Palau VS ?--Looking for fab diving--not a ton of current

[viva1]

I was just diving in Belize and was somewhat disappointed. Now I'm looking for a spectacular place to dive--lots of fish, large and small, beautiful corals and sponges, not too much current (at least a mixture of current/no current dives). We've been to Lembeh and Gangha and really enjoyed it, and I've heard Palau and the Solomons are excellent. I'd prefer to do land-based diving as I'm more of a 2-3 dive/day person and also enjoy snorkeling if it is really good.

Soooo... any thoughts on this? Looking for great diving, great snorkeling from the shore, preferably, mix of current and no current dives.

Thanks.

 

[edpdiver]

I am sure that you will get a million responses, and here are some of mine to get the ball rolling. I have similar constraints in my choice of destinations, incidentally, because my wife does not like dealing with much current.

1. Indonesia - Raja Ampat (best on liveaboard, but there are land-based options; not sure about snorkeling; season ends around April/May). There are currents, but the diveguides are good at picking the best spots. Best corals, manta rays, fish diversity, you name it.

2. Indonesia - Wakatobi, excellent diving. Not as good as Raja Ampat, but spectacular corals, walls, fish, eels, rays, etc. 3 dives a day. Snorkeling is good.

3. Indonesia - other; there are a lot of places I have not been, but are supposed to be excellent (e.g., Bunaken, Lembeh, Flores). You have been to some of these, so you already know about those.

4. Philippines - almost as good as Indonesia. Travel is definitely easier, and prices are typically much lower. I have only been to Bohol and Moalboal, and both were excellent. Health of reefs was great, and soft coral reefs are amazing. Great fish density and diversity, as well There are lots of other highly rated destinations I have not been to, including Dumaguete (high on my list), Puerto Galera, Anilao, and many others. Snorkeling is good at many of these spots.

I have my photos arranged by trip, so if you want to see what the diving is like, you might find it helpful. Here is a link to my sets on Flickr. Flickr sets arranged by trip

Good luck!
-Erwin

 

[viva1]

Thanks for your reply. I noticed that Palau is not even on your list for future diving. Any reason for that?

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Thanks for your reply. I noticed that Palau is not even on your list for future diving. Any reason for that?

Palau is only on MY future list because my wife enjoyed the diving there and I owe her a trip. Palau is just too busy for me. Sams and FnF each sent out many (full to capacity) boats every day, not to mention the other operators. Wasn't really uncommon to see six or more dive boats at the more popular sites. Sometimes it seemed like there were more divers than fish in the water.

That said, it looks to me like what you're looking for is Palau. I consider Palau to be a "must-dive" destination even with the crowds. And it really is great diving; there's some pretty awesome walls, sharks on every dive, mantas, napoleon wrasse, the works. If you want a really laid-back atmosphere and relaxed diving, head up to Yap for a few days also. But the airline schedule is tricky as you can only get in/out of Yap twice a week.

 

[edpdiver]

Actually, there are lots of places I would love to go to that I did not list, including Palau. However, Palau is not too high on my list because it seems that the best way to see it is by liveaboard, and they go to several dive sites with relatively strong currents, which is problematic for my wife. Still, it is someplace I would love to visit. I did not mention Truk (or Chuuk), which is another destination I would love to visit because I did not know if there would be decent snorkeling there. The Maldives are on my list, too, but currents are definitely a factor in choosing when to visit, from what I have heard. With all that said, Indonesia and the Philippines have great diving, and are relatively (emphasis on relatively) easy to reach, and have two full weeks of diving to choose from (making the long travel worthwhile by my calculation).

 

[Rhone Man]

Palau is definitely high on my list. I appreciate that the Philippines is a big country, but I was in Moalboal in November, and I didn't think it was all it had been cracked up to be. I have done Chuuk which is superb if you love wrecks. I hear great things about Fiji and Indonesia but have not done either.

 

[Deep Water Dan]

However, Palau is not too high on my list because it seems that the best way to see it is by liveaboard, and they go to several dive sites with relatively strong currents, which is problematic for my wife.

Not sure about the liveaboard thing. It is about a 45 minute boat ride out to the dive sites from the land based ops, but the trip through the Rock Islands is spectacular in itself and we enjoyed every one of them. Plus they stop for lunch on deserted islands which is way cool. If you dive with a land based op they will hook you up with whatever kind of diving you want.

 

[Magrone]

1. Palau for big stuff, BUT, there is current on many dives (which is why those dives are so good for big stuff )
2. Philippines for small stuff. I Just came back from Anilao, and as a macro photographer, I would say this is one of my favorite places to dive. Good coral. Lots of fish. EASY to get to.
3. I think the best overall diving is to be found in Indonesia with Raja Ampat, Komodo, Lembeh, Ambon, Bali, Alor, Wakatobi, on and on, BUT, harder to travel to, and current will be at the best locations. (Except Lembeh, but not much snorkeling there either)

 

[robint]

the current is part of what makes Palau so magnificent... it brings in all the fishlife and keeps the soft coral healthy. The dives are drift dives where the boat picks you up, no swimming against the currrent, too.

I have videos you might find interesting from our liveaboard trip (best way to do it if you can afford it).



[video]http://vimeo.com/album/18777/video/3506378[/video]




Palau - The Big Stuff, Dec 2007 on Vimeo
and many of the dives you use a reef hook, so you stay still in the current while the fishlife swims around.... really fun stuff, watch my video.

Snorkeling at Jellyfish Lake, Palau, Micronesia on Vimeo
and then there is jellyfish lake


robin