Dive Review of
Odyssey in
Micronesia/Truk

 Caribbean 

Dive Conditions

To quote Jeff, "We treat you like grownups until you show us that's a
bad idea".  

Warm water = plankton.  Wreck diving = silt.  Back-scatter from lights is a
problem.  

Overall Rating

Undercurrent readers must be weary of rave reviews for the Truk Odyssey. 
This is another rave, so I'll try to hit points the others missed.

Think of the Odyssey as a 4-star hotel that floats over the best wreck
dives in the world.  The crew gives better service than the staff of any
4-star in which I've stayed.  The Chuukeese members of the crew have faces
out of a Gauguin painting.  Charm on charm.

Cabins, food, facilities: what the others said.  Just great.

The house blend of Nitrox is 30%.  This avoids O2 toxicity for most dives.
 Crew mixed up whatever gas blends the tech divers wanted.  (Shaken, not
stirred.)  Dives are guided if you wish.  Especially deep penetrations.  Or
dive your own profile.  To quote Jeff, "We treat you like grownups
until you show us that's a bad idea".

I wish I had taken a Nitrox computer.  Dives are so deep that my habit of
diving an air profile on Nitrox limited my bottom time 5-8 minutes shorter
than a Nitrox profile.  Except for masts and king posts there were no
shallows in which to finish a dive when the N2 bar got within one pixel of
busting my deco cherry.

I quickly learned to wear gloves when penetrating wrecks.  Blood appears
green at 120 ft.  

I had wanted a dry season trip, but schedule sent me at the tail-end of
rainy season.  The equatorial sun peeped through occasionally.  Then I
became glad for rainy season clouds.  The season also made the second
afternoon dive end after dusk.  Got to see the sundown "shift
change" among the lagoon critters.  The shade-loving coral that
"blooms" at dusk came out.  I've only seen it previously under
the municipal pier in Bonaire.

84 degree water means plankton, limiting visibility.  Extended the arm of
my video light all the way to minimize backscatter.  The long light
extension led to clumsy, lurching progress penetrating wrecks.  Water was
crystal clear out on the reef, where we went for a shark encounter.  I am
so glad a reef white-tip is different from an oceanic white-tip!  Videoed a
very bold Sargent Major shadow-stalking a Gray Reef shark.

What beautiful hard corals!  Huge anemones hosted shrimp and anemone fish.
 There were Neon Anemones glowing red at 100 feet.  Bright red stonefish on
a night dive.

Despite their abysmal reputation, Continental made every connection and
didn't lose my dive gear.  Only late once.  There was a Continental
President's Club a short distance from every gate.  This made the layovers
easier.  The Boeing 767 eliminates the individual AC control.  Every seat
was cooled to "arctic wasteland."  Glad I took a warm fleece.

 

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