Palau Feb 2007
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Palau is around 250 miles from the Philippines, site of many WW II battles and a group of rock formed islands rich in ocean life. Above water and below water temperatures were right around 82 degrees. It seemed to rain a little every day, very easy climate to be in, warm and sunny most of the time.
Getting there and Lodging - We stayed at the Cliffside hotel, and dove with Sam Tours. I would highly recommend both as we received fantastic service. The Cliffside hotel ran about $120 a night for a large hotel room that housed two queens beds separated for privacy by a bathroom- which worked well for us traveling as individuals and not couples. Note this is a great hotel for divers, not someone who wants to sit around all day, you need the Palau Pacific for that with the beach and pools, but this hotel is the is the sister hotel to the PPR and you can over there by shuttle and live like a millionaire for a few hours a day when you want.
You dont need a car while on Palau, the hotel will pick you up and Sams will do the same. In fact even the better restaurants have shuttle vans and there is also a free shuttle bus that runs into town from the hotel.
Continental Airlines seems to be the only US major that has service there so start saving up those air miles.
Lining up your dives: Sams is a professional but much laid back operation that can meet your every expectation. Plan to spend around $1,000 for a week of fun. The crews and support team are very capable and the dive shop adequate for last minute purchases. Free Nitrox too!! Pick from day dives and nite dives, there is a board that fills up while you sit back and enjoy a nice open bar and food service right on the docks on Sams. You'll start seeing the same people around and if youre like us you've meet new friends by the weeks end. Every diver is there because they want to be, not because they have to be, so the attitudes are great! See Sams Link below for all there info.
Blue Corner is a world destination dive spot, located about an hour by boat from Koror the town we were staying. There were lots of sharks, barracudas, and so many fish that it was impossible to name them all. This is a strong current dive and we tied ourselves off to the reef edge with hooks and rope to be stationary and stare into the deep blue where these big fish would emerge from. Sometimes you just hang on to rock like the picture below, that way the surge of the waves and surf (were about 50- 60 below here) wont throw you around as much. I didnt trust the rope and hook on the first dive but the other guys did and thats how you get the pictures by having your hands free. We did this dive twice in a week, it really was spectacular.
Peleliu is a Palauan Island about 1 hour 45 minutes from Koror in a Sams boat, this was the site of a huge WWII battle for an airstrip, 12,000 men combined from Japanese and US forces lost there lives here in the 5 month battle. This was an emotional day as we dove the reefs around the Island were so many fought and died. I was thankful I was coming as a tourist and not a soldier, the locals now govern themselves and only around 500 live on the Island. Plan the whole day, you have time for 2 dives than an Island tour to see all the history, you get back a little late but a lifetime experience for sure- there is diving accommodations on this Island but not much else, currents are very strong out here and I wouldnt want a week of it- its a big one day trip.
There are many great shipwrecks that are in protective waters around the main island. These are a great night diving spots and a little relief from the strong current dives out on the reefs. They are mostly WWII wrecks and easy enough for any level of diver to enjoy.
One of the new skills I learned was while there is surface signaling, in the drift driving scenario you really need to make sure the boat can find you while out in the middle of the deep blue, thanks to some coaching from our guide Stephen I finally managed to get it right.
Our friends at Silent World Diving in Bellevue WA really helped us get all the gear we needed, even the extra pony bottle & reg I needed once when I ran out of air at the blue corner. Make sure you get the right gear and practice with it before heading out, I went to Palau with about 25 dives under my belt, I came back with a lot experience and new appreciations. The whole experience is set up for diving enthusiasts and if youre not all that experienced like me stick with sincere friends that will stick with you and show the ropes.
Palau is a great little country. You dont feel that you are on a depressed island like so many other parts of the world. The standard of living is good and the island very clean. Many people from around the world are there. English speaking citizens and US dollar currency makes travel easy. They really treat you like a guest. No one tried to sell us anything and we never saw any panhandlers or a section of town we didnt feel good in. It did seem like if you were not a diver there wouldnt be a lot to do- just keep that in mind when you pick your travel partners. If it were easier to get to Im sure we over run it. Go if you get the chance.
Palau is around 250 miles from the Philippines, site of many WW II battles and a group of rock formed islands rich in ocean life. Above water and below water temperatures were right around 82 degrees. It seemed to rain a little every day, very easy climate to be in, warm and sunny most of the time.
Getting there and Lodging - We stayed at the Cliffside hotel, and dove with Sam Tours. I would highly recommend both as we received fantastic service. The Cliffside hotel ran about $120 a night for a large hotel room that housed two queens beds separated for privacy by a bathroom- which worked well for us traveling as individuals and not couples. Note this is a great hotel for divers, not someone who wants to sit around all day, you need the Palau Pacific for that with the beach and pools, but this hotel is the is the sister hotel to the PPR and you can over there by shuttle and live like a millionaire for a few hours a day when you want.
You dont need a car while on Palau, the hotel will pick you up and Sams will do the same. In fact even the better restaurants have shuttle vans and there is also a free shuttle bus that runs into town from the hotel.
Continental Airlines seems to be the only US major that has service there so start saving up those air miles.
Lining up your dives: Sams is a professional but much laid back operation that can meet your every expectation. Plan to spend around $1,000 for a week of fun. The crews and support team are very capable and the dive shop adequate for last minute purchases. Free Nitrox too!! Pick from day dives and nite dives, there is a board that fills up while you sit back and enjoy a nice open bar and food service right on the docks on Sams. You'll start seeing the same people around and if youre like us you've meet new friends by the weeks end. Every diver is there because they want to be, not because they have to be, so the attitudes are great! See Sams Link below for all there info.
Blue Corner is a world destination dive spot, located about an hour by boat from Koror the town we were staying. There were lots of sharks, barracudas, and so many fish that it was impossible to name them all. This is a strong current dive and we tied ourselves off to the reef edge with hooks and rope to be stationary and stare into the deep blue where these big fish would emerge from. Sometimes you just hang on to rock like the picture below, that way the surge of the waves and surf (were about 50- 60 below here) wont throw you around as much. I didnt trust the rope and hook on the first dive but the other guys did and thats how you get the pictures by having your hands free. We did this dive twice in a week, it really was spectacular.
Peleliu is a Palauan Island about 1 hour 45 minutes from Koror in a Sams boat, this was the site of a huge WWII battle for an airstrip, 12,000 men combined from Japanese and US forces lost there lives here in the 5 month battle. This was an emotional day as we dove the reefs around the Island were so many fought and died. I was thankful I was coming as a tourist and not a soldier, the locals now govern themselves and only around 500 live on the Island. Plan the whole day, you have time for 2 dives than an Island tour to see all the history, you get back a little late but a lifetime experience for sure- there is diving accommodations on this Island but not much else, currents are very strong out here and I wouldnt want a week of it- its a big one day trip.
There are many great shipwrecks that are in protective waters around the main island. These are a great night diving spots and a little relief from the strong current dives out on the reefs. They are mostly WWII wrecks and easy enough for any level of diver to enjoy.
One of the new skills I learned was while there is surface signaling, in the drift driving scenario you really need to make sure the boat can find you while out in the middle of the deep blue, thanks to some coaching from our guide Stephen I finally managed to get it right.
Our friends at Silent World Diving in Bellevue WA really helped us get all the gear we needed, even the extra pony bottle & reg I needed once when I ran out of air at the blue corner. Make sure you get the right gear and practice with it before heading out, I went to Palau with about 25 dives under my belt, I came back with a lot experience and new appreciations. The whole experience is set up for diving enthusiasts and if youre not all that experienced like me stick with sincere friends that will stick with you and show the ropes.
Palau is a great little country. You dont feel that you are on a depressed island like so many other parts of the world. The standard of living is good and the island very clean. Many people from around the world are there. English speaking citizens and US dollar currency makes travel easy. They really treat you like a guest. No one tried to sell us anything and we never saw any panhandlers or a section of town we didnt feel good in. It did seem like if you were not a diver there wouldnt be a lot to do- just keep that in mind when you pick your travel partners. If it were easier to get to Im sure we over run it. Go if you get the chance.
