Palau Trip Report ~ Safari / Carp Island, March 14-29, 2012

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bonairefans

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Palau Trip Report ~ March 14-29, 2012

Air ~ The merging of UAL and Continental helped us combine points from both frequent flier programs, giving us the necessary 65,000 for RT Chico CA – ROR, plus $25 tax….sweet deal indeed.

Airport WiFi ~ Guam, strong signal right outside the UAL lounge. At HNL, signals from airline lounges easy to pick up in the green belt on ground floor adjacent to the food court. For tall divers, the HNL-GUM 7.5 hours leg can be near-fatal. Before boarding at HNL, check the plane’s seat chart online. Often there’s an empty middle section of 5 seats. Spread out in the middle seat, look as if you have terminal BO and poor social skills, and presto you have a bed and get to enjoy a ride all the way to Guam in a comfy horizontal position.

Car rental ~(serbab@palaunet.com) IR Rental doesn’t advertise, but it’s the cheapest agency by far, $29 total for a decent compact with A/C. An agent meets renters at the airport to deliver your car. Airport pickup/drop-off by hotels is $25 for 2 passengers, so two of the car rental days practically pay for themselves. Having a rental sure beats a long, sweaty trek to downtown restaurants, and is the only way to reach the southern tip of Malakal for a shore dive

Hotel ~ Sea Passion. We love this place. Decent buffet breakfast, excellent snorkeling, Wi-Fi signal reaches second floor, easy walk to Sam’s, shower stalls the size of a small studio apartment, Umi restaurant on second floor delivers a killer bowl of miso soup to your room. We were given a free upgrade to Rm 503 on the top floor…the view of water and islands is the stuff of tropical dreams

Best Shore Dive (tanks included with Sam’s package) ~ Ice Box Park next to the clam farm. Shallow dive with an amazing assortment of giant clams. We have had nothing but clear water here, but have been told that sometimes the nearby sewage treatment plant has a discharge.

Safari Liveaboard ~ This is a splurge for the lowly 99%, but it is worth the sacrifice to have the opportunity to live in the Rock Islands with your lover, a boat captain, and a divemaster/chef. We had so many moments that took our collective breaths away that it’s impossible to know where to start. How does one put a price on such life-enhancing experiences? (OK, when I get the first credit card bill, my waxing poetic may lose a few high notes, but be that as it may). Charley McCready is in a class by herself when it comes to dive master-ing and cooking. Captain Jason was born and raised in Iowa, but has a knowledge of watercraft and Palau’s tricky currents that come with spending one’s entire life on the water. He can fix anything which operates on gas, electricity, and everything else.

We structured our time in Palau in a very similar manner as last year, combining a live aboard (Eclipse) with an island (Peleliu). Last March, the Eclipse dropped us off on Two Dog Beach, and Godwin from Dolphin Bay picked us up an hour later.

This year, after 2 morning dives on Safari on the last day, we were dropped off on Carp Island to begin a four night stay. Unfortunately, we had head colds the entire time at Carp Island which precluded diving, so we can’t comment on the dive operation. But in terms of lodging, food, and island ambiance, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves even without diving. But as science teachers who are fascinated by tropical forest ecology, we probably get more excited over the massive buttress roots of banyan trees and the intricacies of mangrove swamps than the average person. This island is covered by a dense forest that could have kept us occupied for weeks.

This morning at 3am, 36,000 ft above the Pacific, as an antidote to feeling consumed by travel-related fatigue and wretchedness, my brain kept replaying scenes similar to the opening in the video below. We were back in the German Channel, and mantas were winging their way toward us…they just kept flying nonstop…the image sustained me through and beyond the 8am touchdown in Chico…

[video=youtube;jFyEQDiw98o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFyEQDiw98o[/video]
 
Great report and video!!! We just got back from Palau a few weeks ago and we too loved Blue Corner! Loved flying there watching the show! Can't wait to go back someday! Thank you for sharing!
 
Thank you for a most informative account of Palau, loved the photos!!
What camera did you use?

Any advice as to the best time of year diving there? I have two options in 2013:
January or November which is best?

I understand you recommend Sea Passion (Hotel) and Sam's Dive package, any others?

Sincerely, Bob

Palau Trip Report ~ March 14-29, 2012

Air ~ The merging of UAL and Continental helped us combine points from both frequent flier programs, giving us the necessary 65,000 for RT Chico CA – ROR, plus $25 tax….sweet deal indeed.

Airport WiFi ~ Guam, strong signal right outside the UAL lounge. At HNL, signals from airline lounges easy to pick up in the green belt on ground floor adjacent to the food court. For tall divers, the HNL-GUM 7.5 hours leg can be near-fatal. Before boarding at HNL, check the plane’s seat chart online. Often there’s an empty middle section of 5 seats. Spread out in the middle seat, look as if you have terminal BO and poor social skills, and presto you have a bed and get to enjoy a ride all the way to Guam in a comfy horizontal position.

Car rental ~(serbab@palaunet.com) IR Rental doesn’t advertise, but it’s the cheapest agency by far, $29 total for a decent compact with A/C. An agent meets renters at the airport to deliver your car. Airport pickup/drop-off by hotels is $25 for 2 passengers, so two of the car rental days practically pay for themselves. Having a rental sure beats a long, sweaty trek to downtown restaurants, and is the only way to reach the southern tip of Malakal for a shore dive

Hotel ~ Sea Passion. We love this place. Decent buffet breakfast, excellent snorkeling, Wi-Fi signal reaches second floor, easy walk to Sam’s, shower stalls the size of a small studio apartment, Umi restaurant on second floor delivers a killer bowl of miso soup to your room. We were given a free upgrade to Rm 503 on the top floor…the view of water and islands is the stuff of tropical dreams

Best Shore Dive (tanks included with Sam’s package) ~ Ice Box Park next to the clam farm. Shallow dive with an amazing assortment of giant clams. We have had nothing but clear water here, but have been told that sometimes the nearby sewage treatment plant has a discharge.

Safari Liveaboard ~ This is a splurge for the lowly 99%, but it is worth the sacrifice to have the opportunity to live in the Rock Islands with your lover, a boat captain, and a divemaster/chef. We had so many moments that took our collective breaths away that it’s impossible to know where to start. How does one put a price on such life-enhancing experiences? (OK, when I get the first credit card bill, my waxing poetic may lose a few high notes, but be that as it may). Charley McCready is in a class by herself when it comes to dive master-ing and cooking. Captain Jason was born and raised in Iowa, but has a knowledge of watercraft and Palau’s tricky currents that come with spending one’s entire life on the water. He can fix anything which operates on gas, electricity, and everything else.

We structured our time in Palau in a very similar manner as last year, combining a live aboard (Eclipse) with an island (Peleliu). Last March, the Eclipse dropped us off on Two Dog Beach, and Godwin from Dolphin Bay picked us up an hour later.

This year, after 2 morning dives on Safari on the last day, we were dropped off on Carp Island to begin a four night stay. Unfortunately, we had head colds the entire time at Carp Island which precluded diving, so we can’t comment on the dive operation. But in terms of lodging, food, and island ambiance, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves even without diving. But as science teachers who are fascinated by tropical forest ecology, we probably get more excited over the massive buttress roots of banyan trees and the intricacies of mangrove swamps than the average person. This island is covered by a dense forest that could have kept us occupied for weeks.

This morning at 3am, 36,000 ft above the Pacific, as an antidote to feeling consumed by travel-related fatigue and wretchedness, my brain kept replaying scenes similar to the opening in the video below. We were back in the German Channel, and mantas were winging their way toward us…they just kept flying nonstop…the image sustained me through and beyond the 8am touchdown in Chico…

[video=youtube;jFyEQDiw98o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFyEQDiw98o[/video]
 
Bob, thanks for the feedback.

Regarding cameras, I use a SeaLife 1200 and Charley uses a Canon G12.

In terms of choosing between November or January, if rain is a factor in your decision, Nov. averages 292 mm of rain and Jan. 295 mm. Although predicting weather on a tropical island is at best a crapshoot, we have been fortunate to have sunny skies dominate both of our visits in March, which averages 196 mm of rain. Being trapped in a hotel room for consecutive days due to downpours is survivable; on a boat, it can get oppressive.

You might find Carp Island to your liking:

[video=youtube;JGnVw3050vo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGnVw3050vo[/video]



 

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