Palau/Guam

[scuba kbell]

Hello!

I am looking for some advice on diving in Palau and Guam. How are the conditions in March? I was thinking about staying a few days in Guam before continuing on to Palau.

I have never been to Guam and need to layover anyway, so I thought I may extend it a bit. I was looking into MDA for diving in Guam. Do they offer daily diving? I noticed a schedule on their site, but it only lists the dives sites for Fri, Sat, and Sun. Are there any other recommended ops? How is the shore diving and viz at shore dives?

For Palau, do all the dives have strong currents? Are there any dives without current? Does anyone know how the currents compare to Cozumel? I have never dived with a reef hook before and this was one concern for me since it would be adding a new piece of equipment. I have done about 200 dives mostly in the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii, and Australia. I have done drift diving before, but the only strong drift diving current that I experienced was Cozumel.
I am planning on staying land based. Does one dive shop have faster boats or a more central location to the dive sites vs the other shops? How is Palau Dive Adventures as an op? Any other recommendations?

Thanks, for any info. I am also considering going back to Australia. How do either of these locations compare to the GBR? This is a very last minute trip, so I appreciate any advice (original plan was Fiji ).

 

[Paul Haynes]

Hi, I've not dived Guam but my business partner and I at Wreck-X (www.wreck-x.com) run expeditions to Palau and have one this March. Our main focus is the many outstanding Japanese WWII shipwrecks sunk there, however we will be also diving some of the numerous outstanding wildlife sites. Yes the currents can be very strong in places. You will be given guidance on the use of a reef hook (not difficult) by your dive centre. Local regulations mandate you carry a Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB). I highly recommend Sam's Tours Dive Centre, although I'm sure there are other operators who provide good service.

 

[drbill]

I dove Palau last spring and am heading back there in less than two months. Some absolutely fantastic diving there. Currents can be strong but using a reef hook isn't too difficult. I dove with Palau Dive Adventures and loved their operation so I am returning to dive with them in April and teach a course in marine ecology

 

[scuba kbell]

For the dives the you are using the hook, do you stay in one place the entire dive? Or, is it more like you drift for a bit, hook for a few, and then continue on?

How does Palau compare to diving at the GBR? I am also considering Australia.

 

[darook]

For the dives the you are using the hook, do you stay in one place the entire dive? Or, is it more like you drift for a bit, hook for a few, and then continue on?

How does Palau compare to diving at the GBR? I am also considering Australia.

It is the latter. Usually, the hook portion is earlier in the dive then move on. At Blue Corner, you usually hook twice. Once in each of the two usual hook locations. The deeper one seems to get a bit more pelagic action.

 

[CA Diver]

MDA has daily weekday boat dives that will go to either Blue Hole or the Crevice and then a second dive decided on the boat. You will need a buddy for these dives as the boat is mostly tourists with dive guides. There is another new shop on the island called Axe Murder Tours Axe Murderer Tours Guam – Guam Dive Shop, Guam Scuba, Guam PADI | Scuba Diving Classes and Certifications. They have some alternative dive sites during the week. I haven't dove with them, but their general manager was formerly the GM at MDA.

Regarding the reef hook dives, When I dove in Palau you would start out deeper than the hook site and let the current take you in. after a period of time watching the pelagics the group would unkook and continue the dive on the plateau behind the corner or in a side channel in Ulong Channel.