272924557

Please join us for our monthly in-person Scubadillo meeting, Thursday, Sept. 3, at On the Border in Addison. We’ll host a Zoom option, too — details below.

James Blackman, famed explorer, tec instructor and knowledge broker behind YouTube’s fastest-growing scuba channel, Divers Ready!, will give us a lively presentation on his favorite place on earth to dive: the legendary ghost fleet of Truk Lagoon. (Thank you, Scubadillo Willie Peloquin for connecting us with James!)

YOU SAY TRUK, I SAY CHUUK
Located in the warm waters of the South Pacific, Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon was a key forward-operating base for the Japanese. In a two-day air and sea assault in February 1944, an American Fast Carrier group equipped with more than 500 aircraft from 8 carriers destroyed the majority of the Japanese base.

When the smoke cleared, 15 Japanese naval ships, 6 tankers, 17 cargo ships, 25 American planes and 250 Japanese planes were lying on the bottom of the lagoon. Subsequent air raids sunk more ships, and by the end of the war, more than 60 destroyed vessels were on the lagoon bed, most within reach of recreational divers.

James will start with a brief history of the area and an overview of the WWII military operation that caused the tropical atoll to become the wreck diver’s paradise that it is today. He’ll discuss logistics, options for diving, how to dive Truk Lagoon and the dive profiles available at this remote location.

James will be happy to answer any questions you have, including, “How can I join you in Truk Lagoon in October 2021?”

MEETING DETAILS
Our meeting begins promptly at 7 p.m. If your schedule permits, please come for the social/dinner hour around 6 p.m.

We’ll have hand-sanitizer and will take your temperature at check-in. Also, bring a mask. You’ll need that for walking through the main restaurant to the bathroom, for instance. Wear masks if you enter through the front door. These are On the Border’s requirements. We want them to stay in business. Be mindful, please.

DID YOU SAY RAFFLE? 🙂
Yep. Bring some cash for the raffle, which offers fun, mostly useful items.

ZOOM WITH US
If you want to stay home, log on a bit early to get settled:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88068690926?pwd=TGdMeW5TSDUra2tKT1g0OTVXVDkyUT09

Meeting ID: 880 6869 0926
Passcode: 237832

See you Thursday!