Dive Review of Odyssey Adventures in
Micronesia/Truk

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Odyssey Adventures, Apr, 2010, by G. Tripp Jones MD, SC, US ( Top Contributor 71 reports with 27 Helpful votes). Report 5473.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our dive shop's (Wateree Dive Center, Columbia, SC) third trip to the live aboard Odyssey. It is a long way from Columbia,SC (9,000 + miles), but the trip is worth it. The Odyssey is our favorite liveaboard and like the two previous visits in 2004 and 2007, it is an excellent dive venue. We arrived via Guam and spent 2 nights there to acclimate to the time change, and then flew on the Continental red eye to Chuuk (Truk), arriving after midnight and this was a 1 1/2 hour flight. We were met by JJ and the Odyssey crew who bussed us to the Blue Lagoon Resort where the Odyssey is moored just offshore. The roads in "downtown" were as bad as any we have come across. With all of the rain, the road looked like it should have been a "no wake zone" with bomb craters. The level of poverty is tremendous with an unemployment rate of greater than 75%. The Odyssey is an excellent liveaboard with very good food, and plenty to eat, along with assorted snacks, beer, booze, etc. The crew, led by Captain JJ and wife Kim, are fine. We missed Lenny and Cara, but the level of service was superb. Charlie, Todd, Madison, Ken and all were totally dedicated to making the entire diving experience hassle free and fun. The diving is done from the Odyssey, so no launches, pangas, etc. to worry about. The boat swings some, but a jug marks the wrecks, so you can't miss it. Usually 5 dives a day could be done, with 2 in the morning, moving the boat at lunch, then having 2 afternoon dives and a night dive at the same site. Deep dives such as the San Francisco Maru ( 150+), Fumitsuki destroyer and I-169 sub (115+) were done as a 1 site dive, otherwise, it was done as above. The water temp was 80-82 degrees and quite comfortable with a rash guard or thin skin. The viz ranged from 15 feet on the Nippo Maru to around 90 on the Hoki Maru. The corals on the ships are in good shape, along with many healthy juveniles. There were a lot of carpet anemones and the entire coral ecosystem looked healthy. The big guns sometimes could not be identified from a short distance, but only after seeing them from a more distant location. The soft coral really make the guns, kingposts, masts and other areas beautiful. The crew was glad to show various inconspicuous sites, such as R2D2 on the Fujikawa Maru, galleys, machine shops, plane parts, tanks, Sake bottles, etc. Some areas are really showing their age and are not safe to dive under, such as tween decks with bulldozers sitting precariously on a rail. However, the dive briefings were done in great detail and all divers were advised and cautioned concerning these potentially dangerous areas. No penetration rules were set and no problems with adhering to these guidelines was seen. Leaving the Odyssey on the last morning is done without any real problems. We spent the day at the Blue Lagoon Resort with dinner at their restaurant. I'll take the Odyssey's menu any day as a comparison, although the food at their restaurant was OK. We grabbed a few winks of sleep, before leaving the hotel at 1:15 AM to return to the airport via the horrible road previously travelled one week before. Hanging around the Truk Airport waiting on the flight to leave at 4:25 is a hassle. The trip to Guam is tight to connect to the Honolulu flight with only about 35 minutes to connect, and this includes having to go through immigration and security again. Thankfully the flight was held for us. We stayed in Honolulu for a couple of nights and this helps acclimate back toward the East Coast time. The 8 hour legs of the flight from Houston to Honolulu and then Honolulu to Guam are butt-kickers! This is a long trip, but it is well worth it. The wrecks are slowly deteriorating and if one ever considers making this trip, then go ahead and do it. I can honestly recommend the Odyssey as a great dive venue with a great crew. We may go back again in a few years.
Websites	Odyssey Adventures
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Caymans, Australia, Bonaire, Belize, Roatan, St. Kitts, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Grenada, St. Lucia
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	15-80 Ft/ 5-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Follow computer profile
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	My wife, the photograher, was satisfied with the set up.

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Dive Review of Odyssey Adventures in Micronesia/Truk

Odyssey Adventures, Apr, 2010,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Odyssey Adventures in
Micronesia/Truk