Steve P
Contributor
Wife & I heading to Palau this July after a week in Chuuk. This will be our first trip to either and we've been waiting a loooong time to make this trip. We need to decide soon between choosing Liveaboard (considering Tropic Dancer or Aggressor) or Sam's or Neco for land-based. I've read the posts and know the major pros & cons of both options. Recent post on the liveaboard forum had very negative report regarding recent Tropic Dancer trip. I've also read favorable reports about TD and (sister ship) Aggressor.
One issue that came up on the negative report of TD charter was that the dive schedues are set in stone (to allow the 4 - 5 dives/day schedule) and the dive times did not match up with favorable tide schedules. Argument is that land based options allowed flexible dive times or longer surface intervals so arrival at sites matched best conditions.
So my questions are:
How critical is the tide schedule for diving Palau's best sites?
For those who have dived with Sam's or NECO, did you observe them varying the schedule to hit dive sites at optimum tide conditions? In my history with land based dive ops, most follow a set schedule of when they leave and when they plan on getting back to dock.
Lastly, if tides are critical for best conditions, how would I determine best times for diving Palau during week of July 29th?
If favorable tide conditions match the dive schedule on liveaboard during that week, I can rule out this potential concern.
I'd appreciate any infoformation / guidance regarding this subject.
Thanks,
Steve
One issue that came up on the negative report of TD charter was that the dive schedues are set in stone (to allow the 4 - 5 dives/day schedule) and the dive times did not match up with favorable tide schedules. Argument is that land based options allowed flexible dive times or longer surface intervals so arrival at sites matched best conditions.
So my questions are:
How critical is the tide schedule for diving Palau's best sites?
For those who have dived with Sam's or NECO, did you observe them varying the schedule to hit dive sites at optimum tide conditions? In my history with land based dive ops, most follow a set schedule of when they leave and when they plan on getting back to dock.
Lastly, if tides are critical for best conditions, how would I determine best times for diving Palau during week of July 29th?
If favorable tide conditions match the dive schedule on liveaboard during that week, I can rule out this potential concern.
I'd appreciate any infoformation / guidance regarding this subject.
Thanks,
Steve