is Palau the best?

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Richard Miller - 26 Mar 2007 08:36 GMT

just got back..cannot imagine better diving, nicer resort= PPR, better food
or kinder people....if there is a nicer place please tell me
Richard

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mag3 - 26 Mar 2007 09:39 GMT

>just got back..cannot imagine better diving, nicer resort= PPR, better food
>or kinder people....if there is a nicer place please tell me
>Richard

It's surely one of the best. I was exactly where you were exactly one month ago.

Which LDS did you use?

To which dive sites did you go?

How was the viz? (slightly cloudy when I was there due to the extra plankton).

____________________________________________
Regards,

Arnold

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Richard Miller - 27 Mar 2007 06:23 GMT

was there 10 days..went to most sites but missed Pelelieu..next time..
Neco was the operator...set us up and cleaned everything each day...best run
boat I've ever been on..not cheap though..
$130 for 2 nitrox tanks

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mag3 - 28 Mar 2007 03:48 GMT

>was there 10 days..went to most sites but missed Pelelieu..next time..
>Neco was the operator...set us up and cleaned everything each day...best run
>boat I've ever been on..not cheap though..
>$130 for 2 nitrox tanks

I used Sam's Tours. Slightly cheeper ($107.00 for 2 tanks of either gas). The boats
were pretty much the same all around. And we did Peliliu once ($16.00 fuel surcharge
per trip).

____________________________________________
Regards,

Arnold

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SpringDiver - 27 Mar 2007 00:20 GMT

>just got back..cannot imagine better diving, nicer resort= PPR, better food
>or kinder people....if there is a nicer place please tell me
>Richard

I spent a week in Chuuk on the Odyssey. Without a doubt the best I've
ever done. The folks on board were wonderful. Seven days of diving
bliss.
Wayne

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Greg Mossman - 27 Mar 2007 02:18 GMT

> On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:41:12 -0700, "Richard Miller"
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> ever done. The folks on board were wonderful. Seven days of diving
> bliss.

Yeah, but Palau has more variety. And Koror is a much better
experience off the boat than Weno.

Did you do the trip recently, with JJ aboard? Or was it a Lenny and
Cara trip?

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SpringDiver - 04 Apr 2007 23:23 GMT

>> On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:41:12 -0700, "Richard Miller"
>>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>Did you do the trip recently, with JJ aboard? Or was it a Lenny and
>Cara trip?

Lenny and Cara. Great hosts they were. We were there for their first
wedding anniversary. I guess it was 2000. I was looking at the current
pricing. WOW it's gone up quite a bit. You're right about Weno for
sure. Not a thing to do.

I'm going to have to do another pacific dive trip though. I'll take
a look into Palau. Can you recommend a good boat?

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Greg Mossman - 04 Apr 2007 23:50 GMT

> >> On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:41:12 -0700, "Richard Miller"
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> pricing. WOW it's gone up quite a bit. You're right about Weno for
> sure. Not a thing to do.

I went in late 2001. At the time, Lenny told me he was fully booked
for 2002 and only had a few spots left in 2003. It's a very popular
boat, one of the best liveaboards I've ever done. With the Truk
Aggressor having bailed, I'm sure it's even harder to land a spot.

> I'm going to have to do another pacific dive trip though. I'll take
> a look into Palau. Can you recommend a good boat?

Palau has a few wrecks that are similar to Truk's, a great variety of
reef dives including the deservedly-famous Blue Corner, and some
oddities like Chandelier Cave and Jellyfish Lake thrown in for good
measure. Plus incredible scenery with the Rock Islands all around,
and a much safer and tourist-friendly land experience than Chuuk.

I'm on the Palau Aggressor in March. The other liveaboards there are
the Ocean Hunter I and II, run by the Fish & Fins folk (a longtime
local dive op), and the Big Blue Explorer. The OH I is a small boat,
six passengers I believe. The OH II is new and seems comparable to
the Aggressor. The Explorer is bigger and definitely sea-worthy, but
lacking the Aggressor's luxury. I toured the Explorer and the
Aggressor on my last trip, and poked my head inside the small Ocean
Hunter I (this was before the OH II).

The familiarity and overall dependability of the Aggressor fleet have
convinced me to give them yet another try (especially since it's the
sister to the former Tahiti Aggressor, with the same hydraulic system
that lowers the skiff to the water with all divers and their gear
aboard), but I don't think one could go too wrong on one of the other
boats there. The Explorer is definitely more spacious and that could
be a plus for those who feel confined when stuck on a boat for a week,
but I've been on smaller boats for longer and it doesn't bother me a
bit. Land-based is also an option for some, but the dive ops don't do
more than 2-3 dives a day so it's not the option for me.

There are also fine boats in Indonesia, Thailand, and New Guinea0, but
travel isn't as user-friendly as Micronesia. Palau gives you exotic
diving with all the American comforts of home like the English
language, U.S. currency, and no malaria. Even the liveaboard crews
are mostly imported. Sometimes, when the focus of a trip is diving,
local culture can get in the way. Not in Palau.

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SpringDiver - 07 Apr 2007 16:53 GMT

>> >> On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:41:12 -0700, "Richard Miller"
>>
[quoted text clipped - 58 lines]
>are mostly imported. Sometimes, when the focus of a trip is diving,
>local culture can get in the way. Not in Palau.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to investigate further. When I travel
that far ( 23 hours on a plane), specifically to dive, I really like
to be given the opportunity make four or five dives a day (2 am, 2 pm
and 1 night). In addition, the captains, Lenny and Cara went out of
their way to make my experience one of the most memorable. Also the
locally hired crew were great. My wife, a new diver at the time, got
attached to this gent named Ketie (spelling guess). He treated her
like a queen and if it weren't for him she wouldn't have enjoyed
herself as much as she did. She logged 20 dives that week which is a
high number for a fair weather diver. His attention also allowed me
greater freedom while diving. If given the opportunity, I'd book a
single on that boat again in a heart beat. But I really should check
out the many other possibilities. Here's a link to the trip photo. I'm
standing second from the right. The guy next to me was my open water
instructor.

http://trukodyssey.com/scrapbook/Dscn0893.jpg

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Bri - 27 Mar 2007 14:47 GMT

> just got back..cannot imagine better diving, nicer resort= PPR, better food
> or kinder people....if there is a nicer place please tell me
> Richard

This is great to hear. I'm heading out tomorrow. First to Palau and
then over to Yap. Any sites you would rate higher than others?

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mag3 - 27 Mar 2007 23:23 GMT

>> just got back..cannot imagine better diving, nicer resort= PPR, better food
>> or kinder people....if there is a nicer place please tell me
>> Richard
>
>This is great to hear. I'm heading out tomorrow. First to Palau and
>then over to Yap. Any sites you would rate higher than others?

Obviously, Blue Corner and Blue Holes (often combined as one dive)
Siaies Tunnel/Corner;
New Drop Off (one of the two I didn't get to but is supposed to be very good);

If you get to go to Peliliu then:

    Peliliu Wall;
    Peliliu Express (the other one I didn't get to)
    Honorable Mention to Yellow Wall in Peliliu.

Oh by the way, if you go to Peliliu and take the land tour, be suspect of what they
tell you. The story changes based on which tour groups are attending, and is heavily
biased towards the Army/Navy (when in fact it was the Marines who landed first and foremost)...

____________________________________________
Regards,

Arnold

Visit my Travel Photo Website: http://www.mag3.biz/travel_photos/home_page.html

Absolutely 100% SPAM free!!!! HONEST!!! :-)

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Richard Miller - 28 Mar 2007 21:21 GMT

yes..blue corner as many times as possible in Palau..restuarants Taj, Surio
Thai and the buffet at Palau Pacific resort..
the mantas at Yap are visible only at high tide...don't waste time there on
a second dive or if the visabilty is bad.
Richard

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Alan - 28 Mar 2007 19:25 GMT

Palau is indeed a GREAT collection of dive sites. The only place I
thought was better was Tubbataha in the Philippines. I was aboard the
Eco Explorer. The only draw back was the food wasn't nearly as good as
the PPR's in Koror. The Mantas in Tubbataha are the smaller variety.
I've never been one to Oooh & Ahhhh about soft corals, but those in
Tubbataha were just amazing with colors I've never seen before. Back
on shore in Puerto Princesa EVERYTHING is inexpensive. Dinner for 2
with beers & coffee less than $10. The Legend Hotel was excellent.

-Alan

>just got back..cannot imagine better diving, nicer resort= PPR, better food
>or kinder people....if there is a nicer place please tell me
>Richard

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