Liveaboard advice for Palau or Truk?

[NightRaven77]

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

 

[Mike Veitch]

I am biased...

Go on Aggressor in Palau, the best crew in the world!!!! (i used to work there.. )

In Truk i would recommend Odyssey as that is the only option at the moment i think? Aggressor is no longer there, the Thorfinn is out of action, i think there is an Expedition/Explorer boat there now but not sure if its operating yet. But Odyssey is certainly the more plush option

 

[robint]

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

Read my trip report: Palau on the Eco Explorer - Dec 2007
We were on the Eco Explorer in Palau. Not as fancy as the Aggressor but we loved it!
In Palau there is also another liveaboard, the Ocean Hunter. Much smaller boat than both Eco and Aggressor.
Truk has the Odyssey and also the Expedition/Explorer boat now.
www.expeditionventures.com
The Odyssey is luxury, the Explorer boat is the same as the Eco from what I can tell. Same company so I am sure the crew with still be top notch.

robin

 

[Jim Kerr]

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

Truk and Palau are two (2) entirely different types of diving so first you have to decide on what type you like most.

Truk is all "Wreck" diving. There are some beautiful wrecks with lots of history, artifacts, coral and marine life. The dives are not guided unless you request it, so you're totally on your own to dive when and how you want.

The guided dives are "penetration" dives into the engine rooms and other accessable areas.
:warning: WARNING: They do these penetrations with out the use of a line and reel. At least that's what they did on the Odyssey when I was there in Feb 07. There is no additional charge for guided dives.

The Odyssey is a very comfortable boat. The food is good, and they supply steel 100's and free nitrox if you're certified. You can get up to 5 dives a day.

Palau on the other hand is mainly Drift diving and has many plush reefs. It does have some wrecks but when I was there in Feb 03 on the Aggressor, they did not visit any of the wreck sites. Unless you are a hard core wreck diver, you won't miss them. The reefs are "Spectacular", with lots of big animals, and various species of coral and marine life.

The Aggressor is a comfortable boat and is very well laid out. The crew is excellent and are "Experts" at guiding dives and finding you where ever you happen to surface. All dives on the Aggressor are scheduled and guided. The only other thing the Aggressor crew does that the Odyssey crew does not is share in other ship duties such as cleaning and making the beds and kitchen duties. Yes, even the Capt is scheduled for KP a least once. You also get up to 5 dives a day plus optional Land Excursions to historical sites.

Either way you can't go wrong. You just have to decide which type of diving you'ld rather do. Since I've done both if I had my choice and could only choose one (1), I would not hesitate to go back to "Palau". But that's just me.

Oh, and if you choose Palau you should definitely do the "Rock Island Tour" with "Sam's Tours" on your last (non diving) day there. This is a "must do" before you leave. Have Fun!

 

[Toolboy]

Odessey....pure pleasure and they are the ones...they are the only ones that actually anchor directly over the wrecks without touching them....so you step right off the boat into the water...no runabouts

 

[mjh]

For Palau we loved the Ocean Hunter II get the "suite" if it is in your budget you can see a trip report, gallery, slide show at our site: AQUABLUE DREAMS. Just got back from Chuuk and without a doubt the Odyssey is the way to go. We have done a few live-aboards and this is one of the best. Will have a trip report, extra up in a week or so.

 

[traveler 56]

just finished a week on the pacific explorer in truk (chuck) . Can recommend the boat and crew highly , The boat manager lee nothing was a problem and helpful . Dive master provided a lot of knowledge regarding the dives and island history . Crew where helpful and layed back helped enjoy the diving just cruised around pointing out items of interest .

 

[porsc]

well, most of the suggestions that have been given here are good ones. the only thing that i would add is that when diving in palau, i would not do a liveaboard. you can get a homestay for 30 usd a night, and they are very nice homes, with full kitchens and baths. i would dive with sam's tours, as they are the absolute best in the world! there are many advantages to diving with sam's instead of doing a liveaboard in palau. there are many places in the world where you should do a liveaboard instead of shop diving, but palau is not one of those. you will miss so much of palau, if you are staying on a boat. just another angle for you to consider. i hope it helps.

 

[dakar]

well, most of the suggestions that have been given here are good ones. the only thing that i would add is that when diving in palau, i would not do a liveaboard. you can get a homestay for 30 usd a night, and they are very nice homes, with full kitchens and baths. i would dive with sam's tours, as they are the absolute best in the world! there are many advantages to diving with sam's instead of doing a liveaboard in palau. there are many places in the world where you should do a liveaboard instead of shop diving, but palau is not one of those. you will miss so much of palau, if you are staying on a boat. just another angle for you to consider. i hope it helps.

Could you please specify?
why should one go on a hotel based diving vacation in Palau?
I am planing a trip to Palau, for Nov-Dec and am looking for the right thing to do...
Im a DM, my wife AOW, and planing a 14-18 day trip to Palau, i want a liveaboard, she wants a hotel, please add as many details as you can... we are going to spend a lot and want to make the most of it.
Thanks!

 

[padiscubapro]

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

for truk I highly recommend the thorfinn (they should be back in action by now).. The guides are by far the most experienced you will find in Chuuk.. The 2 main guides have been with him around 20 years.. The main thing I like about the thorfinn is that they use launches to dive the wrecks.. so you have a max of 6-8 divers on a wreck and they dont damage the wrecks by tieing in (both the odyssey and agressor (when they were there) have damaged some of the wrecks..)
The launches also allow divers of differing experience levels to do different wrecks.. Experienced divers arent held back by the wreck divers and rec divers arent left out when the deeper wrecks are targeted..