Palau info please

[HBO MD]

After purchasing some new dive gear I thought what better way of testing it than heading off to Palau (for purely scientific purposes of course).
Does anyone have any comments/recommendations on daily costs ?
Diving and accomodation is all taken care of, but wondering about non diving issues like eating out etc.
Many thanks in advance.

 

[robint]

After purchasing some new dive gear I thought what better way of testing it than heading off to Palau (for purely scientific purposes of course).
Does anyone have any comments/recommendations on daily costs ?
Diving and accomodation is all taken care of, but wondering about non diving issues like eating out etc.
Many thanks in advance.

my 2 cents.......... don't go to Palau unless you are doing a liveaboard. Several reasons, but the biggest one is convenience of dives........ we did 4-5 dives per day with a 5 minute boat ride to each site from the mothership (Eco Explorer is the one we used, but there are several liveaboards and they are all good), we had no loooooong boatrides from Koror like the land-based ops which could only do 2 dives per day due to the long rides. We got up each morning and had toast and coffee watching the sun rise over the Rock Islands! We did a dive, came back to boat for hot breakfast, did another dive, back to boat for lunch, did another dive, back to boat for afternoon snacks, did another dive, back to boat for dinner,.... then night dive if you want! No hauling gear as it stayed on the dive boat all week and tanks were filled for us right there.
my trip report and videos are Here: Palau on the Eco Explorer - Dec 2007
Great crew, great divemasters, great food, Incredible diving! If you add of the price of land-based (hotel, diving 2 dives per day, food, tips) and the liveaboard price (all inclusive with 4-5 dives per day), the liveaboard is a much better value and much more relaxing, too!
my videos of Palau: Palau, Micronesia on Vimeo

robin

 

[HBO MD]

Thanks Robint.
Actually combining both.
Will be spending most of November there, land based ,live aboard, then back to land for a while. Thought we might break it up a little and allow for some non diving activities ( heresy I know )

 

[robint]

Thanks Robint.
Actually combining both.
Will be spending most of November there, land based ,live aboard, then back to land for a while. Thought we might break it up a little and allow for some non diving activities ( heresy I know )

:shocked2: I hate you.

there isn't much to do land-based, it is pretty desolate in the entertainment area. You could do a day tour up to see the big island (Babeldaub? or something like that) to see waterfall and stone money, a day in Koror visiting the jail for carvings and shopping at the tiny shopping plaza, and a day trip down to Peleliu for WWII history tour. But that is about it. Nothing there but some hotels, small restaurants, a few bars. Most of the tourists there come from China, Japan, and southern Asia so most of the hotels and restaurants are exclusively for them. The US/Aussie/European visitors are a very small portion of their economy so not much available to see or do.
If you have 3 weeks and want to spend it in that area, I would take a week to go to another island in area like Yap or Chuuk.

robin

 

[Desert_Diver]

Thanks Robint.
Actually combining both.
Will be spending most of November there, land based ,live aboard, then back to land for a while. Thought we might break it up a little and allow for some non diving activities ( heresy I know )

Not to second guess Robin, she's usually right on the mark, but if you're a history buff, there was a bloody (and questionable) WW II amphibeous invasion on the southern island, Peleliu. The initial invasion was done by the Marine Corps. They suffered hideous casualites and were pulled out so the Army could finish up and secure the island.

It's my understanding that a lot of the damaged equipment is still in place. May be worth a day or so.

Art

 

[robint]

Not to second guess Robin, she's usually right on the mark, but if you're a history buff, there was a bloody (and questionable) WW II amphibeous invasion on the southern island, Peleliu. The initial invasion was done by the Marine Corps. They suffered hideous casualites and were pulled out so the Army could finish up and secure the island.

It's my understanding that a lot of the damaged equipment is still in place. May be worth a day or so.

Art

I said that a day at Peleliu would be worthwhile.....

 

[Desert_Diver]

I said that a day at Peleliu would be worthwhile.....

Then you continue to remain right on the mark.

My apologies.

Art

 

[HBO MD]

What can I say? First vacation in 6 years, so I figured I may as well make up for it.
One of the last folks to reside on Sipadan before the closure, so have been looking for a good nice trip. With the chas of work, I have no problem with being a beach bum and "decompressing".

As an aside, would a 0.5mm suit be adequate for diving there?

 

[HBO MD]

By the way ; thanks for direction to the amazing videos. They're terriffic!

 

[robint]

thanks! You will see people wearing swimsuits only and people (like me) wearing a 3mm fullsuit. With 4-5 dives per day, even 84 degree water gets cold by the end of the day!

Did you read my trip report? I gave info on each dive site, what we saw, and water temps.

Also, make sure you are nitrox certified as with so many dives and the medium-deep depths, you will need it to keep your nitrogen load low. Even with 2 hour surface intervals, nitrox rocks!

robin