Palau: Liveaboard decisions? Compared to shore-based? Help?

[jbjclj]

PRR is much better than Carolines. Carolines has a lovely view, but tired rooms and a very steep hill to climb. No beach. PRR and Sea Passions have manmade beaches and you can snorkel and kayak. Fabulous giant clams at Sea Passions PPR is the only natural beach
Talk to PDA and get their opinon and any specials.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Look at your maps again above: the best compromise is to get lodging & accommodations (with luxury perks, amenities, beach/kayak activities, land tours for your wife during the day while you're diving), closest to a waterway & dockside pier for quick pick-up by the Dive Operation in the morning. Any hotel which requires van shuttle pick-up to drive you to the Dive Operation's boat & dock facility has the potential of getting stuck in traffic (i.g. The Caroline's Resort; Palasia Hotel), and arriving late --especially around the Xmas/New Year's Holiday or any major Japanese/Chinese Holiday.

If you are set with PDA Dive-Ops, the only packages that fit the above strategy as advertised on their website involve either PPR or PRR.

Recommend asking where PDA's base facility is now --where they keep client's gear, fill tanks, and dock the Dive Skiff for the night. If it's on the waterways close to Malakal Island around the vicinity of the causeway bridge (like Sams Tours and Neco Marine Dive-ops), then go with either PRR or Sea Passion Hotel for the walking distance convenience as I described above in earlier posts.

I understand and appreciate the small group and personalized "valet" dive service & exclusive week itinerary as marketed by PDA; but I also like the meeting, camaraderie and community of other groups of divers, private yacht sailors (Royal Belau Yacht Club) & people from all over the world -and that's why I go with Sams Tours.

 

[mrpat]

I'd go ahead and do the second liveaboard in Palau. They do get to most sites ahead of land based and the do take you to Jellyfish lake and usually offer land tours of the WWII bunkers. Plus I've read that hoards of Chinese tourists are now crowding into new and long standing hotels and diving from their own cattle boats. I'd want the liveaboard advantage even more than when I went.

 

[geoff w]

I think I'm sold on Palau Dive Adventures-- however, the Palau Pacific Resort is simply too expensive and completely blows the budget. We'll be there for ten nights. That's a LOT of coin...

Talk to Chris at PDA. His packages cover the gamut from essentially roughing it to luxury, and he knows all the options. He was spot on with all his recommendations and insights

 

[Centrals]

I'd go ahead and do the second liveaboard in Palau. They do get to most sites ahead of land based and the do take you to Jellyfish lake and usually offer land tours of the WWII bunkers. Plus I've read that hoards of Chinese tourists are now crowding into new and long standing hotels and diving from their own cattle boats. I'd want the liveaboard advantage even more than when I went.

Chinese New Year is at the end of Jan 2017. So the op is safe during their stay on the island.
Having experienced both land-based and liveaboard, I will take the latter any time.

 

[flybigjet]

I think the decision's starting to coalesce to PDA and the PRR-- but I have to talk to Chris-. The liveaboard might have been my first choice, but my wife would like us to kayak the Rock Islands for a day and then she'd like to do a "spa day" while I go to Peleliu.

As well, she'd like to get a feel for the "local flavor" of the island, and try eating at different places.

With that in mind, I think that shore-based is slightly edging out liveaboard.

Not 100% certain yet, but that's the way the tea leaves are falling at the moment.

R.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I think the decision's starting to coalesce to PDA and the PRR-- but I have to talk to Chris-. The liveaboard might have been my first choice, but my wife would like us to kayak the Rock Islands for a day and then she'd like to do a "spa day" while I go to Peleliu.

As well, she'd like to get a feel for the "local flavor" of the island, and try eating at different places.

With that in mind, I think that shore-based is slightly edging out liveaboard.

Not 100% certain yet, but that's the way the tea leaves are falling at the moment.

R.

Another Liveaboard/Land-based option you might want to try, and ask if it can be done:

The Ocean Hunter Liveaboards, and Fish n' Fins land based dive-ops are both enterprises owned by Tova & Navot Bornovsky (I first dove with their operation in 2000 thru '04): I'm sure that they can bring your wife out to you staying on the Ocean Hunter I or III for just a day visit from Koror on a Fish n' Fins land based Dive Skiff, and then pick her up on the way back to Koror for return to the Hotel. (They sometimes run extra K-bottles of Oxygen for Nitrox blending out to the smaller Ocean Hunter I during the week, so it wouldn't be any imposition for the wife to be dropped-off too!).

Take a day off from diving on Ocean Hunter and go kayaking with her!

 

[flybigjet]

Another Liveaboard/Land-based option you might want to try, and ask if it can be done:

The Ocean Hunter Liveaboards, and Fish n' Fins land based dive-ops are both enterprises owned by Tova & Navot Bornovsky (I first dove with their operation in 2000 thru '04): I'm sure that they can bring your wife out to you staying on the Ocean Hunter I or III for just a day visit from Koror on a Fish n' Fins land based Dive Skiff, and then pick her up on the way back to Koror for return to the Hotel. (They sometimes run extra K-bottles of Oxygen for Nitrox blending out to the smaller Ocean Hunter I during the week, so it wouldn't be any imposition for the wife to be dropped-off too!).

Take a day off from diving on Ocean Hunter and go kayaking with her!

Theoretically a good idea, but...... nope.

First, there's the cost; I'd be paying the single surcharge on the liveaboard. And, my wife would be paying a single surcharge on shore. That doesn't make much sense.

Next, I actually like hanging out with my wife (admittedly, kind of a rare thing nowadays)-- If I'm going to go dive halfway around the planet, I'm going to go with her.

Finally, if I did it this way I'd either end up diving solo, or end up paired with an unknown quantity. Since my wife and I are dive buddies, I much, much prefer to dive with someone whose moves, strengths, weaknesses and gear setup are known quantities to me.

Interesting idea though-- thanks.

R.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Theoretically a good idea, but...... nope.

First, there's the cost; I'd be paying the single surcharge on the liveaboard. And, my wife would be paying a single surcharge on shore. That doesn't make much sense.

Next, I actually like hanging out with my wife (admittedly, kind of a rare thing nowadays)-- If I'm going to go dive halfway around the planet, I'm going to go with her.

Finally, if I did it this way I'd either end up diving solo, or end up paired with an unknown quantity. Since my wife and I are dive buddies, I much, much prefer to dive with someone that I know their moves, strengths, weaknesses and gear setup.

Interesting idea though-- thanks.

R.

Okay, PRR is a good all-around lodging choice for all the reasons stated above. Again, don't forget to take advantage of the BBI (Blue Bird Shuttle) Evening Bus Service into downtown Koror; it's now $8 per person for 7 days, and it's western terminus & start route originates at the Palau Royal Resort, from 5 to10pm: Palau Royal, Micronesia Hotel | Nikko Hotels International

 

[flybigjet]

I'm waiting to hear back from PDA/PRR, and I'm mostly leaning that way.... but I keep thinking about a liveaboard.

Sigh. It's tougher than I'd thought it would be to make a decision-- I'm a firm believer in the "happy wife/happy life" theorem; she's more or less indicated her preferences, but then at the end goes "it's YOUR trip".

Sigh.

R.