Truk Lagoon: Dive Trips

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hotel like?

Blue Lagoon Dive Resort has 52 rooms, all with ocean views. They are spread over two storey blocks round the grounds. All rooms have two double beds, ensuite shower and toilet and much needed air conditioning. All the rooms recently (before Covid) underwent a full renovation so they are bright, clean and well maintained.

Whats the food like?

The restaurant has a massive menu. From Japanese, Chinese, Local and western cuisine. If you have any specific dietary needs, vegetarian etc the chef will do his best to cater for your needs. The food is really well priced. Breakfast can vary from $5-15, Lunch $10-20 and Dinner $10-25 so its really reasonable. On a side note, the resort has some of the best Sashimi around!

How many dives will we do?

We will be diving for 12 whole days whilst in Truk. What normally happens is that we do two dives a day. First dive in the morning normally starts round 8:30am and will be one of the deeper wrecks. Afternoon dives normally start round 2pm. This gives everyone a good surface interval and long dive ( min 4 hour surface interval for Deco dives). For recreational diving groups we can arrange more diving opportunities in each day if you want them.

What about run-times?

Dive planning is left to you. There are no restrictions in run times (within reason!!). The thing that we take very seriously is safety, so please consider your dive times conservatively. Boats mostly head out at 8:30am in the morning and again 2pm in the afternoon. If you want to do a 4 hour runtime then you have to take into consideration your surface interval times ( currently there is a minimum of a 4 hour surface interval between any deco dives) and repetitive dive plans. Most people who choose to do a large dive, sit the afternoon dives out. Everyone needs to be out the water by 4:30pm each day.

What dive equipment should I bring?

Your trip fees include the use of 2 x tanks (11.6l ali) for bottom and deco gas, weight belt and weights if you need them. We have also provided breather tanks (this is at a surcharge of us$20 a day for 2 breather tanks = us$240 for the trip). This is payable to Pete and you can pay cash for this when you meet him at truk). We have 80 deco stage clip set ups so no need to bring your own. You will need to pay for the gas you use, Helium is $0.30 per litre, and Oxygen $0.06 per litre We have also shipped adequate sorb out based on what people have specified they need for their diving. Sorb will be on a pay as you go basis. The sorb will be stored in the shop so it will be based on the honesty system where if you take a tub just put your name down and settle the bill (directly to Pete and not the shop) at the end of the trip.

What exposure protection is required?

It is our recommendation that you bring a FULL length suit. 2mm or Fourth element thermocline gear. You will need the full length suit for scratch and abrasion protection. A scratch can turn nasty if left untreated in the tropics and seeing you will be wet a lot of the time it doesn’t give your wounds time to heal properly.So if you protect yourself that is much better than having this festering mess on your body causing discomfort! Also bring some silk socks or Fourth Element thermocline socks to put under your booties. This will prevent rubbing and blisters forming. This is one of the commonest injuries in Truk – Blistering feet. So prevention is better than cure.

What language Is spoken?

Everyone speaks English but if you learn a few local phrases, you’ll probably get a big smile in return!

What is the climate like?

Everyone wants to go at the “best time” of year and the brochures never show rainy conditions!  But the tropics are green because it rains a lot! And these days global weather patterns are ever changing so seasons are not predictable anymore. So expect blistering, hot, oily calm days followed by rain, squalls and windy choppy conditions. Followed by burning hot, calm sunny days etc. In short, its the tropics! A good recommendation would be to bring a light waterproof jacket – hat and plenty of sunblock!

Currency

The currency in Chuuk is the US dollar. Major credit cards are also widely accepted. There is a bank in the town. There are a few ATM’s in Truk Town so: If you are from outside the US, its probably better to bring some cash. You can charge all your food and drinks to your room and pay by credit card at the end. And also all your gas bill can be charged at the dive shop by credit card too.

What power supplies are used?

The resort provides 110 volt/60 cycle electricity with the U.S. type flat 2-pin plug or 3-pin (two flat pins and a rounded ground pin pictured above).

220V electricity is available in the dive shop and also at the front desk of the resort. Have a good look at your charger requirements you will probably find that their input is from 100-240 volts and be ok for the trip. You will need adaptors. What I did last time was brought a multi-box with me so I only needed one adaptor and everything else just plugged into the multi-box! This proved to be invaluable.

What should I bring to wear?

Dress is casual, shorts and t-shirts are widely acceptable on the resort grounds and of course on the dive boats! For women, it is considered offensive to wear skimpy clothing that do not cover up the hips so local custom is to wear a skirt or wrap to cover the thighs when away from the resort.

Anything else I should bring?

In our tropical climate, you will want protection from the sun – sunscreen and hats. The Blue Lagoon Resort has a gift shop and you can find items such as toothpaste and other of those easily forgotten items there or in some of the small stores around the island. The resort provides towels for diving too. Good footware, insect repellant, a light shower proof jacket will also be useful. Also a waterproof bag for onboard the dive boats if you don’t want your gear getting wet.

Any other fees or extra costs I should be aware of?

The airport departure fee is $30. This has to be paid at the airport so make sure you have $30 USD cash left. Also gratuities for local staff. What we normally do (because most of us are not from tipping countries) is give $100 to the resort and $100 to the dive operation ($200 in total) to distribute between the dive guides, boat drivers, gas fillers, general workers etc. This is totally up to you, but the guys are dedicated to making sure we have a great time. The guides will carry your gear too and from the boat each day and help you in what ever way they can. If you want to give more, then that is totally up to yourself. Pete collects the tip monies (needs to be in cash) at the end of the trip and gets a written receipt from the managers of the store and resort. They in turn distribute the monies to their staff. All the staff know what we do and Pete also tells the staff exactly how much tip money was given to avoid any misunderstandings.