Truk and Bikini

[Pugwash]

My wife and I are planning to go to dive Truk and Bikini and would like advice from anyone who has completed such a trip, i.e.
What liveaboards?
What gear to take?
What weight allowance?
Best time to go?
Best company to book with.
Any other information which will be useful.

[Fiona]

Drop Chris (Loneshark) a PM he recently posted some video which he shot and I am sure he mentioned he did some dive guiding.

[turbanator]

Originally Posted by Pugwash

Any other information which will be useful.

I think that you should know - Kirstie and I are available as kit bitches

[Loneshark]

Originally Posted by Pugwash

My wife and I are planning to go to dive Truk and Bikini and would like advice from anyone who has completed such a trip, i.e.
What liveaboards?
What gear to take?
What weight allowance?
Best time to go?
Best company to book with.
Any other information which will be useful.

Hi, I dived both last year, and as Fiona stated, was Dive Guide at Bikini. Anything you want to know, I can probably tell you. Drop me a PM.
You can also email me through me website
Loneshark Productions

Chris

[Pugwash]

Just for the record for other forum users, in your opinion:

What is the best time of the year to go?
What travel company did you book through?
What liveaboard were you on (both sites) and how did you find the boat/crew?
What gear would you advise us to take?
Bearing in mind the number of flights to get there, what is the maximum weight without surcharges should we aim for?
Did you pay any surcharges and how much?

There will be a lot more questions later but is there anything else I should know of at this stage?

[BJ]

I bought an extra seat from/to Majuro for my kit! Check the web-site. It has a lot of info. Welcome to Bikini Atoll

[The Purist]

Pugwash

for Bikini there is only one option which is land based in "simple but comfortable" accommodation with 2 dives a day out to the wrecks. check the bikini web site for more info. the operation only runs for around 8 months of the year and is booked far in advance so if you're looking at 07 that may drive your dates. you don't need an agent to book bikini for you - just email them via the website and go from there.

for Truk there are land based and liveaboard options. For land based then IMHO the only place worth staying & diving with is the Blue Lagoon resort - Weno/Moen is not exactly a tropical paradise island so being as self contained as possible is a good thing. For liveaboards the only game in town when I was there was Thorfinn, which has supposedly had a recent re-fit. 5 dives a day if you want them... but not sure about Nitrox/extended range friendliness. A friend recently did a rebreather based trip to Truk with another boat (forgotten which one!) and was pretty pleased with the set up. I've done Truk in spring, summer and autumn and it's hot & wet whenever you go...

In terms of gear. for Bikini it's worth taking a 3mm wetsuit or so as you do spend a long time in the water and may get chilled. other than that take your regs & normal kit - but as Chris will attest, Bikini is a long way from anywhere and while they do their best they cannot possibly be as well stocked with spares as your typical tourist dive resort so if you have any unusual fittings, take 2!

assuming you head west via the USA then your baggage generally falls udner the '2 piece' rule so there's no problem with taking kit for most of the route. If you're going that way then it's worth doing the slog to Hawaii in one hit, having a day or 2 in Hawii to visit Pearl Harbour and do the tour of the Bowfin (the Apgogon in Bikini is its sister boat) and Missouri (to get a feel for the scale of the ships you'll be diving on). Last time i went I had all of my clothes for 3 weeks in my hand luggage - there is a laundry service & T shirt sales on Bikini THe AMI flight from Majuro to Bikiini is the only one where weight limits become an issue. We were travelling in a group with rebreathers etc and dropped in to AMI before the flight to negotiate a 'freight' rate for excess, which we paid cash, some of which may have got back to AMI...

These days there is no hassle booking any of these operators yourself, the flights are easy enough as once you get to Guam/Honolulu your only choice is Continental... but if you want to pay someone a booking fee for stuff you can do yourself on the web then feel free.

[Seadeuce]

Did Truk in 2003.

Was on the Odyssey, and can't recommend her enough.

Did not do Bikini, but know a group that did both. They said Bikini has better diving.

My routing, all with Continental (30,000+ air miles):

Shannon/LA 2 night stopover.

LA/Hawaii 3night stop. 7 dives in Oahu.

Hawaii/Guam/Truk.

Return:

Truk/Guam/Hawaii/LA 3 night stopover. Dived the kelp forest off Catalina.

LA/Shannon

Booked all on internet myself. First leg was booked as a separate trip, then the rest lumped together. No jetlag with above itinerary.

Enjoy

Seadeuce

[Loneshark]

Originally Posted by Pugwash

Just for the record for other forum users, in your opinion:

What is the best time of the year to go?
Weather is pretty constant all year round in this part of the world- however there is more chance of winds and tropical storms Oct and November. Sea temp is around 27 deg in March and 30 in November. Vis is better later in the year. There is a large plankton/jelly thingy bloom in April/May...

What travel company did you book through?
I would book directly with your diving operation, ie Bikini Atoll Divers- talk to Lani in the office, she is very helpful. If you check the Bikini Web site Jack (Manager of the operation/ Bikini Govt liason) posts availablity where they don't have a full week. There is usually some space, if there is only 2 of you going, otherwise you would have to book a long way in advance. Check the web for Truk operations. I can recommend Blue Lagoon, for shore based diving/ island accommodation when transfering between liveaboards. This is in it's own well kept grounds, unlike other hotels such as Truk Stop, which is in town. The island is not the tropical paradise you migt expect, due to a very poorly maintained infrastructure, high unemployment etc. I wouldn't recommend staying in town...... I have dived with Thorfinn, and can recommend them. They do a good range of dives/packages. It isn't really technical, though they do Nitrox and you can rent twin tanks. However most of the diving is reasonably shallow here, though on a couple of wrecks, you can get 60m on the sea bed, most are around 35m and less.

What liveaboard were you on (both sites) and how did you find the boat/crew?
As mentioned, there is only the Local Govt owned Bikini Atoll Divers, based on the Atoll.
Thorfinn is good, also had good reports on Agressor, but not sure if it is still there.

What gear would you advise us to take?
For Bikini, wing, backplate and 2 regs. However, I would not recommend specifically buying these items if you do not dive with them regularly. You can do Bikini on single tanks (15l) and standard BC etc. All Deco is carried out via surface supplied gas on a trapeze. As long as you aren't a "gas guzzler" you will manage the standard run times, as led by the guide. If you are used to twins, then you are set. Cylinders are 232 steel 12's, with standard hole spacing/wing nuts (11"). Truk, depends on where you go, but you can rent twins, though single tanks are in abundance. A single tank adaptor may be useful for diving both destinations (especially if you fancy a cheeky dip in Hawaii enroute!).

Bearing in mind the number of flights to get there, what is the maximum weight without surcharges should we aim for?
As little as possible- take your essential dive kit, and 3 or 4 changes of clothing. Bikini has a great laundry service- same day. Dress is "casual"! There are also plenty of t-shirts to buy etc! You will also overnight on Majuro on the Tuesday (flights to Bikini are only on a Wednesday at 7am-ish). A good idea is to leave your extra clothing and non essential stuff at the hotel, so take a soft bag etc to leave there. I recommend the Marshall Island Resort- you can also book on line here. Be aware that other then at the hotel, you cannot use credit cards in the Marshall Islands.

Did you pay any surcharges and how much?
I paid £90 on Virgin on my outbound flight, due to me having 2 bags and a flight case for my video equipment. Luckily B.A.D.'s picked up the tab for the Air Marshall Islands flights! I believe they now operate a 20kg limit. However, it depends how busy the flight is, and how the ground crew are feeling that morning! I have seen people with 30-35kg get through with no problem. The best advice I can give, is to be very un-British, and cause a fuss, as the Marshallese don't like it and will usually give in.....

There will be a lot more questions later but is there anything else I should know of at this stage?

I would look at flying through the US and Hawaii, rather than the other way round the world, as although shorter, it takes longer! With travelling, you will be looking at 3 weeks leave for a week in each place. When travelling to Bikini. you will need to leave HAwaii no later than Monday night, due to crossing the date line. I recommend a day in Majuro (just for the experience!lol!), so leaving Hawaii on Sunday, giving you a day to get acclimatised. You will need to be up at 4.30am ready for the flight to Bikini Wednesday am.
Also remember your return arrangements, you gain a day between Majuro and Hawaii on the return leg, so you can have Wednesday twice!

[amir]

hi
i did Truk this year and going again next year
best connection is UK to Japan (NRT), where you can get connecting flight to Gum and Truk. if you want to do Truk & Bikini your main Base is Guam
we are staying on Odyssey you get your value for mony Capt in from Nort East.
good luck

Hi everyone,
Amir here, just to confirm that there is only ONE space available to join a group of (maximum 16) experienced divers.
Price is US$2,700 excluding travel costs.
General details and info here : Welcome Aboard the Truk Odyssey - Wreck diving in Truk Lagoon Micronesia.