Palau Liveaboard in December...but also Truk/Chuuk and/or Yap?

[bilchil]

I'm almost surely doing a trip on a Palau liveaboard in December. I have two weeks only so I have time to either do a 7-day trip plus a visit to Truk and/or Yap OR a 10-day trip in Palau only. My first decision is this: 7-day Palau plus Truk/Yap or 10-day Palau only. And then my second decision: if the 7-day Palau plus, do I then add only Truk or Truk and Yap? My inclination, and what I've been planning, is a 7-day trip on the Tropic Dancer (booked, not paid yet) over xmas followed by 5 nights on Truk (probably @ Truk Stop) over New Years. But I thought, for due diligence sake, I should ask someone who's been to all 3 destinations for any thoughts they may have. So, anyone, do you think it better that I give Truk a miss so that I can fully avail myself of a 10-day Palau trip (that'd be the Aggressor in early December)...OR do you think Yap so brilliant I must add it to my xmas trip (that would entail cutting my Truk stay down to 3 nights, w/ only 2 nights on Yap...and making a miserable flying itinerary even more so, the Yap flights being in the middle of the night)? It seems to me that Yap would not add a lot to the trip, whereas Truk is a very special destination. Thanks in advance!

 

[clownfishsydney]

Five nights in Chuuk (giving only four days diving) is not enough time for the cost involved. You need at least 14 days in Chuuk, anything less than 10 days would be wasting money on airfares and non-diving days.

I reckon do 10 days in Palau and a few days in Guam on the way back (diving there is very good, wrecks and reefs). This way you are not flying all over the place and you have to go via Guam anyway.

 

[Peter69_56]

Five nights in Chuuk (giving only four days diving) is not enough time for the cost involved. You need at least 14 days in Chuuk, anything less than 10 days would be wasting money on airfares and non-diving days.

I reckon do 10 days in Palau and a few days in Guam on the way back (diving there is very good, wrecks and reefs). This way you are not flying all over the place and you have to go via Guam anyway.

Totally agree with Michael. It doesn't justify the cost to get there when going to Truk if you don't have a decent period there. We are going next March and spending 18 days at truk, then back to Guam then Palau as we save on air fares in combining them.

 

[bilchil]

Hmmm, OK...I'll seriously consider going w/ the 10 days in Palau and forgetting about Truk. Maybe I should have noted, I doubt I'll ever make it back down that way again...so it'd be now or never. It's taken me 53 years to find the time and money (we don't get much time off in the US...until we're too old to use it...definitely not my preference, but so it goes) to make it to Palau. I just hope I get to do another big trip like this by the time I'm 60 or so(and/or croak)...and I'd probably want to try one of the other world class places for that...e.g., Red Sea (once the peace process there is successfully concluded...uh, right) or the Maldives or Indonesia. Anyway, I'm not much of a technical/wreck diver anyway, only done a few, but it seemed very interesting...and historic (my dad was a marine in the South Pacific in WW2, including Iwo Jima)...BUT my diving has been mainly of the scenic variety (learned 30 years ago w/ about 50 dives on that big reef you guys have up north)...have a look at some beauty, go for a speedy drift now and again...and that does seem more like the Palau situation. Thanks for the replies from down under!

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Well, it really all depends on what kind of diving you like to do. Let's say that you're an average diver who just wants to make the most of a two week trip out this way. My recommendation would be to spend four days or so diving Truk Lagoon, three days diving Yap, and the remainder with a shore-based operation in Palau.

I've been to all three places; Truk four times, Palau three, and Yap four. I just got back from Yap this morning. Went to Palau in January (only because the wife insisted). In my opinion, Palau is way overhyped. Yes, it has some spectacular dives. But not THAT many. You can hit all the good ones in a few days. You and 100 or so of your best new dive buddies. Because Palau in December/January is an absolute mess. You may be on a liveaboard, but you will still be diving the sites that all the other operators go to. And because the really good dive sites in Palau are heavily tide/current dependent, you can't just show up and have a decent dive before the crowd shows up. You have to time them right. You can expect anywhere from six to fifteen dive boats at most of the decent sites. I have personally seen about 25 at the Blue Corner around Christmas. Pure chaos watching multitudes of dive groups jockeying for hook-in positions. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just letting you know what to expect. And that time of year you may not be able to dive some of the sites because of the surf and sea conditions.

Four dive days in Truk would be perfect for someone who is not a tech diver and just wants to see some awesome wrecks, history, and some not-to-demanding penetrations. There is a ton of stuff to see there. I'd recommend the Blue Lagoon for the diving it sounds like you want to do. The Truk Stop is great, but geared primarily towards tech divers and serious penetrations. You can do three easy dives a day at the Blue Lagoon.

And for an absolutely totally relaxing, awesome experience you have to do Yap. Palau makes a lot of noise about sharks and mantas, but Palau pales in comparison to Yap in those departments. In Palau, you can hang at the Blue Corner and see a few (sometimes 10-20) sharks passing 15 feet or more out in front of you. In Yap you will have 50 or more, and they will be bumping into you. Had one smack his tail into my camera the other day. Two of my dive buddies surfaced in the middle of a school of sharks. Got some great video of the sharks bumping into my buddy's fins. Hell, when the dive boat shows up the sharks start circling the boat waiting for the fun to start. And mantas? You'll be lucky to see one or two mantas in Palau. In Yap, they will likely be swarming around you. Yesterday and a couple of days ago four mantas played with us on the way to and from the dive boat. I'm talking about swimming up to within a couple of feet of me. It's like they were glad to see us come and didn't want to see us go. You won't get that kind of action in Palau. Plus, there is very little dive pressure in Yap, and it is just a totally relaxing dive vacation. If you decide to do Yap, only plan on two tanks a day. I'd recommend Manta Ray Bay and Yap Divers. Really a class operation where they take personal care of you, remember your name, and are glad to have you there. Unlike Palau, where you're a number on a board with upwards of 100 divers on it. And that's at just one dive operation.

Dan

P.S. Don't waste your time planning on spending any time diving on Guam when you can spend that time in Yap, Truk, or Palau. Guam is not a dive destination. We dive it because we live here. But for really good diving, we get on a plane.

 

[jjardin]

You won't get that kind of action in Palau. Plus, there is very little dive pressure in Yap, and it is just a totally relaxing dive vacation. If you decide to do Yap, only plan on two tanks a day.

QUOTE]

I have to agree with Dan. Do all 3 if you want to. I am not a wreck guy, so I would rather stay in Yap over Chuuk if I had to choose. I like Palau--it is physically beautiful topside, has the cool jellyfish, saltwater crocodiles, etc.

I also really like Yap and the Manta Ray. It is one of the most low stress, family oriented places I have stayed. It is the kind of place where you can make good friends with the staff and other divers (e.g. Deep Water Dan was on my boat a few years ago). I have a daughter who was just learning (and was to dive & the staff, especially Jan, took her under their wing and made her trip. We took her to Yap from the east coast because we knew that the relatively calm water, beautiful reefs, big animals, crystal clear water, etc. is perfect. I would actually suggest Yap as a warm up to Palau--knock some of the rust off before hitting the currents and larger more impersonal dive ops. (I really like Palau too--but it is like going from a small town staying with a family on their farm to the big city).


One clarification to what Dan said--most people only do 2 dives in Yap--and usually they are long long dives. This doesn't mean that they won't take you out 3 or 4 times if you want to go out. I have been out alone--just me on the boat--diving with Jan from Manta Ray--because I wanted more diving on their outer reefs. Another time I wanted to play with my camera, so they took me alone to a part of the lagoon to do some shallow macro dives--just me.

Also the last time we were there my wife, daughter and I went out fishing for our down day before flying. Spur of the moment request--no problem as usual--and a couple of big wahoo (ono). Just reel fast or the sharks will get them (as my daughter learned).


With that there are down sides--MRB and Yap try hard, but will never be luxury dive destinations. The island is just too real for that. IMHO this allows you to really know the local culture much more than you would say from staying at a more tourist oriented economy. While much more urbane, even PPR on Palau is not the 5 star destination they claim--when we were there the hot tub attendant decided to test the hot tub by lounging in it & the luggage "bell hop" couldn't find the room so decided to take a nap instead of delivering the bags). Bring anything you can't live without (e.g. women may like some hygiene products at certain times of the month--they may not be available). Chuuk is a bit poor and can be rough around the edges. I will go back as soon as I can--just expect quirks. If you don't like quirks, and this is going to be your only trip in your life before you start to fall apart--then you may want to consider the Maldives (e.g. the Four Seasons there) or perhaps some of the upper end places in French Polynesia.

 

[bilchil]

Thanks for all the comments...especially the last two, from Deepwater Dan and jjardin, but I did make my final decision over the weekend before reading either. And that decision is for a trip I don't think either of you would enjoy very much. The Palau Aggressor & Tropic Dancer have special prices during the "low" season of early September (probably more rain...living in LA I get enough sunshine, as long as the dives can still be made...and their posted logs of previous dives that time of year indicate that all the dives still get made), so I've decided to go there, and there only, and do back-to-back 7-day (really 7 night, 5.5 days of diving) trips...about $2k each. For about 45 dives or so and 2 weeks of food and lodging, seems like a good deal for $4k. And I save a lot on the flights by scratching Chuuk (those aussies really scared me off 4 days there) and omitting Yap...United wants about an extra $500 for each of those stops. Well, I hope it ends up being somewhat better than tolerable...but if I do somehow make it back down there again (not close to falling apart yet, at least not visibly) I will definitely add both on to my itinerary. But it is true it was Palau I've mainly been aiming for...for about 25 years now...but it sounds like I may have waited too long to put together the necessary funds to get there while it was still great. I hope I find the diving better than SoCal at least...or there won't have been much point leaving home!

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Have fun, and post a trip report!

 

[jjardin]

ThaAnd that decision is for a trip I don't think either of you would enjoy very much.

Yeah, I would much rather be in the office for 2 weeks than on a liveaboard in Palau. Diving in 86 degree crystal clear water surrounded by reef fish and sharks and mantas is way overrated.

I think you will have a blast. Look forward to reading your trip report.

JJ

 

[bilchil]

Ha, true that! After enjoying a 3-tank dive this past saturday off of Anacapa here in SoCal, w/ 54 degree water, 7mm head to toe, and viz in the 20'-30' range I'm sure 45 dives in 2 weeks in Palau will be a real disappointment! I will return and post...in about 6 months. But, damn, just read another post on a different forum here about how totally awesome Yap is. But, to be honest, if I were to record all opinions in a spreadsheet (e.g., 'yes' for Yap (and 1 week in Palau), 'no' for Yap (rather 2 weeks in Palau)) I bet everything would pretty much equal out. There are enough Palau addicts, Chuuk fanatics, and Yap enthusiasts that there would be about the same number of votes for all possible itineraries. It does make me think though, that if I do enjoy this trip as much as I'm thinking I will, a return someday w/ an inclusion of those two other spots will have to be put on The List. Along w/ Maldives...Red Sea...Raja Ampat...Cocos Island...Galapagos.