Palau Photos (11/1-11/6) and trip report

[marpacifica]

Tim, I hope you meant January 2005 b/c I think I'd go crazy if I had to wait to 2006 for a Palau trip! You'll love it there.

Dee, yeah, I like the light in the second shark shot too. I have to admit we cheated on that series of photos. Wayne Hasson, the Aggressor founder, wanted to video some shark action so he arranged for some chumming off the starboard deck where dozens of blacktips had been congregating since our first night's mooring -- our lights attracted plankton, which attracted smaller fish, which attracted bigger fish. So we just lay on our stomachs, arms over the deck and lowered our cameras into the water. I filled a whole 1 gig card, and some of the best shots were right below the surface where the light danced on the backs of the sharks and the strobes filled in from below. Wayne called for more/bigger fish parts and the sharks got bolder and bolder and started ramming our cameras, pretty unnerving with my bare arms hanging over the edge. Here's a photo. The skiff normally sits on that deck, which is lowered hydraulically below waterlevel for our dives and we back out -- reverse the process when we finish a dive and raise the whole sucker with peeps and gear all aboard. Sure beats climbing a ladder to the mother ship after each dive. You can see the metal bowl of fish parts on the center of the deck.

Sapphire, glad you liked that shot. It was one of a few I was able to squeeze off before my camera batteries died. Doh! I made sure to recharge every dive after that....

 

[Gilligan]

Great set of photos and trip report.
I couldn't agree with your more about doing a liveaboard for Palau. The boat rides from shore based diving are just too long. That's the main reason we skipped Palau on our Micronesia trip.

 

[justleesa]

How I envy you! glad you had such a great time and were able to bring back such great pics.

I like this one:

Image by marpacifica (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

But am wondering, no jelly stings?

 

[marpacifica]

Great set of photos and trip report.
I couldn't agree with your more about doing a liveaboard for Palau. The boat rides from shore based diving are just too long. That's the main reason we skipped Palau on our Micronesia trip.

Gilligan, yep, it's the way to go. The only disadvantage I can think of is that there were 18 divers on our skiff. We usually were the only dive group on a site when we dove it b/c we went at hours when the land-based operators weren't there, but with that many people on a dive site it gets a bit crowded going in until later on in the dive when people fan out. I think you got it right when you and Chris were the only ones on your boat in Pohnpei!

JLeesa, no strings/stingers! The jellies in that landlocked marine lake evolved (devolved?) millions of years ago into photosynthesizers. They "farm" algae in their bodies for food and lost their abilities to sting. So they just pump around the lake following the sun. Pretty cool. There is another species of jellies in that lake that do sting, moon jellies, but they're quarter-sized with really small stingers and nowhere near as numerous. Occasionally you'll feel them around your lips and mouth if you run into them face first, feels like small pin pricks but not too painful. There's also an anemone species that lurks on the bottom waiting for jellies to descend there at night. The unlucky jellies still pump away while being eaten alive over a few days. Eerie.

 

[sapphire]

,Sapphire, glad you liked that shot. It was one of a few I was able to squeeze off before my camera batteries died. Doh! I made sure to recharge every dive after that....

Yes, for all of us, please remember to recharge every dive!! We love the pictures

jennifer

 

[marpacifica]

Thanks, Sapphire, I'm humbled. I've just printed out and laminated a checklist that I'll attach permanently to my BCD, just gotta remember to check it before each dive, ha.

 

[ChrisM]

Nice report and pics. I was there over last New Year's on the Big Blue... liveaboard is definitely the way to go.

I was wondering about those shark shots. Although we saw them on every dive, moslty they were out in the blue, rarely cruising on the reef.

Chris

 

[kdietz]

Nice read and very nice pictures....I especially like the WA with the anemone and shark at Blue Corner....excellent

Karl

 

[Saipanman]

Awesome shots Marlo!!!! (as always, I might add, but it probably doesn't need to be said).

So are you sick of Sanfran yet? You're always welcome back on the island....

 

[ygthad]

pictures look good thanks..