I have been an avid supporter of Eurotek when Carl and Bish first spoke about it when we were all in truk in 2008! So it really gives me great pleasure to be able to offer this great prize.

Full details of this prize are in the "what's included/excl" tab but basically the winner of this prize will be able to bring a mate with them to Truk for 13 nights (12 days diving) doing some of the best wreck diving the world has to offer!!

Wanting to Dive Truk Lagoon is by far one of the biggest wishes of most divers globally

These L4R trips to Truk Lagoon are fast becoming one of the most popular ways to experience Diving Truk Lagoon!

This prize is in close association with Blue Lagoon Dive Shop. We work extremely closely with them so that you can enjoy extended dive times on these world class wrecks.

I am already looking forward to Eurotek 2012. I will be there to personally congratulate the winner of this great prize.

WHATS INCLUDED?

The Prize is based on a trip for 2 divers ex Truk:

12 full days diving (2dives a day = 24 dive package) 13 nights accommodation on twin share basis (twin or double) ALL have ocean views, fridge and en suite (Worth $2895.00 each)

Weight belts and lead

2 x Standard cylinder hire OR sling tanks (These are 80cf aluminum tanks. you will get the use of two if you need them)

ALL air fills

Rebreather tank hire (worth $240 each person)

$200 meal voucher per person

All airport transfers etc etc

The whole prize is worth over $7000.00us

WHATS EXCLUDED?

You will have to fly yourself to Truk (we can assist here with flight options when you decide when to come)

Consumables:

Oxygen: $0.06c a litre!
Helium: $0.15c a litre!
Sorb – us$15/kg this is the 797 grade 1-2mm grade Sofnolime.

If you are not a rebreather diver then we will include the hire of a set of manifolded twins and deco tanks (normally – us$15/day)

FLIGHTS

Reason why we don't do flights is because people come from every part of the world. So trying to work a package with flights just becomes impossible. BUT let us know where you are coming from and what we can do is plan the best way to get to Truk from your destination. We will then give you the details, flights etc and you can simply book them online or through your local travel agent. This can get you the very best deals on flights and with the minimal of fuss!

Download Truk Booking form

Download FAQ Truk Trip

MEDICALY FIT TO DIVE

This goes without saying. Please ensure that if you have recently been sick or not diving due to some medical condition that you get the all clear from a diving doctor. Its for your own safety!

DIVE SKILLS NEEDED FOR TRUK

Truk can cater for recreational and technical divers alike. With wrecks in all depths from 10-70m you really cant go wrong with diving in Truk.

What we do adhere to, is keeping within your training certification and experience limits. We understand that a lot of people have hundreds of hours experience technical diving with little or no certifications under their belt. We are not saying that these people have "less skills" than someone with a piece of plastic but from a liability point of view we have to adhere to these rules. I am sure you understand.

If you are a rebreather diver you will need the same qualification on the unit you will be diving in Truk to enable you to conduct the diving activity ( for example, if you are open circuit trimix trained but basic rebreather certified if you are on your breather then you will be limited to NDL diving on the breather. BUT if you were open circuit diving then all will be good.

BEING "DIVE FIT"

What normally happens is people don't do that much diving and then suddenly come away and spend the next 12 days diving their little hearts out! This could be really hard on the body and end up in a heap on the floor!!! So it is our recommendation to prepare before the trip and get dive fit before you come. That way you will enjoy your diving that much more.

DO SOME RESEARCH!!

By far the best reference book to get is Dan Bailey's book WWII Wrecks of Truk Lagoon. Dan has been really supportive of our trips and site and has been great allowing us to use schematics and exserts out of his book for every ones reference.

By doing a little research before you come to truk will make a huge difference. Spending 12 days diving 20-30 different wrecks, they will soon mould together into one and before long you will only remember diving the "Morning Maru" and "Afternoon Maru's" Trust me on this one!!

Following a successful expedition in 2008, Pete Mesley already had most of the supplies in place for another trip in 2009. Pete’s trips cater almost exclusively for rebreather divers and their special requirements in terms of gases, cylinders and scrubber materials. Now while I am not an ardent rebreather fanatic who will advocate their use over any other system for any occasion, I do believe in using the right tool for the job. And there is no doubt that these machines are the perfect tool for exploring the wrecks of Truk Lagoon. The deeper and lesser dived wrecks can be explored at leisure without the same time constraints as open circuit. And of course the rebreathers offer almost unlimited bottom time on the shallower wrecks.

So 2009 saw the meeting in Guam of three separate teams from around the world. The British team headed by Leigh Bishop, the Kiwi team led by Pete and including Simon Mitchell, and the South African team (including one living in LA and one in Perth).

Arriving in Truk we were met at the airport and delivered straight to the Blue Lagoon Resort. After check in it was straight to the dive shop for kitting up in preparation for the following day. Pete’s organization was magnificent and all gases and gear were ready as promised. The following day’s diving was a real eye-opener to the size and scale of these wrecks. The rough plan was max five people per boat and one boat per wreck to maximise enjoyment and minimise silting etc. We had a total of 23 planned dives each and unless one wished to repeat a certain dive, these could all be on different wrecks, which would still leave about 40 still to do! (Next trip is a must!) The morning dive would generally be a deeper one (max 62m) and then this was followed by an afternoon dive on a shallower (35m) wreck.

Jeans Full trip report on Flickr on the link below. Check out his awesome pictures!

Jean Tresfon

This was my second trip to Truk. Prior to the first I remember being ready for disappointment after all the hype the place gets. The fact I went again this year and will go again a third time next year is all I need to say really. It is diving heaven. The wrecks are fascinating, and even if wrecks are not strictly your thing the wreck-environment interaction ensures there is abundant natural beauty to complement the rust. Indeed, my best photos are the ones that depict this. Pete's trips are long enough to get well entrenched in the wake-eat-dive-eat-dive-eat-sleep-and repeat (x10 at least) routine. And he makes it so easy with cylinders, sorb, gas, stages, tools, analyzers etc on site. Brilliant stuff.

Can't recommend it highly enough.

Simon Mitchell

Hi from another Pete Mesley Truk repeat offender,

This like Simon M (aka the Doc) was also my second trip, and I am already saving the pennies for a return. Truk is indeed the true Mecca of wreck diving especially if you like penetration dives, engine rooms, Kawasaki shipwrecks (yes I kid you not), marine life, and the odd bell. 
Pete runs a very professional set-up, and to my mind provides the optimum support service for CCR divers, in fact he cannot do enough to make sure that everyone has a mega "Lust 4 Rust" experience.
His trips also bring together a diverse group of like minded divers from all over the globe to share in this amazing experience.

Highly recommended.

I too was a purveyor of all things Truk! This was my 1st time there and WOW what a place, truly as Des says a mecca for rust! Pete's trip in my opinion was second to none, his attention to detail in regards to providing everything a wanting CCR dive (and the odd O/C head) could hope to need was available in abundance.

His logistics in organizing our boats so each boatload could virtually choose where they wanted to dive on a daily basis instead of being hand held by a dive company - as I'm sure some of us have been accustomed to- was refreshing and exciting to say the least.

The good humor that was present during the trip was fantastic, this was backed on a serious side knowing that we had a world class dive Doc on site in Dr. Simon Mitchell with us taking a fully stocked medical kit out on the boat...All the boats in our party were linked via radio so if there was an incident our Dr. could act quickly, this was extremely comforting to know we had such acute backup on hand.
Thankfully Simon had a reasonable time to enjoy his diving as there were no major diving incidents on the trip and everyone went home with all their bits still attached and a smile on their dial.. Pete even went so far as to pre arrange the rooms so as his party got the best rooms at the resort reserved prior to our arrival.

For me after 22 years of diving the world this easily goes down as my best away trip so far!! I said one would need to "Do Truk" at leas once in their life....Unfortunately I feel I will need to return now year after year to satisfy a new itch I have developed!

I can't praise Pete Mesley high enough...cheers Pete and see you next year.

Mischa Temple

Download Truk Booking form

Your Safety

Lust for Rust Diving Excursions takes your safety VERY seriously so with this in mind we have made it policy to have on each trip a world class Diving Hyperbaric Physician.

There is fantastic twin lock chamber only 5 minutes away from the resort which is manned by an experienced team. Unfortunately the medical facilities in Chuuk (Truk) are extremely sparse to say the very least. And where they have local doctors, there is no diving doctors on the island.

It is for this reason why we bring our own doctors who are equipped with a comprehensive emergency medical kit to cater for sick divers.

I really appreciate your interest in wanting to come with us to one of the worlds Diving Meccas - Truk Lagoon. I have tried to detail as many issues as I can in this document. I really hope that the majority of your questions will be answered. If you still have specific questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on petemes@ihug.co.nz

Here are some frequently asked questions about the trip.

Q : What certification do we need to come to Truk with you?

Truk lagoon ranges in depths from 10 - 70 meters with the majority of wrecks in the 20-40m range. There are about 20 wrecks that are in the 40-70m range. So really, there are wrecks to match most diving training and experience levels. If you want to dive the deep wrecks anything deeper than 50m you will need to be trimix trained. If you are on a rebreather - you will need the appropriate training and experience on the unit you are diving! So if you are an advanced open water diver then your max depth will be limited to 30m no decompression diving.

Q: Do you only take people on rebreathers on your trips?

Absolutely not!! We welcome anyone who has an appetite for world class wreck diving! We carefully allocate conducive divers and their diving experience levels to boats to reduce any frustration. For example we would not put a single tank diver on a technical boat, we would team up all single tank recreational divers so that they can do more frequent dives as opposed to tech divers who will do less dives but much longer bottom times.

Q: Why do you only offer land based pricing packages?

The main reason for this is that we have people coming on our trips from all over the world and it is impossible to know where people are flying from. Also these days people like to take advantage of air mile credits etc etc. Flights are also the first to change in price and this can be frustrating for people that get quoted a price, then only to be informed that their trip cost just increased!
What we do is once you inform us of your intent to come to truk we will find out where you are flying from, then work out an appropriate flight plan for you. That way you can go to your local travel agent and get the flights sorted as soon as you can.  

Q: How much is the trip? ( 2011 prices)

LAND ONLY package - US$2895.00

Q: What does this include?

12 full days diving (2dives a day = 24 dive package)
13 nights accommodation based on twin share (twin or double) ALL have ocean views, fridge and en suite
Transfers to and from hotel from the airport in Truk
Advanced Medical emergency kit
On site Hyperbaric Physician (see note)
Weight belts and lead
2 x Standard cylinder hire OR 2 x sling tanks (These are 80cf aluminum tanks. you will get the use of two if you need them)
Stage rigging kits on all tanks
ALL air fills (O2, Helium is extra)

Q: What is NOT included in the price

Oxygen: us$0.06c a litre!
Helium: us$0.15c a litre!
Rebreather cylinder hire – us$10/tank/day ($240us)
Sorb – us$15/kg this is the 797 grade 1-2mm grade Sofnolime.

We have at considerable expense shipped in 34 sets of rebreather tanks and there is 20 x 3l fabre steel tanks, and 14 x 2l fabre steel tanks. These are us$10/tank/day (this is us$240.00 for the trip) (ESSENTIAL that these are booked in advance they are mostly 3l fabre steel inspiration tanks all with the 5/8th DIN fittings NOT the European standard threads.) we will really try and accommodate every ones tank needs. This is paid directly in US$ to Pete at the end of the trip. Please ensure you have appropriate amounts of US$.

We ship in enough for each trip so it is essential to book to avoid disappointment. This is paid directly in US$ to Pete at the end of the trip. Please ensure you have appropriate amounts of US$.

ISOLATION Manifolded Twins hire – us$15/day

It is ESSENTIAL that these are booked in advance. There is STRICTLY limited numbers of tanks. If we need more then I will simply ship more to truk. BUT it must be at least 12- 15 weeks before the dates to ensure that they arrive in time.
We have really tried to make your lives as easy as possible for the rebreather and technical diver and if you cant be bothered by bringing your own tanks, and sorb we have taken all the hassle out of the equation for you. But you are welcome to bring all your own gear if you prefer this.

Front of the dive shop

Q: Are we limited to dive times?

In short - NO! One of my pet hates is having some muppet dive guide telling me that I can only do a 30 minute bottom time at a certain depth and then we must all ascend!!! On all of our trips if you want to do a 4 hour run time - then we plan for it!!!! This is why we take time ensuring that people who go on the right boats (max 6) and are conducive to each others training and experience! That way people that are happy doing a 40 minute dive on a wreck wont have to wait 3 hours for others!

Q: What do I need to do to book onto a trip?

Simply contact me, Pete Mesley (petemes@ihug.co.nz) for a booking form and I will send one out to you immediately. All we need is a us$500 deposit to book your spot and kit needs, and the remainder of monies due 10 weeks before the trip dates.
Q: What sort of money do I need to budget for food?
A: Always a hard one! The food is really well priced so with three meals a day, I would probably budget on, say round $450-$500us for meals for a 13 night stay.

Q: What about tipping?

Being an American based environment tipping is a way of life. What we have done to ease confusion is keep it simple. During your stay, you don't pay for each meal, it is just added to your room bill and you settle it at the end. The same for all your diving needs, gas, etc etc
What we do is recommend that you keep aside us$100 for the hotel and us$100 for the diving operation ($200 in total) for the gratuities. This works well. This is all collected by Pete and handed to the respective managers. You can, of course, give more if you want to.

Q: What about bringing money and paying for things while we are there?

As mentioned above, within the resort and dive shop its pretty much a cashless society and you can charge pretty much everything to your room. All food, drinks, extras at the dive store you name it! Then you can just pay in one fowl swoop at the end of the trip. This eliminates the need to pay as you go. If you prefer this this option is always available. The currency in Chuuk is all in US Dollars. It is recommended to taken $800us cash if you are paying for everything on credit card. But also please bear in mind that you will need $200 at least for tipping and payment of the sorb and tank hire.

Q: Do I need Medical and Diving Insurance?

YES YES YES!!!!! unfortunately one of the disadvantages of such great diving is the sheer remoteness of the area! Don't be fooled you will be staying in comfortable accommodation and have great diving but the medical facilities are SPARCE at the best of times. It is mandatory for you to have DAN insurance. There is a chamber in Chuuk (about 5 minutes away from the resort) also but the nearest advanced medical facilities are Guam or most of the time Townsville, Australia. This is why DAN insurance is mandatory. Also please ensure that you have the appropriate insurance policy for the type of diving you will be doing, if you dive deeper than your training and policy limits - you might not get coverage.

Q: Do you have a world class diving hyperbaric physician on all your trips?

YES! Because medical facilities are so sparse, we have taken steps to ensure the safety and well being of people on our groups. We have a fully kitted emergency field medic kit on hand exclusively for our groups. ALSO we will have a world class diving hyperbaric physician on all our trips diving with us. So if anyone were to have any problems we have this back up. We also have immediate authorization to treat patients at the chamber so don't need to waste valuable time getting permission to treat the patients. Obviously we prefer to prevent accidents rather than treat them, but we always like to be prepared for most eventualities. But also bear in mind that there is only so much we can carry and offer.

Q: How many different wreck sites could we expect to visit in a day?

When I first went to Truk all I could think of was diving as many wrecks a possible - but in the end the reality of the place is you end up seeing 10% of everything and 100% of nothing! There is so much to see there it will take you 10 lifetimes to see it all properly. So for the tech divers, my best recommendation is to really focus on 2 wrecks a day and what you will find is that you will want to go back to a few wrecks again and again.!! Remember there are 8 ocean liners alone there!!!!!!!!
For the recreational divers in our group, we can offer as many dives as you want! Dive times will be significantly shorter than the technical diver groups so this enables you to do more dives in a day. The amount of dives you do will really be limited to your dive fitness. A common number for this sort of diving is 3 a day, but you can do more if you want to (additional costs will occur if you do more than your package states)

Q: Is there anything else to do while in Chuuk between dives?

There are a few kayaks that you can take out for a paddle, beach to read a book on, land tours showing war relics etc etc But basically diving is 99.8% of activities in Chuuk!!! The resort has a small fleet of mopeds but just a word of warning here, most injuries while on vacation come from mopeds!!! This is not a place dedicated to focus on activities other than diving so non divers that come will love the tranquility (while everyone is out diving!) and non commercial basis of the island!

Q: How important is it to do some research on the wrecks before we come to Truk?

Personally I think that by doing some research on the wrecks before your trip will give you more enjoyment knowing what you are diving. All the sites are fully briefed before you dive them. But without doing some of your own research with the sheer amount of wreck dives you will do all the wrecks fall into either the "morning Maru" or "afternoon Maru"! You will really appreciate the wrecks so much more. Just click on the History link and you can read up all about the history of Truk. I would also recommend purchasing Dan Baileys book WWII Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon (http://www.northvalleydiver.com/) directly from Dans site. This publication is by far the best resource I have ever seen. We have a book that stays in Truk for people to reference too.

Q: Are the tanks DIN or Yoke?

A: We have 34 sets of breather tanks will be 5/8" BSP DIN fittings (standard APD rebreather tanks with NON european threads). there are 20 sets of 3l and 14 x sets of 2l tanks. There are limited amounts of DIN valved stage deco tanks. There are 30 of the larger tanks with DINs. All deco tanks and side slung tanks are 80cf aluminum and rebreather tanks fabre steel 3l or 2l ( you MUST let us know what you need and as we would love to accommodate everyone all the time sometimes we might not have the tank size or material you are after) We will just have to do the best we can.

Q: What is the food like at the resort?

Food at the Blue lagoon resort is great! There is over 40 main course meals on the menu. The food comes out hot, and in a timely manner, but hey its the tropics so expect every now and then to get something completely different that you order! It all adds to the mystique of these amazing places. Just embrace the fact that things dont move as fast as you are probably used to back home. Noone to date has had any major problems with food or the water on the island but due care and diligence is always recommended. We have copies of the menu on our site just follow the links www.petemesley.com/truklagoonblresort.htm . for your interest.

Q: Is there internet on the island?

The answer to this question is YES. BLDS has since put in free wireless internet in the lobby and restaurant areas for you to enjoy free internet. Unfortunately they dont stretch to your rooms YET!! but we are working on that for you. There is no longer wireless prepaid internet on the island. Telecom decided that this was a bad idea and have now since stopped this service. The internet is not super fast but at least you will be able to download your emails and Talk on skype all good. So if you cant leave your business for 2 weeks, want to keep in contact with your family while you are away this makes it really simple and easy.

Q: What power is on the island?

All the rooms at BLDS have 110volt US electrical plugs. They also have a 240vlt inverter which is located at reception ( for the use of this there is a nominal one time fee of $5). If you are like me, and have loads of things to charge then what i recommend is bringing a multibox from your part of the world, that way you only need one adaptor to plug it into the wall. Then you can use all your plugs in the multibox!

Q: What if I have some other questions, who do I contact?

Pete Mesley Trip organiser

info@petemesley.com

skype: petemes

+64 27 2782250 (New Zealand)

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