Today started off as a rough morning. Stomach acid was in full effect and I could tell I was dehydrated and needed a mass amount of sugar to get me going. I powered through and we headed to the Nippo Maru.
The Nippo Maru is a 352’ long freighter. The bridge started at 90’, the cargo holds were 120’ and the bottom of the ship was located at 140’. Today was my first decompression dive. This means that upon accent I had to stop at certain depths to let my body “off-gas”. When diving, your body accumulates nitrogen in your blood which is called “on-gassing”. Too much nitrogen in your system is what causes divers to get decompression sickness (DCS) or more commonly know as “bent/the bends”. If you are not careful and get bent, you have to sit in a decompression chamber (very expensive) and it comes with some potentially serious risks. We explored the Nippo Maru by starting on the main deck. We came across giant Anti-tank artillery guns. The two of them sat on the deck very much intact but over grown with coral. It was amazing to see these guns in such great shape considering the Nippo Maru was bombed 3 times.
We followed the guide through a narrow passageway where we came across toilets and sinks. After exiting what I assume was the bathroom, we came outside to another section of the ship. I checked my watch and realized I was very close to hitting my no-decompression (deco) limits. I turned to my right and that was when I realized it was going to be a deco dive. There was a freaking anti infantry tank sitting on the deck! I kid you not (pic below for proof). I screamed like a little girl with excitement. Unfortunately, not wanting to push my luck with my first decompression dive, I missed out on seeing a cargo hold filled with ammunition and a few military trucks. I’ll have to come back to explore this wreck again later in the week. Deep dives limit you to what you can see as your bottom time is limited by many factors such as deco time and air supply.
After a quick bite to eat and some anti-acid it was time to head out again to dive the Kansho Maru. The Kansho Maru was another freighter of 380’ in length. The bridge sat at 50’, main deck at 90’ and the bottom was at 130’. Our guide took us right away to the engine room. It was absolutely mind blowing. We were swimming down stairs that were no wider than my shoulders and maneuvering around all the piping and machinery required to make an engine room. It was very well intact. You could see the gauges on some of the pipes, thermometers, levers and plenty of other dials.
We then worked our way through the ship into the Galley and Bathrooms. I saw sinks with dishes, pots, pans, and china all over the place. We squeezed our way through a couple more hallways towards the bridge area. Unfortunately video/photography was just not meant to be on this dive. My dive buddy Chris jumped into the water and his GoPro flooded with salt water and right now its sitting in a bag of rice so we are hoping it can be saved. I knew Chris really wanted to get footage of this wreck so I offered up my GoPro so that he could get the footage he wanted and I could enjoy the dive to its fullest. Turns out I forgot to turn off my GoPro after the Nippo Maru. We got to about 20’ and realized my GoPro had little to no battery left. Looks like we will have to come back for this one as well. On the ascent, my stomach acid finally caught up to me. I held out until I was back on the boat but then it forced its way up. On the boat ride back, Grace and Toby gave me their 100% Oxygen bottle to breath. Breathing 100% Oxygen does wonders. I felt way better and really rejuvenated.
An hour later and I was laying down receiving a massage at the resort after some great days of diving. It was the best massage I’ve ever had. Later on the dive crew held a BBQ in celebration of our stay with them. We had BBQ Chicken, Ribs, Fish and Rice. It was great. We received certificates to say that we had dived in Chuuk Lagoon and tomorrow we board the live aboard boat the “SS Thorfinn” for 7 days of 5 dives a day. This might be my last blog entry. Internet is going to be even more limited on the boat with only 10mb allowed a day. I will have to see what I can manage.
As always, thanks again for taking the time to read and I hope you’re enjoying a glimpse into my obsession of diving.
—-
Justin Steele
The Green Ranger