By Liveaboard Explorer · Published
Truk Lagoon liveaboards: Odyssey, Pacific Master and wreck-diving requirements
Compare Odyssey’s seven-night package with Pacific Master’s Chuuk programmes, including recreational versus technical diving, joining flights and costs beyond the berth.
Which Truk Lagoon liveaboard should you choose?
A Truk Lagoon liveaboard suits divers who want several days exploring Second World War wrecks in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. Compare Odyssey for its seven-night, six-diving-day package and included Nitrox for certified users; compare Pacific Master for its range of trip lengths and technical or rebreather support arranged in advance. Neither a wreck’s name nor a boat booking gives permission to enter an overhead environment or exceed your training. The first decision is the diving you intend to do: external recreational wreck dives, deeper technical profiles, or penetration requiring appropriate training and experience. Choose the programme around that decision before comparing cabin categories. This is a specialist diving trip rather than a general Pacific island cruise.
Odyssey: recreational diving and guidingOdyssey versus Pacific Master
Scroll sideways to compare every column.
| Compare | Odyssey | Pacific Master / Master Liveaboards |
|---|---|---|
| Programme shape | Published package: seven nights aboard and six days of diving, up to five dives a day. | Several durations in the vessel’s current schedule. A seven-night sample itinerary is not proof of a seven-night departure on your dates. |
| Nitrox | 30% Nitrox fills included for Nitrox-certified divers in the published package. | Nitrox carries a surcharge; technical gases and rebreather supplies require advance arrangements. |
| Experience evidence | The general diving page describes recreational itineraries but does not establish a universal logged-dive minimum. Submit your certification, recent experience and intended dives for acceptance. | Truk FAQ requires Advanced Open Water or equivalent and at least 50 logged dives; Deep Diver specialty recommended. |
| Single travellers | Published guaranteed sole-use price for a double-occupancy cabin. | Vessel page lists standard single cabins as well as double/twin options; a cabin type does not establish current availability. |
| Best comparison use | A defined week with meals, scheduled airport transfers and certified Nitrox fills included. | A departure whose length, cabin and technical-support arrangements match your actual plans. |
Recreational wreck diving is not wreck penetration
Master Liveaboards describes average dive depths of 25–35 metres and requires Advanced Open Water or equivalent with 50 logged dives. That is its programme threshold, not a destination-wide qualification or a guarantee that every part of a wreck is within your limits. The operator does not offer diving courses on its Truk Lagoon itineraries. Odyssey’s site list illustrates why the exact profile matters. Fujikawa Maru is described for coral growth and aircraft parts; Heian Maru for torpedoes and submarine telescopes; San Francisco Maru for tanks and cargo. Features can lie at very different depths, and the list explicitly says not every site is visited each week. A recreational trip can focus on accessible external sections without attempting deeper cargo holds. Treat enclosed spaces as a separate training and planning decision. Do not follow another diver inside because the exterior dive was within your depth limit. Technical diving and rebreather use need the relevant certifications, equipment, gas planning and operator acceptance.
Master Liveaboards: Truk certification and technical-diving rulesArrange technical support before paying for flights
Pacific Master’s vessel page identifies technical diving support. Its Truk FAQ requires advance requests for cylinders, gases and scrubber supplies; the operator warns that accommodating requests can require at least three months’ notice because supplies come from outside the country. Do not assume a booked berth reserves oxygen, bailout cylinders or the correct rebreather fittings. The same FAQ says recompression facilities are limited and evacuation to Guam may be necessary. Select insurance for the depths and activities you will actually undertake, including emergency evacuation and chamber treatment, rather than assuming ordinary holiday insurance covers technical or overhead diving. This guide does not assess medical fitness or certify emergency facilities as operational.
Master Liveaboards: gas requests, remoteness and recompression limitationsJoining in Chuuk: use TKK, not just the word Truk
Book to Chuuk airport (TKK), with boarding arrangements on Weno. Master Liveaboards says its itineraries are built around United’s Guam–Chuuk schedule; the Honolulu Island Hopper is an alternative that may require extra nights. These are route options, not a daily-service timetable. Match the actual arrival and departure to the dated boat confirmation. Odyssey includes airport greeting and transfers for guests arriving and departing on its charter schedule. Extra island nights need their own accommodation and transfer arrangements. If your journey passes through Guam or Hawaii, resolve the US entry or transit requirements for your own passport before ticketing; the boat’s Chuuk joining instructions do not settle them. Leave the final diving and flight interval in the operator-approved plan. A dawn departure can remove dives from the preceding day; an advertised maximum dive count is not a target to meet regardless of flight timing.
Master Liveaboards: Chuuk airport and joining-flight optionsPublished Odyssey prices and what remains extra
Odyssey’s individual reservation page, checked on 25 October 2026, lists US$3,795 per person sharing for 2026 and US$3,995 for 2027. Guaranteed sole use of a double-occupancy room is listed at US$5,693 for 2026 and US$5,993 for 2027. These are published year-specific rates, not a cabin-availability check or a personalised quotation. The page adds 5% sales tax and a US$50 dive permit. It includes seven nights, full-board meals, beverages, scheduled airport transfers, tanks, weights and 30% Nitrox for certified users. It excludes flights, equipment rental, courses and the stated US$30 Chuuk departure tax. Technical oxygen is a separate charge. For Pacific Master, compare the dated departure fare with its own duration-dependent marine, park and port fees, Nitrox or technical supplies and rental equipment. Do not apply Odyssey’s permit figure or inclusions to another boat. Compare the total trip including transit hotels and insurance, not the berth alone.
Odyssey: individual rates, inclusions and exclusionsChoose a week you would still value without every named wreck
The programme should work for the profiles you are qualified and comfortable to dive, even if weather, visibility or the group’s experience changes the site list. More nights can allow more time in the lagoon, but they do not guarantee access to a particular wreck or make a deep dive appropriate. Odyssey and Pacific Master both publish recreational and technical material. Use the current vessel page to establish the boat: some Master itinerary and FAQ passages still retain the older Truk Master name, while the current vessel page and departures identify Pacific Master. A sample route, a vessel description and a dated departure are different records.
Pacific Master: current vessel and departure schedule