping the list. Think about this. All of the diving is from a large or small boat tied directly above the ships. All ya' gotta do is a backroll or jump and descend. No reef walking. No swimming out over a shallow reef. Just deflate and go!

This is GOOD. There are virtually no currents to worry about and even if there is one, it's very slight. Since you get a very detailed briefing on each ship you know the orientation of the ship and where the descent line is before you go in, so it's pretty near impossible to get lost.

Oh, did I mention that because it's so easy you have to really pay attention to your bottom time as you'll almost definitely have lots of air on the dive. This is called maximizing your dive time and considering what you paid to get there this is a REALLY good thing.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Unless you want to do a tech dive, almost all of the wrecks are well within the capabilities of a newly certified diver, and you certainly don't have to be an "advanced*" diver. The average depth to see most artifacts, fish life, and coral is about 60-70', and if you've ever been on the Tokai Maru here that's about the max distance you'll ever swim. Duh...it can't get much easier than this unless someone pulls you along.

*Like any dive you go on, the more experience you have diving usually adds up to more "personal comfort" in diving, so I'd recommend at least 20 or 30 dives before going there.

CORAL & FISH

The wrecks definitely should be renamed "shipreefs". Since Truk Lagoon is a large atoll with a mostly sandy bottom, the sunken ships have become a magnet to marine life, and all but the deeper wrecks are teeming with fish and other marine life. The soft corals on the Fujikawa and Shinkoku Maru's are over 3-4' long, and from the forward mast to the bridge, a distance of about 50', I counted over 40 anemone colonies on the decks.

Photographer Chris Bangs went ballistic here and never moved for an entire dive! Dive along the side of the wrecks and you'll see a magnificent wall with an abundance of sea fans, whips, sponges, and other corals.

With the possible exception of a few divesites in Yap and Palau, I'd venture to say that there is more "fish life" per sq yard on the wrecks in Truk than anywhere else in Micronesia.

MORE?

Oh yeah, I actually forgot to tell you about the wrecks. Even if you don't care about big pieces of metal welded together that someone drove over the seas, you ARE diving on recent history and have a chance to see what happens when "man" decided to destroy himself not too long ago.

Most of the wrecks are in very good condition, and are either upright or are tilted to one side. There is still an amazing variety of guns, planes, bombs, etc., on the wrecks, but do you know what one of the most popular things photographers take pix of is? Toilets!

No kidding. I've watched lots of photographers stick their head inside the bathing areas and snap off pix of the toilets and urinals. For those that have been there go look at your pictures and I'll bet you got a pix of a toilet. Must be a fetish that we have.......or may be it's the pure white tiles. Notice I said "we".

Anyway, diving Truk (now officially called Chuuk but I'll stick with Truk) is great. Period.

End of article. Crown Royal time.