Liveaboard advice for Palau or Truk?

[swadiver]

We did Palau on Ocean Hunter I in March 2007. The main reason we chose this boat was to be away from crowds.... nice to go down and not have to share the site with 20 other divers. The crew was great...the food varied and tasty. We had the main cabin... and it definitely made a big difference.. the other two cabins are somewhat tight.

The diving was great... a lot of variety and bountiful fish population. Many sharks (grey reefs and white tips) ... but not the BIG ones my husband was hoping to see... Ocean Hunter I provided flexibility on which sites to do. We spent a day diving off Peleiu, which is not dove as much.

Would recommend to extend the top side stay a couple of days after the live aboard to visit and enjoy the island. We stayed at the Carolina Resort which is on top of a hill. Service was great and local... but if you stay longer you may want to stay at the beach...

The only negative of the trip was that most dive sites are very close to the shore... and on some dives, "cattle boats" dump 20 to 30 fairly inexperienced divers... on one great Manta Ray dive they ruined the experience. So much for a diving experince to be away from the crowd...This is no way reflects negatively on Ocean Hunter... only warning not to expect a "remote diving experience".

Overall... great trip; well worth the long flight from the US East coast.

 

[Rickg]

Hey all....

Im planning a dive trip to Palau or Truk....and need some expierences of yours to help make my decisions....

I want to do a Liveaboard....but..the question is....which is best?? I have heard that there are a ton of them out there....and dont know many reputations except Aggressor....

So give me some advise.....will ya.....Im about to kill myself if I dont figure this out....so many options...so little time...

Anyway....appreciate the advice....

NightRaven77

1. We did shore-based when we went to Palau. Next time will LOB for sure. If it is diving you are after go with the LOB for the best bang for your buck.

LOB = 4-5 dives a day

Shore-based = 2 and occasionally 3 dives a day plus the 30-60 minute boat rides get old quick.

And I didn't see anything night life or restaurant-wise in Koror that would make me want to do shore-based again.

2. We did LOB in Truk (Thorfinn) and again I think LOB is the way to go for Truk. The night life is even more lacking in Truk.