Palau - 2 dives ?

[Wantonmien]

Hi all,

With a hurriedly booked trip, we are landing in Palau in a couple of weeks time, wife, self and young child

As the little one is far too young to dive (and will be with a child minder whilst we dive) - we want to try and arrange it so that we can dive either just in the mornings or just in the afternoons - ie 2 dives a day - out, dive, surface time, dive and straight back to shore (so 4 or 5 hours away from hotel).

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Question - Can anyone advise if in Palau 2 dives a day is easy enough to arrange - as a couple of dive resorts I've mailed seem set on 3 dives a dives a day (out 8am - back 4pm or so) an nothing less

If by chance a dive operator in Palau reads this and can offer 2 dives a day trips, please leave message or drop me a PM

Thanks

 

[Rechno]

When i was in Palau, Sam´s Tours offered 2-tank dives. A 3rd dive was optional and IIRC did only happen, when enough people signed up for it.

 

[Wantonmien]

Thanks Rechno - we must have contacted the wrong dive centers !

 

[Rechno]

You are welcome, glad I could help.

The service at the shop was great and they were very helpful, sorting out the other recreational activities. If its something you are interrested in and can manage with your kid, i´d recommend their combined kayak and snorkel-tour as well.

 

[jjardin]

I haven't been in a decade, sadly, but we went with Sam's when we were there. We really enjoyed the trip--however I think I recall the time being away being longer than 4-5 hours. It took us a while to get from the PPR to Sams, then check in, then the ride to the site, then lunch (bento boxes on the beach), then the second dive, then return to Sams, hang/clean up gear and return to the PPR...I seem to remember it being mid-late afternoon. Not sure if i've mis-remembered or if anything has changed.

 

[Wantonmien]

Well we got there, stayed in Palau Pacific hotel and found ourselves a dive guide "Alice" a great Chinese girl who was top notch with arrangements, she has a business there "Alice dive shop", but advertises in Chinese language, so not too easy to find. Great service though, picked up out gear from hotel day before our dives, so all ready and set up on the dive boat every day, picking us up from hotel for dive and non dive trips out, dropping us back to hotel, taking us down town to good restaurants etc, faultless arrangements.

Must admit the first few dives I had on the "Big drop off" and "New drop off" sites I was disappointed with, but then we found "Blue Corner" and wow - great dive site, along the wall and then hooked on at wall edge to see dozens of sharks cruise by, huge shoals of barracuda and jacks, with lump head parrot fish, giant groupers and really abundant life. Loved that site, both wife and I dived it a few times, and not disappointed at all - in fact we'd go back to Palau just for that site ! Wife on one of her dives at anther site was also lucky enough to find a 15m whale shark take an interest in her dive group and stay with them through most of the dive !

As for two tank/dive trips - now we've been there we can see why it is not too practical, distance by fast speed boat to sites takes an hour or so, so better to plan around 3 dive trips - and the daughter aged 3 she also had a day out on dive boat with us, helping the captain steer the speedboat full speed, chatting with him while we dived, snorkeling with me between dives - and so all was well.

Palau - pretty expensive, but hotel was good, and dives + arrangements all good, we'll definitely go back there.