Palau Advice? Dive Op, Where to Stay? Plus, 1 night in Guam!

[Saniflush]

Funny, but I think I have a pretty good one. Maybe one day I'll get her over her fear of being underwater...
--Kyle

For what's it's worth it can happen. Mrs Flush had a near drowning incident when she was about 10 and had very high fear of the water. I am and have always been part fish. She saw what she was missing and worked hard to be a better swimmer and eventually rolled into getting her certification. It was a tedious road at times but she hung with it and now I can't keep her out of the water.

 

[kyley]

For what's it's worth it can happen. Mrs Flush had a near drowning incident when she was about 10 and had very high fear of the water. I am and have always been part fish. She saw what she was missing and worked hard to be a better swimmer and eventually rolled into getting her certification. It was a tedious road at times but she hung with it and now I can't keep her out of the water.

Yeah? That's great to hear! I'm hoping to get her in a pool soon to try out slowly going under water with gear on. Maybe it will feel more relaxed than she expects...

 

[jbjclj]

What did you decide on hotel and dive op?

 

[kyley]

What did you decide on hotel and dive op?

Been busy and haven't decided for sure yet. For the hotel, I think we're going to go with Palau Hotel for 3 nights and West Plaza Malakal (or possible GAU Mechang Resort) for 2 nights. Then if Sea Passion opens up at $171 as I've seen on sites like Hotels.com, then we'll go there for the 2 nights.

Dive op? I haven't looked more yet, but probably MAML Divers or possibly Sam's Tours. TBD! Thanks,
--Kyle

 

[Kevrumbo]

Been busy and haven't decided for sure yet. For the hotel, I think we're going to go with Palau Hotel for 3 nights and West Plaza Malakal (or possible GAU Mechang Resort) for 2 nights. Then if Sea Passion opens up at $171 as I've seen on sites like Hotels.com, then we'll go there for the 2 nights.

Dive op? I haven't looked more yet, but probably MAML Divers or possibly Sam's Tours. TBD! Thanks,
--Kyle

What you will be saving in money by staying at GAU Mechang Resort, you will be spending in terms of time and travel distance from east Koror, through the traffic of downtown, and finally to the land based dive-ops on Malakal. I'm not familiar with GAU Resort -but unless it has a developed waterfront area, that part of east Koror might be just a dockside looking out over a mangrove thicket swamp. In other words, research this very carefully, and if you're still gonna go with all your own arrangements, make sure you arrange sight-seeing/activity tour van excursions for your girlfriend while you're out diving -or at least get her a car rental.

The only thing about MAML dive-ops is again it's primarily Japanese clientele and the potential language, cultural and diving idiosyncrasies that may result for you as the lone American (are you comfortable communicating with a dive buddy in broken english and using the metric system?).

Just go with Sam's, contact SamsTours Reservations, and for convenience sake see what type of five night Dive/Sight-Seeing Package they can arrange for you with budget accommodations at the Lehns Motel in west Koror.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Hi All,
I have a trip to Palau booked with my girlfriend (non-diver). We'll be there 5 nights in the middle of July. I've discovered it's pretty damn expensive there! To stay and to dive as well. Anyway, I've searched a bit for lodging and reached out to several dive ops (only heard back from Palau Dive Adventures and Sam's Tours so far). Both are pretty expensive, but PDA more so.

1. We have a 20+ hour layover in Guam that we're pretty excited about. Anything we should try to squeeze in after a good night's sleep? Maybe it will just be a day at the beach for whatever hotel we pick...

2. Any suggestions on affordable lodging? G.A.U. Mechang Lagoon Resort looks best so far because it's reasonably priced (about $550 for 5 nights) and on the water - possibly decent for snorkeling right there? Anyone know if there are restaurants and a grocery store nearby? The bad part is it's on the East side of the island and apparently away from downtown, dive shops, etc.

3. Any suggestions for good dive ops - ideally with reasonable pricing? I've only talked with Palau Dive Adventures (pricey) and Sam's Tours (a little less pricey) so far...

4. I also wanted to consider a liveaboard for 2 or 3 nights, but the only options I saw are really long (like 7 nights). Are there some I'm missing?

5. If I dive 2 days, do you think I'd have much trouble getting to Blue Corner and German Channel dive sites (the two I'm most interested in)?

6. Any other tips? Must see / do while we're there? Ideas for me to do with my non-diver girlfriend?

7. Also, any concerns with safety here / leaving my girlfriend at the hotel while I'm diving?

Thanks for any suggestions you all may have!
--Kyle

If you are flexible with your dates, and are able to allocate more to the travel budget and itinerary, here is a great & convenient travel package to Palau with a dive group from one of my favorite dive-ops in Oahu HI for the past ten years:

Palua the Pristine Paradise June 23rd-July 1st, 2018 - Island Divers Hawaii