Travelnsj
Contributor
March 1st thru the 14th…I believe this is my 7th trip report on Palau in as many years. Again this year I had a very well known person sitting next to me flying to Palau. Dan Bailey who has discovered many of the wrecks in Truk and Palau. He pulled out his books he has published on Palau and Truk and showed me many of the original wreck pictures as they were discovered before “us” divers got to them. He does remarkable work with the www.BentProp.org people who are still trying to locate MIA’s from WWII. I was fortunate to be able to attend his talk during wreck week at Sams and have dinner with him one evening. During the week I was there, Pat with BentProp along with other speakers was giving a presentation nightly about WWII.
The Diving....again the best and diving with Keith Santillano of Dive Palau..(Palaudive.com) was again the best! This year for the first time I noticed a few thermoclines down to a bone chilling 79 degrees…..usually is and was 82 to 83. Also visibility was not as good as usual but the weather was a vast improvement over last year. With the cooler currents rising from below a few people had been spotting the Great Hammerheads….Not me!....The first dive at the Blue corner was fabulous as usual. I was Down at about 95’ I could see about 30’ below me a very large school of schooling Grey reef sharks with a big Silvertip (about a 9 footer) in the middle of them. Did the Ulong channel a couple of times what a great dive….the Cabbage patch coral, croc fish, sharks, wrasses, giant clams etc etc….Had my first 75 minute dive. One of my favorite dive sites Turtle cove this year had visibility problems….although Turtle cove usually only has 60’ vis this time it was 30’ to 50’ a little disappointing. The further north you went the vis was better. Overall this is still the most diversified places I have dove. Being I have been to Palau the last 7 years I may go to the Philippines next March…or Palau and the Philippines…Hmmm decisions…decisions.
The Diving....again the best and diving with Keith Santillano of Dive Palau..(Palaudive.com) was again the best! This year for the first time I noticed a few thermoclines down to a bone chilling 79 degrees…..usually is and was 82 to 83. Also visibility was not as good as usual but the weather was a vast improvement over last year. With the cooler currents rising from below a few people had been spotting the Great Hammerheads….Not me!....The first dive at the Blue corner was fabulous as usual. I was Down at about 95’ I could see about 30’ below me a very large school of schooling Grey reef sharks with a big Silvertip (about a 9 footer) in the middle of them. Did the Ulong channel a couple of times what a great dive….the Cabbage patch coral, croc fish, sharks, wrasses, giant clams etc etc….Had my first 75 minute dive. One of my favorite dive sites Turtle cove this year had visibility problems….although Turtle cove usually only has 60’ vis this time it was 30’ to 50’ a little disappointing. The further north you went the vis was better. Overall this is still the most diversified places I have dove. Being I have been to Palau the last 7 years I may go to the Philippines next March…or Palau and the Philippines…Hmmm decisions…decisions.
