Sunken shipwrecks appeal to an inordinate number of divers and the ultimate diving destination for viewing large, relatively pristine wrecks is Truk Lagoon. In 1944 at the height of the Japanese American conflict in World War II, more than 100 Japanese ships were caught in the confines of Truk Lagoon and sunk by American planes. These ships (and planes) can exceed 600 feet and are in shallow sites and dive sites that require significant depth to properly view the wreck. Some wrecks, such as the San Francisco, start at a depth of 150 feet making bottom times rather small and hang times rather long. In order to properly dive the deeper wrecks safety stops in addition to the normal 15 foot stop must be added. Recommended stops of 60 feet, 30 feet, and 15 feet minimize risk of decompression sickness but may not be worthwhile considering the small bottom times required at 150-200 feet.
Visibility varies and can be 50 feet or as much as 200 feet. The water temperature
is normally a comfortable 82 degrees Fahrenheit making thermal protection minimal
if any. However many wrecks have jellyfish and some type of protection against
stings is desirable but not essential if you are willing to live with being
stung.
Many of the wrecks are loaded with soft corals; the best chance for soft coral growth seem to be on wrecks which are situated upright or nearly upright. Wrecks which are oriented on their side seem to have fewer soft corals. One of the premier sites, Fujikawa Maru is a must for its scenic soft coral growth and only averages a depth of 100 feet making it one of the shallower wrecks which are highly known for soft coral growth. Towering masts reach towards the surface from the main decks where troop trucks and tanks are still parked. A swim through the wheelhouse shows the wheel station and engine room telegraph still standing. The indicator is set to "one third ahead" as the captain desperately attempted to maneuver to clear his anchorage and steam to safety. The officers tiled bathroom remains intact with remnants of newspapers surprisingly preserved after a half century. On other ships we are able to see delicate china tea settings with intricate floral patterns resting incongruously next to machine gun stations with bandoleers of ammunition.
Truk Artifacts
Life boats which were never launched hang suspended on davits overgrown with spectacular pink and red soft corals. Penetration on most wrecks is possible but care must be exercised and a dive guide is desirable.
While there are land based operations, if you want to maximize both comfort and diving time, one of two live aboard boats is the best way to dive Truk: the massive Thorfinn or the Truk Aggressor. The Thorfinn has more European guests while the Aggressor has more Americans. The Truk Aggressor is a typical Aggressor boat with known rules, accommodations, food, and diving. Diving is from the main boat. The Thorfinn is a 170 foot live aboard which is so large as to create inconvenience. Diving cannot be done from the main boat; this requires that two or three tin dive boats transport guests to the wrecks. Each dive boat has a maximum of six divers; this minimizes the number on any given wreck but it also means that you may or may not get to see the wrecks of choice and no schedule flexibility is available. As the Thorfinn has large staterooms (for a live aboard) for 22 guests the shear size dictates that the camera tables, while quite adequate in size, are on a different deck than the deck where diving on the tin dive boats is initiated. This necessitates carrying your camera(s) down a flight of steep stairs each time you wish to dive; in addition, there are no soak buckets on the tin dive boats OR on the Thorfinn itself. If you want your camera to be rinsed of salt water, you have to hold it in a fresh water shower. While food on the Thorfinn is barely edible at best (and inedible for some), the hot tub after diving is a pleasant diversion. Since room sizes are mostly large storage is quite adequate. A nice feature is that each room has a TV/VCR so if video is your thing, viewing is easy. The main salon for relaxing has a large TV/VCR and a recently added aquarium which is stocked from the lagoon with a variety of fish. When we were there, it had inadequate lighting to maintain the anemones and soft corals that were placed in the aquarium but there are plans (Lance says) to add metal halide lighting.
The Thorfinn was developed by Lance Higgs and has recently added Dave (and his girlfriend) as a new partner. Lance tends to run the Thorfinn as a serfdom and his employees are treated like serfs. A sign in Lance's office says "Have You Flogged Your Crew Today"; while this is presumably in jest, it was not obviously so based on verbal treatment of the native Truk wait-staff. The Thorfinn is run so as to maximize revenue and minimize costs. Any complaints you might have are treated with a "mouth dance" by Captain Lance. Unless one is exceptionally gullible, this gets old quickly.
Would I return to Truk? As I am not a wreck diver, it is not my first choice location. But if I were again in Palau, I would return to Truk Lagoon and dive on the Aggressor. I would NOT return to the Thorfinn. IF you only have less than a week and desperately want to dive Truk, the Thorfinn may be viable. If you have a week, go with the Truk Aggressor.