Steve P
Contributor
After a week in Truk we were off to Palau for a week on the Aggressor. We had a non-dive day planned for Palau before boarding and glad we did, since our flight from Chuuk to Guam was cancelled. Something to consider. There's not many flight options out there.
I've been trying to talk my wife into doing a live aboard for many years, and after a week on the Palau Aggressor, I think she's hooked. I did 23 dives, the food was outstanding and the staff goes out of their way to make sure you're satisfied. I read a post a while back that trashed the Tropical Dancer, sister ship of the Aggressor. Complaints included not adjusting dive schedules to get best tide conditions and safety concerns. We experienced the opposite. Dive staff was excellent. On one dive, my wife's reef hook became accidentally unhooked. Within seconds a guide had her re-hooked. Our dive schedule was changed several times to ensure we had optimal conditions. Overall, I can't find any complaints with the Aggressor dive op. If we went back I would choose them again.
As far as the diving. . . It was unbelievable. The diversity & abundance of life is outstanding. The walls are sheer and many start shallow which provides a large profile as you can pick your depth as you drift along the wall. Palau has great macro & big stuff for wide angle photographers. Blue Corner gets much of the hype and it is justified. We dove it 3 times and each was fantastic. Currents were ripping and I wouldn't recommend Palau for newbies. Get some drift dives under your belt and good buoyancy skills before going there.
So what did we see? Of course, tons of sharks, including a Hammerhead while hooked in at Ulong channel which was my favorite dive. Schools of barracuda, jacks, tuna flying by. Tons of Nudi's, flatworms, huge Pacific clams, clownfish nestled in their anemones provided nice phot ops. We didn't see Manta at German Channel or get to Peleilu, so I guess we need to go back someday.
Bottom line is that after Palau I'm definately spoiled. In talking to other divers on the yacht, I think Maldives may now be on top of my list. That said, after a month, the high from Palau hasn't worn off yet.
I've been trying to talk my wife into doing a live aboard for many years, and after a week on the Palau Aggressor, I think she's hooked. I did 23 dives, the food was outstanding and the staff goes out of their way to make sure you're satisfied. I read a post a while back that trashed the Tropical Dancer, sister ship of the Aggressor. Complaints included not adjusting dive schedules to get best tide conditions and safety concerns. We experienced the opposite. Dive staff was excellent. On one dive, my wife's reef hook became accidentally unhooked. Within seconds a guide had her re-hooked. Our dive schedule was changed several times to ensure we had optimal conditions. Overall, I can't find any complaints with the Aggressor dive op. If we went back I would choose them again.
As far as the diving. . . It was unbelievable. The diversity & abundance of life is outstanding. The walls are sheer and many start shallow which provides a large profile as you can pick your depth as you drift along the wall. Palau has great macro & big stuff for wide angle photographers. Blue Corner gets much of the hype and it is justified. We dove it 3 times and each was fantastic. Currents were ripping and I wouldn't recommend Palau for newbies. Get some drift dives under your belt and good buoyancy skills before going there.
So what did we see? Of course, tons of sharks, including a Hammerhead while hooked in at Ulong channel which was my favorite dive. Schools of barracuda, jacks, tuna flying by. Tons of Nudi's, flatworms, huge Pacific clams, clownfish nestled in their anemones provided nice phot ops. We didn't see Manta at German Channel or get to Peleilu, so I guess we need to go back someday.
Bottom line is that after Palau I'm definately spoiled. In talking to other divers on the yacht, I think Maldives may now be on top of my list. That said, after a month, the high from Palau hasn't worn off yet.
