Palau Aggressor - Feb 2024

[Kryssa]

This is our first big dive trip we’ve booked independently rather than going with a dive shop group. Husband and I are both 200-250 dives, AOW & Nitrox.

We’ve paid the balance and booked flights, hotels, and transfers. No visa needed for Americans.

Anything you think we should know? Anything that might be easy to forget?

We have a packing list from past dive trips, but do we need anything special for a liveaboard or Palau?

We are both bringing 3mm suits because we’re expecting 82F+. Is that about right?

Thanks!

 

[rongoodman]

I did a ten day trip on that boat a few years back. Straight forward, no different than any of their other boats. There will probably be dives where you'll need to hook into the reef against the current, but the boat should have reef hooks for you. It would be worth confirming though. 3mm suits sound about right. If you don't normally bring snorkels I would for this trip, in case Jellyfish Lake is open--it was closed for quite a while.

 

[Kryssa]

The charter info says they supply hooks but I’m thinking of bringing our own because a friend recommended a longer length and they aren’t expensive. Currently have a couple with 6’ lines in my Amazon cart. Also bringing SMBs and Dive Alerts for the BCs.

We have never used reef hooks but I’m guessing we won’t be the first divers to need some direction with this as we are mostly Caribbean and Hawaii divers.

 

[Doc Harry]

We did a liveaboard in Palau earlier almost exactly one year ago. You'll have a good time.

We stayed at the Palau Hotel.

Read about the history of Peleliu and take a historical tour of the island. Bring a flashlight for the Japanese cave system on Bloody Nose Ridge.

There are some drift dives, but you'll spend a lot of time hooked at the top of wall at some corner, watching the sharks. There is a good manta ray dive at the German channel. We did 4 dives there before the conditions were right for mantas, and then we had the show of a lifetime.

A reef hook is required. I like to have 8 feet of line on the hook. For the best balance it should be attached to your BC level with bottom of your sternum. Most people don't have an attachment point there, so they attach the hook to their chest strap or the crotch D ring. The key to reef hooking is to inflate your BC to keep tension on the line and RELAX. Be prepared to dump air from your BC if the hook pops out. When it's time to unhook, dump air from your BC before unhooking.

I dove in tech shorts and a rash guard. It was warm.

When we were there a year ago, no one was going to jellyfish lake anymore. Apparently the jellyfish are all gone, victims of global warming.

 

[Kryssa]

Thanks for this great info and your video is amazing! I love sharks and I hope we get to see mantas!

Do you happen to remember if there is soap, shampoo, or conditioner in the shower?

Also is there a hair dryer in the room? (This isn’t about vanity - I have long thick hair and can’t sleep with it wet.)

Did you pay tips and expenses in cash? Usually we wouldn’t travel with such a large amount but the 3.5% credit fee is a huge bummer.

 

[rongoodman]

All of their boats have soap and shampoo. I‘m long past the point of needing a hair dryer, so I’ve never noticed. I always just put the tip on my bill and pay by CC.

 

[Doc Harry]

Did you pay tips and expenses in cash? Usually we wouldn’t travel with such a large amount but the 3.5% credit fee is a huge bummer.

I have terrible luck with credit cards overseas, so I pre-pay as much as I can with the credit card, and take a few thousand dollars in cash.

It seems all of my credit card companies (except AMEX) deny all charges and then send me a text to approve the charges. Of course, I don't get texts in places like Palau or the Maldives or Indonesia unless I buy a local burner phone. This happens even when I call the credit card company ahead of time and tell them where, when, and how much I will be charging. In fact, lately the CC companies have been telling me that they will no longer flag my account for international travel and depend entirely upon text messaging to approve charges. They won't even use e-mail, which I can get if there is Wi-Fi.

 

[Doc Harry]

One more thing.

Like any other international trip, if you bring cash then take only the newest style of American bills. Even banks won't accept the old style bills, like the old $20 or old $100 bills.

Better yet, to avoid any hassles, take only new uncirculated bills.