Trip Report Palau Aboard the Black Pearl

[McGinty]

Just returned from an April 1 - 8 cruiser on the Black pearl in Palau. Here's my review!

The Black Pearl is a very well appointed live aboard cruising the waters of Palau. Each cabin has a full en-suite bathroom with a shower. The ship has four decks; the dive deck, dining room with a camera counter and hot tub, the third deck with two Master suites, a library and another camera counter, and a sun deck.

There were a few small glitches on our trip, the hot tub and espresso machine were not functioning, but that’s not why we were on the Black Pearl.

The crew consisted of a mix of Egyptian, Indonesian, Filipino, and Bangladeshis. Surprisingly, no one from Palau. The food was very good and they accommodated a vegan member of our group.

The daily routine started with 6:00 am coffee, tea, toast, and cereal followed by a 6:30 dive briefing, then a dive. Following the first dive a full breakfast was served with made to order omelets and a variety of food. At 10:30 am there is another dive briefing, then in water. Returning around 12:30, lunch was served. The next dive and briefing was at 2:30 pm. When back on the ship, snacks were served. Finally full dinner was at 6:30 pm.

One evening a night dive was offered and dinner was served at 7:30 pm.

On two mornings the first dive briefing was moved to 6:00 am so that a dive occurred during the bumphead parrotfish spawning aggregation.

Mohammed, the Cruise Director and lead Dive Master was very competent and helpful with guests that were uncomfortable in currents, had buoyancy trouble, or other issues.

As expected on Palau, dives varied between easy and challenging. The latter due to current and the resulting need for reef hooks. However, in no place were the currents extreme. The reef hooks allowed divers to stay in one location and save air rather than constantly kicking against a moderate current.

Surprisingly in several instances we entered caves or tunnels. None were extensive and Chandelier Cave has four large air pockets in which we surfaced. Nevertheless, as a certified cave diver, I was surprised we were led into them. They were easy to dive, but those with extreme claustrophobia may wish to beware.

All in all I found the Black Pearl to be a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. I highly recommend them.

 

[mattfish]

Thanks for the report!

I’ve been looking at the Black Pearl for a trip some day. I am also vegan. I’d love to know if the member of your group commented at all on the vegan options the ship offered them. Did you happen to get any more first-hand info on that? TIA!

 

[rongoodman]

I was there a few years back on the Aggressor boat and was quite surprised to be led into Chandler Cave too.

 

[Centrals]

Not every LoB dives Chandelier Cave.

 

[McGinty]

Thanks for the report!

I’ve been looking at the Black Pearl for a trip some day. I am also vegan. I’d love to know if the member of your group commented at all on the vegan options the ship offered them. Did you happen to get any more first-hand info on that? TIA!

he was with my group so I'll ask him!

 

[paolobl65]

On two mornings the first dive briefing was moved to 6:00 am so that a dive occurred during the bumphead parrotfish spawning aggregation.

Hello Mc Ginty ,
thank you very much for your report , and happy to know you have had an amazing dive trip .
I'll join a similar trip next december ( 23/12-30/12 bumphead parrotfish spawning aggregation ) and I'd like to ask you how was your experience : how many dives dedicated to parrotfish spawning ? was that action easy to approach ?
( I'm underwater photographer so I hope to be able to take some photos of this event , but to do that I need to be close to the action ) .

And in general : do you have any suggestion to prepare myself to this trip ?
The entry is always negative entry ?

many thanks
Paolo

 

[McGinty]

Hello Mc Ginty ,
thank you very much for your report , and happy to know you have had an amazing dive trip .
I'll join a similar trip next december ( 23/12-30/12 bumphead parrotfish spawning aggregation ) and I'd like to ask you how was your experience : how many dives dedicated to parrotfish spawning ? was that action easy to approach ?
( I'm underwater photographer so I hope to be able to take some photos of this event , but to do that I need to be close to the action ) .

And in general : do you have any suggestion to prepare myself to this trip ?
The entry is always negative entry ?

many thanks
Paolo

The bump heads only spawn the two or three nights before a new moon. As a result, we got one very good dive with them and tried a second morning but the aggregations were not as large and they had a few dry runs (pun intended).

No negative entries, just bankrolling of the tender.

The mornings they spawn there can be a lot of boats and divers underwater. Our divemasters was very good about not spooking them too much but you can't control the other groups.

My wife is the underwater photographer. (I just consider myself the international supermodel.) I'm attaching one of her photos. They start out deep, say 80 ft so the problem you may have is getting close enough to take a shot that is not dominated with blue.

You'll have a great time!

 

[McGinty]

he was with my group so I'll ask him!

The crew was great and went out of their way to accommodate him, but they may not fully grasp what "vegan" means. He ate a LOT of broccoli and there were always vegetables available. Sometimes they would prepare a special tofu dish for him, but all in all it wasn't a diverse menu for him. To be fair, I'm an opportunivore and I wouldn't know how to prepare much for a strict vegan myself!

 

[McGinty]

One additional detail. The Black Pearl had some fine $10/bottle of wine for sale on board. Unfortunately they charge $70/bottle for it. Fortunately, we figured this out after only one bottle. Grab a case of wine in Koror and bring it on board with you to save some $$$.

 

[underwater_j]

We were on Black Pearl earlier in January this year for the bumphead spawning too.
Mohammed and his team took care of us really well and our dive guide Ravi made such a good call during the spawning session where we dropped right in front where the action happens and we had front row seats of them spawning.

One downside that we encounter with the Black Pearl is that the owner was onboard during our trip to oversee some renovation/refurbishment works. Why I say downside is because the owner did not make any eye contact or even wish us welcome to any of the guests. The vibe was not a good one as though we are owed him something to be on board. During midway in the trip, the owner hijacked our dive guide to bring him and his friends fishing at Peleliu area. So our group had to dive with Mohammed's group the whole day. I felt this was really unprofessional of the owner to do this as we are paying guests.
The owner also owns White Pearl in the Maldives, and I read similar post that the owner was on board as well and being unfriendly.
As some renovation works was on going (replacing of the ceiling), there were some small metal shards scattered at the affected area and a few of us had some minor cuts and splinters as the workers did not do a good job storing and cleaning up the area.
We were only told about the renovation works at our welcome briefing and were given a water bottle and their t-shirt as complimentary items.

Other than that, the food, room and common areas were great. My favorite thing to do in between dives is hanging out at the top deck.
And yes, the alcohol was crazy expensive at Black Pearl so it is best to grab a bottle or two at Koror to bring on board if you would like your favorite tipple with you. They also serve local draft beer called the Red Rooster on board which we enjoyed.