Truk Liveaboard Trip – Feb 9th to 16th 2025

This is now the Truk trip report!  I am enjoying my new Hero 13 Black GoPro and made a series of videos from the trip.  Here are a few of them.  Below I generally keep the original post for the trip for historical purposes and to look back at how much things cost “back in the day”.

Link to the YouTube Playlist for Truk

Video from Day One on the Kiyosumi Maru

Video from the Fujikawa Maru

From this point in the post and below was the original post for the trip

Truk, now more commonly known as Chuuk, is probably the wreck diving capital of the world.  The reefs that grow on top of these wreck make the trip perfect for the diving couple that might have one that is not so interested in wreck penetration.  I’ve only been one other time to Truk, and it is definitely the most intense wreck diving location I’ve ever experienced.  I’m looking forward to going back.

The Diving

Here is an accurate description of the diving in Chuuk from the liveaboard webstite: Whilst the wrecks themselves are encrusted with a variety of corals, you can still clearly see telegraphs, steering columns and mounted guns and many offer the opportunity to explore engine rooms and holds. Historical artifacts such as medicine bottles, gas masks and other personal effects can still be found at many of the sites along with machinery of war including engines, aircraft wings, tanks, guns and ammunition.  Surrounded by a barrier reef, Truk Lagoon has some excellent coral pinnacles and deep channels as well as an abundance of marine life to delight those scuba divers who want see more than just wrecks.

For those that are concerned that Truk Lagoon might be too advanced a dive destination for you, nothing is further from the truth.  The waters are flat calm with very little or no current and all inside the barrier reef.  It is actually really easy diving, and a lot of the wrecks are well withing recreational depth.  Here is a good article about the wrecks of truck by Master Liveaboards.

The Prices

11/2/24 availability note: cabin #6 male share.  Current occupant okay with female share.

$3570 Double Bed and a Twin upper bunk per person.  Cabins #1 and #3-6

$2695 Two Twin beds only.  Cabins #7 and #8

$3150 There are 4 single cabins with 2 small beds.  These will go quick.  Cabins #10-13

$4410 Premium Double.  Cabin #2.

Local charges are $195 port fees for a 7 night Truk trip, bring cash for that to avoid credit card fees which can be high when you are remote.

Nitrox is $195 for the trip (I’m seeing $150 as I fill out the form)

Beer are $5 on board, to give you an idea.  The have rental gear, but if you want technical rental gear you need to request it in advance.

Right before we leave, the boat will assess a fuel surcharge.  I hate this practice, but it exists and there is nothing I can do about it.  Generally around $150 bucks.  As of 3/22/24 they said there is no current fuel charge.

Tips are optional, as shoudl be, but 10% of the trip is about right.  $200-$400 per person on a trip like this.  Of course, you can – and should – adjust for quality of service.

 

The Boat

We booked our trip on the Pacific Master.  It takes 20 guests, interestingly there are 4 single cabins.  I expect those to go fast.  In fact as I write this for a trip that is still 2+ years away, one of those cabins in already booked.

Probably best to send you to the Master Liveaboards website for the complete write up on the boat.  There are lots of pictures and there.

Insure It

When planning a trip like this you are proably a couple thousand into airfare and quite a bit into your booking.  A simple missed connection in Gaum could mean you miss most of all of the trip.  You need to insure it.  Also, the boat requires dive accident and medical evacuation insurance, as they should in a remote location like Chuuk.  You can get in from DAN, or you can get it from Dive Assure – which is preferred because of the liveaboard rider.  At least follow the link and check out the quote.  You can get the required medical evacuation accident insurance without insuring the trip itself for a little less, but it is risky.

Book it

Email matt@islanddivershawaii.com for inquiries.  Generally I’ll want to call your phone number so we can have a conversation.  People usually book with us because we have been there before and know what to expect.  A short conversation can answer a lot of questions.  So when you email me include your phone number.

It is $2000 to hold a spot.  It was $1000, but now we are getting into the 9 month before departure. Payments are not refundable, so that is the time to get the trip insurance!

Final Payment is due 11/15/24.

 

Operation Hailstone:  (Briefly)

Truk was a major Japanese logistical base as well as the operating home base for the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet during WWII.  The atoll was the only major Japanese airbase within range of the Marshall Islands and was a significant source of support for the Japanese garrisons located on islands and atolls throughout the Central and South Pacific.  

On February 17, 1944, the US attacked, raining devastation on anything Japanese on or near Truk, using a combination of airstrikes, surface ship actions and submarine attacks over two days.  Several daylight and nighttime airstrikes employed fighters, dive bombers and torpedo aircraft in attacks on Japanese airfields, aircraft, shore installations and ships in and around Truk Lagoon and anchorage.  A force of US surface ships and submarines guarded possible exit routes from the island’s anchorages to attack any Japanese ships that tried to escape.

In total, the attack sank at least three Japanese light cruisers (Agano, Katori & Naka), four destroyers (Oite, Fumizuki, Maikaze & Tachikaze), three auxiliary cruisers, (Akagi Maru, Aikoku Maru, Kiyosumi Maru), two submarine tenders (Heian Maru & Rio de Janeiro Maru), three smaller warships (including sub chasers CH-24 & Shonan Maru 15), aircraft transport Fujikawa Maru and 32 merchant ships.  Some of the ships were destroyed in the anchorage and some in the area surrounding Truk Lagoon.  Many of the merchant ships were loaded with reinforcements and supplies for Japanese garrisons in the Central Pacific area.  Very few of the troops aboard the sunken ships survived and little of their cargo was recovered. Operation Hailstone, for the most part, ended Japan’s occupation of Truk and a major threat to Allied operations in the Central Pacific.

 

 

Matt and Sheila’s flights

As you may have noticed, this trip immediately follows the Palau Moorish Aggregation trip.  To get to Palau from Honolulu it is United through Guam and then take another flight to Palau.  This is what we are doing.  Here is our flight info:  Jan 30th UA flight 201 connecting in GUM to ROR UA 193 arrive 9pm Jan 31st.  There are other ways to get to ROR though asia.  Use kayak.com to research it.

This flight from ROR to TKK is ugly as hell.  Sat Feb 8th at 3:25am! fly to GUM flight UA 192.  14 hour layover in GUM.  8:25pm flight to TKK with a stopover in PNI arrive 1:05am on the 9th.  Ugly!  We intend to rent a car for the day in Guam and zombie around sightseeing.  When we get to TKK we will pick one of the three hotels and get a room for some sleep prior to boarding the boat in the late am.

NOTE:  United has been making changes to the ROR to TKK routing, mostly in the GUM to TKK segment.  This effects everyone.  Don’t worry about it too much, 100% of us are getting there on the UA flights, so boat time will change if it must.

On the 16th there are flights out.  I won’t recommend anything because we are going to stay an extra night and head out on the 17th through GUM to Manila, UA flight 132 and 183.  We intend to head to Anilao Philippines (a few hours drive from Manila)  to check out some resorts for future group dive trips.  If you are on this trip and want to come, let me know, I can book one of the well rated resorts we see at DEMA, but I’m going to bounce around a little while there and do site visits.  After this Sheila and I are headed to Tazmania to do a couple weeks then meet back in Fiji for the March 10-16th trip.  While we are in Tazmania there is a small hui (hui means group in Hawaiian) developing that wants to hit another PI island, probably Dumaguete, then on to Indonesia for a week (Bali shore diving), and back to Fiji for the March 10-16th trip.  I can only introduce you to the people doing that part.  Invites are up to them.