2 weeks in Palau

[farsidefan1]

Park city?? You are just a half hour away. I mountain bike there 3 times a week in the warm months. Thanks for your details, excellent report. I am ready to return as well. My wife loved the videos provided by the pro photogs, she was not nearly impressed with my shots. Scott will be posting soon so watch for his pictures.

 

[Travelnsj]

Hi Jay,

So you approved of my suggestions (just saw the thread)....LOL....still got a bit of Jet Lag and so happy I went thru Narita the day before thank god. When i got home I was went to sleep woke up in the middle of the night and turned on the TV and saw what I missed in Japan!...Yikes...so we will see you next year in Palau?....and I will meet the Misses?.....Now if I can get you to Raja and Lembeh in Indonesia!

Just posted my TR.

 

[klp5]

Hi FarsideFan- just want to say- hope your family is all ok!
kristy

 

[farsidefan1]

Thanks Scott and Kip5, They are south and west of the nuclear plant so they in the safe direction although we have suggested that our daughter and 3 kids come visit for a month or so . Kids are much more suseptable to radiations effects we would like them to hang out here till the situation is under control. Problem is the baby is so new it will take some time to get a passport. We will see how it goes, but thanks for your thoughts. All looks ok for now.

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Right now they're saying there's a slight chance that the weather patterns may change for a brief period and possibly allow the radiation to loop back south and west to Guam and the Philippines. They just rushed a couple of sensors out here to monitor the air.

 

[BrandonCole]

Scoober and others- great info. thank you.

You mention both Aggressor and Dancer live-aboards. How about the Ocean Hunter III? How does that operation compare to them?

Cheers,

Brandon

 

[altaskier]

I spent an amazing week on the Ocean Hunter I, and the OH III looked cool too from what I saw. I think they get quite positive feedback here. It may be that the Aggressor and Dancer boats have more of a USA-based crowd, and the Ocean Hunter boats draw divers from Europe a bit more, and that can add a fun extra twist to the trip.

 

[BrandonCole]

Thanks altaskier!

 

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide, I worked(?) six months out of Koror with 3 to 4 dives a day. I went 93 days straight without a dayoff. By far my number one dive site (in the world) would be Ulong Channel and the Pelelui Express is probably the most dangerous as a guide. Palau is as close to a "60's experience" I have found in ten years.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

 

[Kevrumbo]

As a dive guide, I worked(?) six months out of Koror with 3 to 4 dives a day. I went 93 days straight without a dayoff. By far my number one dive site (in the world) would be Ulong Channel and the Pelelui Express is probably the most dangerous as a guide. Palau is as close to a "60's experience" I have found in ten years.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

Peleliu Express can be very treacherous especially at the end, at the reef plateau beyond the point. Most novice divers would want to hug the plateau contour for reference and to keep from fighting the ripping current, but this is precisely where they get in trouble: the Reef Plateau starts to slope away quickly from 18m down to the abyss, with down currents keeping you there at depth as well. The dive guides always briefed us to come up off the plateau quickly as they signaled, or if your depth gauge reading starts "rolling" down deeper with the reef scene suddenly getting darker and blending in with the deep blue.

The other potential hazard is if the boat driver doesn't see you because you got separated and didn't deploy a marker buoy from depth in large surface swells/high seas --you will drift away, next stop 400mi away Mindanao Philippines. . .:shocked2: