© Gunther Deichmann - A very frisky Reef-shark. Could this be Truk Lagoon? This shot was taken on a different location in Palau, but according to this report Truk has got now some great action too.

…OK, so every scuba diver knows that Truk Lagoon is the worlds premiere wreck diving destination. And yes, more than 60 WWII wrecks were sunk during the 1944 Operation Hailstone and all are accessible to the scuba diver. Most people familiar with Truk Lagoon also know that we have more than 100 miles of surrounding outer reef which has gone basically untouched because the big draw in Truk Lagoon are the wrecks.

Well, the folks at the Truk Lagoon Dive Center are changing this mind set that Truk is only for wreck diving. They have been exploring the reefs off the wrecks and learned these areas are BIG FISH territory, with the bluest water imaginable and visibility that is often 60m/200-ft.

Students of history may recall rumors that the Japanese Navy would lay anti-submarine nets across the openings in the lagoon reef to dissuade allied forces from sneaking inside the lagoon. The Truk Lagoon Dive Center staff found one of these recently and it just happened to be anchored to a most magnificent seamount.

Currently going by the imaginative name of “Seamount No. 1”, this special place is just a 35 minute boat ride from the Truk Stop Hotel dock. Seamount No 1 is a circular plateau several hundred feet across and rising from the bottom of the lagoon at 60m/200ft all the way up to about 6m/20ft.

While a mixture of graduated steps, steep walls, and deep fissures make the site topographically interesting, what really makes this site special is the sea life it attracts. We dove this site about 4 times now and we always see huge schools of surgeonfish fighting for space with dark clouds of midnight snappers. Skipjack and large yellow fin tuna hunt side by side while swarms of big eye trivially engulf the passing diver.

Solitary bump head parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse graze the reef while man-sized dogtooth tuna cruise casually by, but it’s the sharks that keep bringing us back to this site time after time. White tip, black tip and grey reef sharks abound in the shallow waters while big 3m/10ft silvertip’s swim below 20m/60ft. These are big fish, not your typical reef shark, but rather heavyweights of the ocean and you can certainly feel their presence.

Inquisitive by nature, silver tips will repetitively pass very close to you (making the casual diver quite nervous but thrills the underwater photographer) and are found here in unusually large numbers with the occasional leopard shark basking on a sandy ledge.

But the real thrill is the Tiger shark, huge Tiger sharks that have been seen here on several occasions. Tiger sharks are perhaps the most graceful and magnificent of the apex predators in the ocean and move in such a relaxed manner, without a care in world and oblivious to everything that is not consider food to them – turtles are food to them and there is a lot of food around.

So, if you’re in Truk Lagoon and your “lust for rust” has been quelled or you just want a mid-week break, get out and see what very few people have every seen – some of the worlds best reef and walling diving and right in the middle of Truk Lagoon.

Island hopping at its best...explore Palawan and beyond.

She has arrived...and ready for some serious island hopping in Palawan Philippines.
we have just gotten word that the very “SEXY TASHINA” is now at Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center.
Dirk Fahrenbach dropped these images of yesterday, now he is on the way with Juergen Warnke from Club Paradise to the Shanghai Dive Expo.

Dugong Dive Center Info...”The Tashina”

As of September one the Dugong Dive Center has the brand new Yacht “TASHINA” (Trimaran).
The Fiberglas Yacht is 16m long and equipped with a back up engine.
For daily dive trips the boat has a capacity of maximum 10 divers and for overnight trips a maximum of 6 divers.
The boat is ideal for private charter. Guest that like to have a private boat with dive guide and boat crew will have an individual dive cruise, they never forget.

You like to go as couple with a yacht across the Calamian Islands of northern Palawan? This is only on sample of individual cruising.
Trips to APO REEF NATURAL PARK or CORON BAY with its Wrecks from WW II or TARA ISLANDS are the 3 main destinations we still offer with our Dive Boat “Karen Claire”. This 12 years experience with those dive trips will benefit the trips with our new boat.
For more info contact: Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center @
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/
http://www.clubparadisepalawan.com/

Data Sheet (“Bust and waistline”)

200 HP Main Engine
40 HP back up Engine
Bauer Compressor
Deep/Fish Finder
GPS
Satellite Telephone
Simple Kitchen
Small Toilet with Fresh Water Shower
Open Air Shower / Fresh Water
Diving Platform
12 and 220 V
TV with DVD Player and SD Card Slot
Radio with JBL and Bose Marine Speaker
One Open Air Sitting Area with Table and Sun Roof
One Cabin Sitting Area with Table
One Double Bed
4 Single Beds.
6 Open Air Hammocks for sleeping under the Stars.

Published Rates:

120,-Euro per person per day. (min. 4 Guest)
Inclusions: Accommodation, Food, 4 Dives per day.
OR
Boat Charter
100,-Euro Boat Charter per Day
30,-Euro per hour Travelling (fuel charge)
Per Person:
50,-Euro / Day Diving per person
15,-Euro per person for 3 meals

Tags: Trimaran, Boat Charter, Yacht TASHINA, Pacific, APO REEF NATURAL PARK, CORON BAY, Dive Boat , TARA ISLANDS, Wrecks from WW II