Truk Lagoon info needed

I'm planning a December/January trip to Truk.

Is there a good or bad time for the weather in the area?

Any recomendation for a good dive shop and resort or hotel to stay?

I prefer to do most of our diving from a location instead of confining ourselves to a liveaboard.

Is it more than one way to get there from California?

Short list of the better wrecks in the lagoon?

Any travel agent that has packages for a diving vacation in the area would be a great info to have.

Thanks in advance.

Hugo

Only one way to get there, that is Continental from Guam but several options to get to Guam from California via Honolulu, Japan, Manila, and i think Taiwan

Truk itself is actually a shithole...you would be better off on the Odyssey liveaboard. If you stay at a hotel you are advised not to leave the grounds.

That said, Blue Lagoon hotel/divers has a location a little away from the centre of town and some nice grounds and all amenities.

Truk Stop is right in town and therefore lots of "local entertainment" nearby...friday night fights! But Truk Stop is better set up for technical diving than Blue Lagoon.

You should contact

Reef and Rainforest or Trip-N-Tour as they both are agents for the Pacific regions.

The diving is fantastic and the wrecks are covered in soft corals and amazing life. I don't think you can go wrong on any of the wrecks.

Hugo -

I think you might miss some good diving if you did land based. Check out the Odyssey...its a BIG boat and a first class operation. This is not the typical liveaboard that has everyone on a tight diving schedule. They "park" over the wrecks and the pool is open. My wife and I dove our own schedule and since it takes several dives to see the wrecks we were happy to stay in one location for morning and afternoon.

M.

I agree with Mikes description of Truk. Since the US has now almost totally pulled out and provides very little aid or economy, the place has fallen on pretty hard times. I spent a night on land in a dark Blue Lagoon hotel with no hot water (due to one of the frequent power outages they have). I would opt for a liveaboard which often spends a day on a wreck allowing for multiple dives since some of these ships were 500 feet long and can not be really explored on a single dive. Since the Truk Aggressor left for Indonesia, the liveaboard I would choose is the Odyssey (the Thorfin seems to attract more of a European crowd with the occasional ultra fat guy wearing a thong bathing suit)

Your time to go would be good. The typhoon season has ended by December and being close to the equator, Truk really does not have a lot of seasonal temperature variation.

The diving is spectacular and combined with the history of the place, it is still my favorite place to dive worldwide.

Best Wrecks in my opinion

Fujikawa Maru

Sankisan Maru

Heian Maru

San Francisco Maru

Fumizuki (small but the only really accessible warship)

Yamagiri Maru

Hoki maru

Hugo;

I agree, the Odyssey is the way to go. great boat at a good price, note that they include nitrox.

If you go to my photo site, you'll find an extensive journal, photos and links to Truk.

Jack