Palau & Yap - do they live up to the hype?

[underexposed]

I'm no world traveler but I loved Palau. I thought the reef was very healthy and there was a lot of life everywhere. WWII wrecks were also nice but the vis was not as good at those sites. I have not been to Yap but hear it's mostly about the Manta's.

 

[almitywife]

was in Yap in April and looks like we returning next year (July or Aug) as thats what hubby wants to do (i think Mike Veitch is part of the reason though )

loved Yap as for me it truely was a place where the world stopped and the fantastic accomodation and facilities were an added bonus.

diving - we went for the mantas, some days the vis was ok and some days it was great - the mantas were there and we were happy. diving down south the viz got better and the marine life greater and hubby looking forward to going back to spend more time diving those sites.

stayed at manta bay hotel and couldnt fault them at all, they were excellent

cheers

 

[silent running]

Thanks Andy. Where would you suggest for a quick land based trip?

Hi Dennis, you might have found out already that the airfares from the gateway cities are high-at least $1000 US. That's why I have never gone to PNG for less than 2 weeks, to make the airfare worth it. So as for quick, I guess you could just do your diving out of Moresby, there's lots of great land based diving there. I have dived with Loloatta twice and had very good experiences. But, they have a limited number of sites and the last time I was there, they didn't seem to want to go out very far, even in good weather. I think the many of best sites are out on the Papuan Barrier Reef, but it takes a while to get there. I have also heard good things about the other major dive op there, they have a red boat called Solotai, can't remember their name. No resort though, you'd have to stay at a hotel in town, no big deal.

Another option, the one I would take if I limited myself to Moresby, would be to do a trip on Golden Dawn to the Eastern Fields, a reef system about 90 miles from Moresby, some of the best diving in the world, lots of color and lots of big stuff. At the end of the trip the boat does some local sites around Moresby, the best of both worlds. But the minimum trip length is 10 days... not so quick, but you won't regret it and it will be a better value as compared to staying on land-more, better diving on a liveabord for only a little more money.

If you're willing to fly another leg to Kavieng, I would try Aquaventures. They are always looking for new sites, have a fast boat and seemed very nice when I met them. Kavieng has WW2 airplane, ship wrecks, some big stuff and critters, plus some great scenery. But overall you can't go wrong in PNG, just pick the place that goes with your time of travel as there's always good diving somewhere in such a big country.-Andy

 

[H2Obaby]

I guess we're off the track of Palau & Yap but the airfare to Port Moresby from Australia is less than US$1000 - funnily enough at the moment its cheaper to fly from Brisbane than Cairns, and this fare runs at AU$322 return.

 

[silent running]

I guess we're off the track of Palau & Yap but the airfare to Port Moresby from Australia is less than US$1000 - funnily enough at the moment its cheaper to fly from Brisbane than Cairns, and this fare runs at AU$322 return.

Wow, that's cheap, never heard it so cheap, thanks for the info. I'll have to check about deals to Aus from US. The 1000+ is what I usually get quoted from the non Aus gateways...

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

I like Palau - for big walls and large fish I'd rate Palau higher than most other well known asian wall sites (Sipadan, Bunaken etc). Theres also mantas, caverns and a few wreaks to keep things interesting.

Personally if I was flying to one site in Micronesia I'd go to Truk first: the wreaks are outstanding.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Thanks for the information silent running.

 

[Acrodog]

great thread. I'm planning a south pacific trip and this has been interesting to read.

 

[brilloNYC]

My wife and I were in Palua for 10 days diving this past August, we dove with Neco Marine. The dives were spectacular and we didn't even get to dive Blue Corner. The weather in August was not cooperative and strong winds kept us inside the reef for 4 days. But the wrecks and wall dives were still amazing (from nudis to reef sharks) and the people at Neco are some of the greatest people you can hope to meet.

 

[alijtaylor]

Andy,
Thanks for the info. PNG is top on the list, I'm hoping to go in August or Sept. to catch one of the highland shows too. Have you done any travel on land?

Hi H2Obaby
There are rumours around that the Goroka show may shift from September to July in 2007. No one knew for sure when I was there in September for this year's show but it is possible - check it out before you make any travel commitments based on that. I would thoroughly recommend a bit of land based travel in PNG, the show was a real spectacle. If I can make the time I'll do a short PNG land travel post..
Alison