Visit
fabulous photos and log from April 2005 guests
Words
taken from our onboard guest book...
April 21, 2007
"Dear
Thorfinn guys and gals,
What else can I say but absolutely great... great
ship, great crew, great diving. Tomo was a great guide, knew where all the best
artifacts on the ships were. I will recommend this trip to all divers and everyone
I know. So thank you everyone for making my trip such a memorable and unforgettable
experience."
Cameron Burge, an Aussie from Brisbane.
April
21, 2007
"Well, what I'll say about Thorfinn can be summed up in words, AWESOME.
My breath has been taken away by this amazing aquatic underwater experience and
lists as a maximum adventure of the colorful blue world below. My thanks go out
to the skipper and his fine crew with Tomo and Eric as two very fine fellows.
Tomo's dive skills and knowledge surpass anything I have seen. Diving was great
and wrecks amazing to say the least, as well as the marine life. I have no ideas
of the names of so many bright colorful fishes. It has been one high pleasure
being here, and am already planning my return trip. Also thanks to Cameron for
putting up with this POME's dry wit. Roxanne's smile and infectious laugh and
happy smile was always tops." Cheers, Adrian Roberts, of Shropshire, UK
April 10, 2007
" Thanks for a great trip. Your dive staff really know their
stuff. Was never worried about penetrating the wrecks. Guides always knew where
to find the best stuff in both artifacts and unique interesting sea life. I'll
definitely be back."
K.C.(Casey) Considine, of Pinellas Park, FL
April
10, 2007
" Enjoyed the entire stay. Crew was excellent, polite, friendly. Dive
guides very professional, and the greatest. Showed us lots of good artifacts.
We will definitely be back for another stay with a large group. Roxanne was sweet,
courteous, and very friendly with a good professional attitude."
Wayne DeBellonia,
SunnySeascuba, of Port Richey, FL
April
7, 2005
" Well, what to say..? A pretty and perfect holiday. Roxanne is lucky
that I'm not 30 yrs younger, as I'd then go for her job..! Best wishes to all,"
Sybille Conrad, Diversion Dive Travel, of Cairns, Australia
April
3, 2007
"Another great time diving on the THORFINN. My 3rd time on this ship
and I'm looking forward to my fourth sometime in near future."
Paul Lincoln,
of Cleveland, OH
April 1, 2007
"Thanks for great diving. It exceeded my expectations even with
Julie's ramping it up. Probably a year's worth of diving in one week, and my confidence
levels increased 10 fold."
Pete Wylie, of Perth, Western Australia
March
26, 2007
"Many thanks to all the crew and Captain ! ...aboard the SS Thorfinn.
A really great week's diving at one of the world's best dive sites. I really have
to return when my youngest is of age to do so, and this time with my long suffering
diving wife. Will strongly recommend you guys to anyone who'll listen to my narc'd
ramblings, and I'm sure some of my club members will be here later this year."
Ciao, Paul Newman, Panaga Divers SAC, Brunei
March
26, 2007
"Great diving on all the wrecks with excellent guiding by Tomo made
this an excellent holiday"
Neil and Angela, of Miri, Malaysia
March
26,2007
"What a great place ! I was so relaxed that by Wednesday, did not
know what day it was. Big thanks to Pako and Eric for looking after us so well.
Capt. Lance and rest of crew are such great people..! What diving..! "
Steve
Shoeg, of Cambridge, UK
March
26,2007
"A great week's diving topped off with 5 rays and a shark on our final
dive on Nippo Maru. I'm going home relaxed, teckied and all Maru'd out...!! Special
thanks to Pako and Eric for coping with 6 twin sets. Happy diving"
Chris Evans,
of Cambridge, UK
March
26, 2007
"Well us Brits have had a ball diving to see such a wide array of
ships. We've all enjoyed our stay on THORFINN, with many thanks to Lance and crew
for all they did for us. What a place to come and dive..! Others we know wishing
to come out here will get rave reviews from us. Many thanks."
Mary Tyler,
UK
March 25, 2007
"The Finns enjoyed the splendid wrecks and the pleasantly warm water with good
visibility. All the time being pampered with good food and drink from a family
business atmosphere with smiles and great patience. Special thanks to Pako and
Eric who worked so hard with our heavy doubles and stage tanks. They have the
natural and friendly way of helping when and where needed. Thanks also for the
final night BBQ party and dance show ... it excels..! We will be back... keep
up the good work...! "
Aleksi Ilmonen, of Helsinki, Finland
March
23. 2007
"Lance and Crew, .... You have all done a great job to make this
a wonderful experience. Diving, food service, hospitality, stories around the
table, ..relaxing and exciting. Keep up the good work. I will recommend you to
fellow divers at home."
Terry Mark, of St. Catherines, Canada
March
23, 2007
"To all the crew....thank you very much. I felt very much looked
after the whole 7 days I was on board. I loved the warmth and atmosphere that
the crew engender. Special thanks to the dive crews as they showed me some awesome
dives as I got to see and touch history. Thanks Tomo, Churpler and Pako for looking
after me and Joe. Roxanne thanks for the smiles, laughs, and late night chats
when I couldn't sleep. You're a champion.!! Thanks Captain for the history lessons
on Truk, (and others)...it is also my second favorite topic.... One last extra
mention for Tomo ...fantastic service."
Unsigned
March
22, 2007
"Thank you. The dives far exceeded my expectations, and were a lot
of fun. To Tomo, ...a big thanks for his group hanging with me at 15ft for 10
min.
Voctor Shelehov and Jane Sanders Shelehov, of Hollywood, CA
Admirable
Bubbles Dive Trip, March 10 - 17, 2007
"Well done Allan. The trip far exceeded
my expectations", Len. "Had a great time, thanks" .... Antomy "Great experience
diving, for a great group of guys..!'' George Robinson "Great trip as always"
....Allen White "Fantastic experiences and fellowship above and below. Thanks
Captain Lance for inviting us into your home and showing us around your backyard.
Your 'family' looked after us well. .... Ian Harper "Great diving, great staff...
a very memorable week, Thanks ! " ....Jeremy "OK...so Roxanne gives me a boot
for only writing 9 words...so here goes with more. pako and Eric were an awesome
boat team ! They showed us sooo much of the wrecks without hurrying us through,
giving us time to take it all in. Sayleen, Rose and Popo were always there with
food, drinks, (maybe too often) and a smile to greet us on each dive return...
made the de-nitrifying much more pleasant. Our glimpses of Ania and her gorgeous
boys, particularly Lawrence and his fin removals/collecting were a pleasant distraction.
Capt Lance is an amazing character, and if telling even 50% facts in his stories,
he has led an extraordinary life. I'm envious. Finally Rojani (Roxanne) .....
where to start with this one..? Her 3 to 5 costume changes a day, each more spectacular
than the last... Her infectious laugh... her late night deck conversations while
I metabolized my alcohol excesses... her service with a smile... can I say more..?
Probably not. Its been an absolute blast, and I'm sad to be leaving, although
my ears will certanly be thankful for a break from all those dives. Take care
all on Thorfinn....I'll be back ! ... Jeremy (again)
March
6, 2007
"Great fun, very good all round"...... Steven Norris, UK "Great diving
and lots of fun, thanks." ... Stuart Winfield, UK "Nice work, THORFINN..!! a great
setup all around..!!! Thanks for the experience/dives/stories. So long, and thanks
for all the fish..!!"
Tom Bowling and Simon, UK
February 24, 2007
"I will see you again..! Thanks for a great week ! Fantastic
diving..!!! " Best regards,
Mark Christen, of Orangevale, CA
Newcastle
Sub-Aqua Club ...staffs BSAC 1237, Feb. 17 - 24, 2007
"Great wrecks, great
people, great diving, great food, ... what can we say...except FANTASTIC...! Plus
San Francisco Maru, plus sharks,...wow..! We will see you again...soon..! To all
that follows us...you are lucky ..!!!! Thanks..! " Tony Lausen, Bob List, Dave
Robson ( Robo) , Alan Marchaut, Jeff Barker, Nicky Fellowes, Sharkley.......Our
firsts for Micronesia, definitely not our last.. Many thanks, these memories will
stay with us for rest of my days.
February 13, 2007
"We were spoiled..! Magnificent diving and more than wonderful
living on board together with such helpful people" Thank you,
Dora Verhoeven
and Mark Sebrechts of Zandhoven, Belgium
Feb 13, 2007
"WOW, what a wonderful week its been ! It was definitely a memorable
honeymoon for us both and we shall never forget it. We've had a lot of fun and
good food (yum) and TERRIFIC dives ! Captain Lance, your operation is TOPS..!!
" Take care everyone,
Nicole and Simon Roffe, of Washington DC, USA
Feb 11, 2007
"Thank you to the crew of the THORFINN for a great week. The
dives were great, the food and the people wonderful."
Joe and Cynthia Runia,
of Lake Norden, South Dakota
Feb
11, 2007
"Thanks very much to the Captain and crew of the THORFINN..!!! Very
glad to have had the opportunity to spend time with you all and experience the
most amazing wreck diving in the world. We were torn up over previous experience
of depths on wreck dives, and have set new standards with our Chuuk experiences.
Thanks for making us feel so welcome, and special thanks to the Captain for his
tales of the attack, of his life here in Chuuk for last 25 years, of bars all
over the world, and the daily world news reports. We hope to return again..!!"
Ken
and Olivia Norton, of London, UK
January
28, 2007
"Thank you all, to the crew of Thorfinn for an amazing experience
and a fantastic holiday. The diving, the warmth of all make the long trip from
the UK worthwhile. I have admit the Captain;s dinner time tales will be missed..!
Mark Orrell, of Edinburgh, UK
Jan 28, 2007
"My smoking buddy Rojani (Roxanne) ask me to translate this from
Dutch...so here goes... Diving here is great, thanks to Pako who is a great guide
and to Churpler who is always there to assist you in/out of water. Staying aboard
is a big party made wonderful by the crew with good food and good service. So
when I am leaving, two things are playing through my head... one from Roger Whittaker's
the 'Last Farewell'...and secondly from Gen MacArthur's words, 'we shall return'.
Matthe Kammerling, of Holland
Jan
28, 2007
"My third trip back, and not my last..! Despite my diving being curtailed
by illness, it was still a buzz being back on Thorfinn. The social atmosphere
and cameraderie between other divers and crew make this as always 'a must do'
place to be back to. Rojani was a great hostess, though I do wonder what she was
smoking sometimes judging from the results. Anyways...planning for the 4th trip
now starts..!!
Raymond Hill, of Sydney, Australia
Jan
27, 2007
"Captain Higgs and Crew of the THORFINN... Thank you for making our
dream of diving the wrecks of Chuuk Lagoon a reality, and for making the week
with my son very very special. Rojani was a wonderful hostess, seeing to all our
needs, ( especially the great massage). Pako was a fantastic dive guide, showing
us all the best spots and keeping us from getting lost; Churpler always had smile
and a helpful hand; Senifa with her beautiful smile at every meal, and the Captain's
wonderful stories of life at sea and Chuuk. I will recommend the Thorfinn and
her crew to other divers I know and especially to my auntie. I hope I can come
back again. Thanks for all and the 'safe diving'.
Cary Bean, of Tokyo, Japan
Jan 27, 2007
"Damn, this week has certainly flown by, too short a trip for my taste. But, what
a week it has been..! Despite my inexperience, Pako made it really easy to get
into thick of wreck diving. Every day was so busy diving WW2 wrecks, bronzing
my bod on the sundeck, drinking beers in the hot tub, and doing impressions of
Capt. Lance. Life's so hard.... To Pako and Churpler.. thanks for taking us out
to the wrecks day after day. Pako's a great guide and hilarious to mess around
with, like wearing old gas masks at the tank on Nippo Maru, yelling through voice
tubes on Aikoku Maru, or shooting machine guns on the Betty Bomber. Rojani's hospitality
and charm made the trip even more enjoyable, exchanging jokes with John about
our ideas of my ideal date (someday). Someday, I'll get a car and pick you up..!
Dancing the night away in my flowery sarong and lei. You were my favorite Guest
Relations Officer. Remo, Rikken and Mel...it was great hanging out with you guys
watching you make that great steam engine operate. Eric, that CD will be in the
mail soon as I get back home. And finally to Capt Lance .. I hope my dancing exhibition
finds a way into your mealtime stories. You run a tight ship, if you ever need
someone to help out on this ship, don't hesitate to ask. Any excuse to come here
again. Thanks again for an awesome trip..!! No stress, Derrick Bean, of Tokyo,
Japan
Jan 9, 2007
"A dream of mine since 1972 and finally it comes true. Made even better by
having my son Matthew along. The respect and courteousness by staff and crew was
exceptional. Hope sometime to cross paths again..! "
Brian and Matthew Clarkson,
of Canada
PS Thanks Capt Lance for believing me.
Jan
7, 2007
"To Captain, Roxanne, and Crew..... thank you for such a relaxed time.
Dear Pako...always alert and pointing out the nicest things. Thank you for the
great dives. I am so pleased I decided to come here on this ship. It was lovely
to meet you all. I wish you all the best..!
Sandia Castro, of Portugal
READ
Christian's COMPLETE DIVE LOG FROM
HIS 1992 DIVE TRIP ABOARD SS THORFINN
