Headed for Palau liveaboard in a few weeks - any tips/advice?

[nwflyboy]

Me and the wife are leaving for a week on a liveaboard out of Palau in a few weeks. We have done a couple of liveaboards before (Thailand, Great Barrier Reef) so we know the drill generally. We're pretty experienced divers. I think I have a fairly good idea what to expect from Palau, but this will be our first trip to Micronesia. Since we still have a few weeks left, there's still a little time for us to grab critical last minute items we may not have planned for, make arrangements, etc. Any tips for a first-time Palau visitor from your veterans?

Thanks!

 

[Centrals]

Hope your boat go to Peleliu and make sure both of you have a smb.

Enjoy

 

[Kevrumbo]

Yeah, especially along the walls of Peleliu --when you see your Dive Guide gesturing to ascend up and away from the wall, do so without delay and stay together with the Guide. There can be a nasty down current on the Peleliu Express drift dive near the end, where the wall starts to quickly descend beyond 18m/60' to well over 39m/130' & deeper (i.e. Past Nitrox32 MOD, and being low on tank pressure). And do not forget to bring an SMB and know how to deploy it from depth.

Too many divers (usually Japanese novices) start the Peleliu Express dive using the wall as reference, and before they know it, they inadvertently follow it as it slopes away, finding themselves at 30m/100' deep AND caught in a stiff downcurrent.

 

[Scared Silly]

Take at day and explore the island, vVisIt the local jail for wood carvings. If the currents are right do U-Long Channel.

 

[nwflyboy]

Thanks for the tips.

Yes, we both have (large) SMBs.
Have deployed SMB on the surface before, but I don't recall ever doing it at depth - will need to check and see if I have a reel (think I still do, somewhere) with adequate line. What depth are you talking about to deploy it?

I'm pretty sure Peleliu is on our itinerary (Ocean Hunter III) - as I recall, there's a dive there and an optional land tour of the WWII sites (which I plan to do).

Wood carvings at the jail - check (they let the prisoners have knives?... ).

Thanks, keep 'em coming. I'll probably have some dumb questions in the next couple weeks.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Thanks for the tips.

Yes, we both have (large) SMBs.
Have deployed SMB on the surface before, but I don't recall ever doing it at depth - will need to check and see if I have a reel (think I still do, somewhere) with adequate line. What depth are you talking about to deploy it?

I'm pretty sure Peleliu is on our itinerary (Ocean Hunter III) - as I recall, there's a dive there and an optional land tour of the WWII sites (which I plan to do)..

Deploy your SMB at least at your safety stop if you get separated from the group; if you're not low on gas or fightng a downcurrent, deploy earlier at depth depending on how much spool/reel length you've got. You gotta get that SMB up so the dive skiff driver can see you early, before passing the wall drop-off & into blue water open ocean with potential surface swells (makes seeing a small SMB harder to see). Ocean Hunter III is a nice big liveaboard; recommend next time take the smaller Ocean Hunter I with four of your closest friends.

The Peleliu Battlefield is eerily quiet during the day; absolutely spooky at night (stayed at the Storyboard Resort) --many Soldiers & Marines died & suffered horribly in this epic WWII campaign. Take a tour of the Japanese caves & fortifications if you have time. Great book to read on the Flight & travel out to Palau is "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge, about the Peleliu Battle.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Watch HBO's The Pacific before you go. Will make the experience real. Just being in Peleliu is haunting and fascinating.

 

[Worldwide Dive and Sail]

A reef hook is a must in Palau so don't forget to bring one!

 

[Scubagolf]

In reference to the above post, inquire of your operator-- they should have reef hooks for you to use. There are numerous You Tube videos if you search "Palau reef hooks". Peleliu is well worth a PM land tour. We dove the assault beach in the morning and did the land tour in the afternoon.