Spending a bit more time inside than usual, The Dirty Dozen Team took the opportunity to virtually sit down with one of our special guests, Mark Powell and ask him to come clean about his two trips in Truk Lagoon he spearheaded for us.
DDE: Which wrecks would you recommend to divers heading to Truk for the first time?
All of them, they each have their own points of interest. The San Francisco Maru is the iconic Truk wreck with all the artifacts and the tanks on the deck, but the Aikoku has an incredible story and despite having the front of the wreck vapourised, it is still such a huge wreck that it takes your breath away. In addition to the big-name wrecks, some of the lesser-known wrecks have some individual parts that are incredible. Intact areas of the ship, historic artifacts, perfectly preserved areas of ship engineering as well as reminders of the history and the tragedy that resulted in the wrecks being where they are today.
DDE: You have been twice to Truk now, how was it different the second time around and is there such a thing as too much Truk?
MP: On the first trip there were so many wrecks that it was almost overwhelming. Each wreck on its own is a world-class wreck with so much to see and there is never enough time to see everything. On the second trip, I could have a look in more detail in some areas but even then there was still not enough time to see everything. There is so much variety and so many details on each wreck that I can't imagine getting bored of diving in Truk.
DDE: What’s your greatest takeaway from these Truk Lagoon trips, did you learn any new in-water skills or gain new knowledge?
MP: A phrase that we kept coming back to is that “this is how an engine room should look”. I am a huge wreck fan and love exploring engine rooms but I have never seen such well-preserved engine rooms complete with all the instruments and gauges. Having such well-preserved engine rooms helped me to consolidate my understanding of the design and layout of these ships.
DDE: Dirty Dozen uses the MV Truk Master for its liveaboards, was the boat comfortable for tech diving?
MP: MV Truk Master is ideal for these types of trips. It is very comfortable and well laid out for tech divers. It is also very well equipped with CCR and bailout cylinders on hand, a booster and an oxygen generator to help with filling. More importantly than that the Captain and Crew really understand what tech divers require and so it means that everything just happens easily without having to explain what is required or why we need this or that.
DDE: How important is it that recreational and technical divers have their own dedicated trips to Truk, in your opinion?
MP: I think this is extremely important. Recreational and technical divers have very different requirements and so if you have a mixed group there inevitably has to be some compromise. With a dedicated technical trip, there was no compromise. There were no limits on run times, there were no delays in getting ready due to other divers wanting to dive another site, there were no sarcastic comments about the length of dives and people waiting to get to the next site or waiting for lunch to be served. We all knew what we wanted to get out of the trips and the entire trip was focused on that.
DDE: Drysuits in Truk Lagoon… what’s that all about then?!
MP: It is easily warm enough to do without a drysuit and many of the divers opted to dive in a wetsuit but I chose to go with a lightweight membrane drysuit and very thin underlayer. The reasons for this were primarily to ensure a comfortable trim when diving a CCR and secondly just in case we came across any aviation fuel or other substances when in the wreck.
DDE: You’re heading to Bikini as a Dirty Dozen special guest diver in 2023, do you know much about the wrecks or do you have one dive in particular that you’re looking forward to?
MP: Truk is an incredible site for divers and Bikini is really the only other site that has any chance of beating it as the ideal site for wreck divers. The unique thing about Bikini is that, as the wrecks were selected for the atomic bomb tests, they are a cross-section of some of the most historic ships from the second world war. The aircraft carrier Saratoga and the IJN Nagato are two of the most historic ships from the war in the pacific. The Nagato was the flagship for the attack on Pearl Harbour, was present at the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Leyte Gulf and was the only Japanese super dreadnaught to survive the war. Both of these will be the high point of the trip for me but there are several other wrecks in the area with a fascinating history.
DDE: Mark, you are one of the UK’s most prominent technical diving instructors and known around the world for your award-winning book, Deco for Divers that comprehensively delves into doco theory for divers, but what do you hope to learn on the Bikini trip?
MP: I always learn something new on every trip. Whether it's a particular trick or tip, something about the area I’m visiting or just another technique for managing complex diving operations in remote locations. One of the best things about the Dirty Dozen concept is that everyone on the trip has a huge range of experience and knowledge so there are plenty of things to learn from the discussion over dinner, as part of the briefing or just while chilling out with the other expedition members in the saloon.
DDE: We heard you shared a berth with Aron and were traumatized, did he have rebreather equipment scattered everywhere, time to spill the beans!
MP: On my first trip I shared a berth with photographer and GUE instructor Jesper Kjøller who was a great room buddy. Then on the second trip, I shared with Aron and you cannot imagine what the room looked like. Within minutes there was some piece of clothing, equipment or promotional material on every single flat surface. It was as if there were CCR parts raining from the ceiling. I have never seen anyone manage to take up every single square inch with stuff.
DDE: Noted, don’t share a room with Aron. You’ve dived in Truk Lagoon with the Dirty Dozen in March and December 2018, if you had to sum up diving in Truk in three words, what would they be?
MP: World Class Wrecks!
To read more about our Truk Lagoon expeditions and schedule CLICK HERE
To read more about our Bikini Atoll expeditions and schedule, and to join Mark Powell in Bikini next year CLICK HERE
