Micronesia - Which islands?

[KatRizzo]

Hi Everybody,
My boyfriend and I are going to Micronesia for 3 weeks in the fall. We are definitely going to Palau for a week but are thinking of going to Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap as well. We travel on a budget so I'd appreciate any info on less expensive places to stay. Which islands have good snorkeling as well as diving? Any info is welcome and thanks in advance.
Kathy

 

[jorgie6]

That will be during the "wet" or typhoon season, be sure to watch the weather before you depart. Storms can form over Kosrae/Pohnpei and move westward. Lived on Guam for seven years..visited/dived everywhere in Micronesia except Kosrae. That would be the "quietest" of the three you mentioned for the Federated States. We loved visiting Yap and Pohnpei. Palau is VERY developed now, the "Disneyland of Diving", but still not to be missed. Be advised that boat travel time to the dive sites is LONG...bring a rain jacket..motorboating at high speeds in the rain for 45min travel times to the divesites is painful. LOL! . Lots of info can be found on the SB Pacific Islands page. If you would like to book anything ,contact MDA Travel on Guam. They could be a clearing house of sorts for all the locations you mentioned. Aquaquest | MDA I'll assume you're on the United island hopper. Enjoy your time..we LOVED living in that part of the world.

 

[KatRizzo]

That will be during the "wet" or typhoon season, be sure to watch the weather before you depart. Storms can form over Kosrae/Pohnpei and move westward. Lived on Guam for seven years..visited/dived everywhere in Micronesia except Kosrae. That would be the "quietest" of the three you mentioned for the Federated States. We loved visiting Yap and Pohnpei. Palau is VERY developed now, the "Disneyland of Diving", but still not to be missed. Be advised that boat travel time to the dive sites is LONG...bring a rain jacket..motorboating at high speeds in the rain for 45min travel times to the divesites is painful. LOL! . Lots of info can be found on the SB Pacific Islands page. If you would like to book anything ,contact MDA Travel on Guam. They could be a clearing house of sorts for all the locations you mentioned. Aquaquest | MDA I'll assume you're on the United island hopper. Enjoy your time..we LOVED living in that part of the world.

 

[KatRizzo]

Hi. You're right about the United island hopper. Would we be better off going in Oct? We won an auction for 7 nights accommodations and 5 days of two tank dives with Sam's Tours that has to be used by Dec 17. We really could go any time. I've read some not so great things about Palau and honestly, that kind of environment isn't what we like but, as you said, still not to be missed.
Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[beaverdivers]

We had an amazing trip to Palau in April. Sam's run a very good operation.

I would add Yap & Pohnpei. Part of our group were able to do Pohnpei and raved about it.

I would give Truk a miss, the locals are not nice.

 

[KatRizzo]

Thanks, beaverdivers! Where did you stay in Pohnpei & Yap and were you happy with them?

 

[Manneca]

I did the Island Hopper in June, stopping at each island (other than Kwajalein) to dive. I personally would skip Pohnpei and Kosrae. The diving is OK, not great. Truk on the other hand, I'd dive again. I have no idea where the "unfriendly" Chuukians comes from. We stayed at Blue Lagoon (I hate live aboards) and enjoyed it a lot. In the airport, a woman offered me the seat next to her (I was standing, leaning on a pillar in the airport). She didn't speak much English, but started up a conversation. That said, we never left Blue Lagoon. Others at the resort did a tour and no one mentioned the unfriendliness. On Pohnpei we stayed at Mangrove Bay which has no restaurant. We walked to a couple of nearby restaurants (one a mile away). Actually there is a sort of restaurant which serves sushi and a bar. There is a dive shop at the hotel but we never managed to connect with them, but dived with a mostly Japanese operation. Both use the same dive guides and boat drivers. On Kosrae, we stayed at and dived with Pacific Tree Lodge.

Palau and Yap are great. I'd recommend Beyond the Reef on Yap. Beyond the Reef dives with the tides. We saw mantas everyday we went to the cleaning station. We ran into a couple who had been diving with Manta Bay and they had seen no mantas. (The mantas show up at specific tides to feed on effluent from the mangroves.) I have mixed feelings about Sam's. We had a dive guide I absolutely hated. There are other dive operations there. We stayed at one of the West hotels a bit away from downtown near Sam's. It was much cheaper than the hotels. We had a two bedroom apartment for not much more than a double room. Prices have in all probability changes.

 

[smellzlikefish]

I would put in a vote for Kosrae. It is a sleepy little island with wonderful diving. It hasn't been over-promoted and run over with visitors. The people are sweet, the food is good. I loved it.

 

[KatRizzo]

I would put in a vote for Kosrae. It is a sleepy little island with wonderful diving. It hasn't been over-promoted and run over with visitors. The people are sweet, the food is good. I loved it.

Thank you. That appeals to us. Where did you stay? How long were you there and how long would you recommend staying?

 

[smellzlikefish]

I stayed at the Nautilus for a week. It has changed owners, but at the time the owners were absolutely wonderful. The dad played resort manager, divemaster, and all-around nice guy quite well. There is a tree in a nearby bay that is packed with fruit bats and endless wrecks in the bays to explore. I HIGHLY recommend it.