Palau - New moon/full moon

[aoo]

Hi. A group of us are scheduled to do a liveaboard in Palau this coming November and we are really looking forward to the trip as this will be our first time there.

Some people have told us to make sure that the week that we choose for our trip is a week that has either a new moon or a full moon. They say that this would ensure stronger currents and therefore more pelagic activity.

Do you find this to be true and should we follow this advice? Do any of you choose your schedules using this as a basis?

Thanks in advance for all of the great advice. This site is the best and is one that I visit almost daily as going through this site is almost as good as diving. Almost.

 

[Travelnsj]

I questioned that in 2007 as it was a couple of days before a Full moon and the currents at the Blue hole were like a washing machine. I asked my friend that who has been a DM there for 18 years....he said No....but currents were strange. Perhaps just bad timing...I've been there 7 other times once during a new moon and did not notice anything.

 

[guamrider]

I go there a lot (over 60 times) since I'm on Guam so maybe this will help. IF you want the screaming currents for Blue Corner, Ulong channel, etc. you'll definitely get them with these moons.

But, you've got to time your entries to coincide with the highest swing of the tides (Palau has over 6' but usually only one really high one each 24 hours) and go in about 2 hours after the tide changes to incoming. Then hang on. REALLY hang on.

Personally, diving during the peak currents is great for those that want the adrenalin rush, but not so good for photographers and others. If there's any current at all, the animals don't come in any closer with a strong current. And the strong currents make it impossible for you to get up off the reef to catch shots like the huge schools of cudas, rays, etc., because you're literally swept off the reef into the blue.

You also use more air, because in areas like the Blue Holes, Blue Corner, New Drop, German Channel, etc., you'll have to swim against it from time to time if you're not hooked in. Although most of the time you drift with the current, there are occasions that you'll be pulled off the reef or away from the upper areas of the walls.

Another problem is that the Aggressor has a set schedule of where they go each day and the order of the dives and they usually don't change it unless you're on a private charter. I've been on it a number of times.

So.....having said all of this, one of my best days was to dive Ulong channel at the beginning of a major high tide, go all the way through, get on the boat, and 45 min later do it all over again!! Gonna do this again on a video trip later this year.

Hope this helps, and lots of Palau videso here: Guam Dive Videos, Video Production, and Travel

 

[aoo]

Hi Travelnsj,

Thank you for the response. I guess we will be keeping our schedule then that is between the new moon and full moon.

Hi guamrider,

Thank you for the response. Your answer was very informative and helpful. Since we have a coupe of photographers with us we will keep our original schedule and not move it to one that coincides with the full moon/new moon. The adrenaline rush would be great but our primary purpose is seeing the pelagics and if their numbers are the same whether the current is stronger or not, then we would rather enjoy them in a more leisurely manner.

 

[Damselfish]

when we were there on the Aggressor I don't know what the moon was but the currents were pretty mild, and we saw few pelagics. So I don't know that the numbers are the same - thought they generally like the currents.

 

[guamrider]

Aoo-Glad to help. Heres a few tips.
When you go to Blue Corner the photographers might want to get on the ends of the hook in area. If theres a lot of divers there, and there usually is, the sharks tend to go past all of the divers and then turn and then go back the other way. The divers at the ends usually get the best pix.

Another thing is that when any divers goes out off the drop off in the blue (at any location) to get "better" pix all of the sharks tend to move out further, thereby making it difficult for anyone to get good closeup pix or video.

At Ulong channel try and stay hooked in at the mouth of the channel, not on the sides with most of the other divers. The big animals will come in a lot closer.

One of the most underrated sites for photographers is Saies Tunnel. They can get some great shots inside the tunnel....lots of critters, black coral, and gorgonians.

the BEST tip I can give anyone is if you have an hour or two take the helicopter ride. It's that good and bring your cameras.