Is it Possible to Dive Palau Without Crowds

[denniscloutier]

I dove on the Palau Aggressor a few years ago, and while the diving was great I didn't really like the crowding. If I recall correctly there were 18 guests diving and the guides tried to keep us herded into one bunch so it was pretty crowded. Maybe I'm anti-social, but this isn't my preferred way of diving. I'd like to go back, but I'd like to find a way to avoid the crowds as much as possible (I know it is a crowded place).

Are there any operations in Palau that put you into a smaller boat, or break the boat up into smaller groups? I'm particularly interested in land based, but I'd also consider live aboard if it sounds good.

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[Moray]

The Palau Siren split the divers between two skiffs when I went in Dec.

 

[Worldwide Dive and Sail]

Hi Dennis

We actually now have favoured to use just 1 skiff now in Palau, however the groups are then staggered so not all 18 divers hit the water at the same time and we do not herd together in 1 group. However at many of the popular sites such as Blue Corner and New Drop Off it can be very difficult to avoid other groups of divers from different centres and liveaboards

Liveaboards tend to dive earlier in the morning than land based operators who won't leave their dock until 8.30 / 9.00 am, so they are often on a different schedule for dives throughout the day and can perhaps have more flexibility of dive sites.

Both liveaboards and land based operations should put you in a group with other divers of a similar experience level. Sam's Tours will often split the group over dive sites if they have less experienced divers or students in training, meaning you could have few divers at the site when you visit. However there are no guarantees either way that there will not be other divers from other operators in the water.

If you would like more information on our cruise itineraries, please send us a pm

Best wishes,
Siren Fleet

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Your options are to be crowded at the dive sites plus being crowded on either a liveaboard or shore-based operation. That's Palau. You really want crowded, go at Christmas or New Years when you can share the Blue Corner with 120 of your newest, bestest dive buddies. Don't get me wrong, I love Palau and every diver should go at least once. I'll probably go again. But that's just the way it is. On the plus side, Palau has the highest per-capita marijuana consumption on the planet, so it's fairly easy to get a good buzz just walking from Sam's to the hotel and taking a few deep breaths along the way.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I did an Early November trip a few years ago and it was relatively uncrowded. Blue Corner would only have a few groups on it. I do a early November trips all over and it can be a great time.
I used Sam's and they were an Ok shop. Had better had worse. Highly depended on my guide and group. Since I'm a single diver I tend to get lumped in
with other groups. I'm also a photographer and like to dive slow and it can be hard to have the guide accommodate that. I loved my time last year in Tulamben
as I had my own personal guide. And I've had really good guide ratios in Lembeh.

 

[cozcharlie]

If you are flexible, your best bet is to try to go on a liveaboard that is only half booked. While there are no guarantees, if a liveaboard has a lot of space two or three weeks out should be OK. The reason I still recommend the liveaboard is that they tend to dive different schedules than the other ops. You usually only run into other divers at Blue Corner, and maybe another dive or two.

 

[denniscloutier]

Hm, flexible doesn't describe us. Because of my wife's job we need to book vacations at least a year in advance. I guess we either have to accept the crowds or go elsewhere.

Thanks for responding.

Dennis

 

[BSOD]

FWIW, I dove with Sam's in early-mid December a few years ago, and it was rather uncrowded as well. Only shared a site with another boat/group once or twice in my week there.

 

[denniscloutier]

FWIW, I dove with Sam's in early-mid December a few years ago, and it was rather uncrowded as well. Only shared a site with another boat/group once or twice in my week there.

How many divers does Sam's put in each boat? Do they keep each boat in one group, or do they split it up?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[BSOD]

How many divers does Sam's put in each boat?

I wanna say averaging around 10 + 2 guides? My note taking was a little more sparse back then. Someone who's been there more recently can answer this better.

Do they keep each boat in one group, or do they split it up?

When I was there, sometimes we stuck together (like Blue Corner), and sometimes we split in to two groups (either intentionally or unintentionally and/or partway through a dive - like if you got tired of watching mantas at German Channel). It might also depend on your group and/or guide(s).

If you really want to dive with nobody else around and have the budget for it, I think Sam's has info on their site about some small charter-able liveaboards they're partnered with that'll accommodate ~2-5 people.

For crowds in general, a lot of it is based on timing (i.e. going during low season, though sometimes it's low season for a good reason like storms/rain/viz/etc), as well as a bit of luck.