I spend about 10 days diving Palalu and Peleliu, mostly Peleliu. Here are my terse observations.
Wetsuit: in February most people wear full 3mm. I used a 1mm skin plus 2
mm shorty - felt warm, only couple shivers on strong-current dives. Because of
strong currents and frequent hooking to reefs, you will often bump into stones and
coral; thus some wetsuit or at least a dive skin for protection are important.
Equipment for safety: because some dives feature dangerous currents (e.g
southern Pelelui where a group of Japanese divers died after being swept
into the open ocean), carry big sausage, folding snorkel (not a regular one because
currents will pull on it, but the one you can fold and put into BC pocket),
electric night strobe, pressure-powered horn. Carry at least one glove, to
better grab stones in high currents.
Opinions on alternative sites: I asked a few divers I met in Palalu what diving destinations they would rate higher than Palalu. Some prefer Philippines (twice cheaper, nicer, more variety), some say Indonesia and Thailand (more colorful reef and small life). Sabadan (sp?) was recommended.
About budget lodging in Palau. Hotel Lehns is an older 3-storey inn in a humble part of town, not much of a view. 5-10 min walk to the main street and shopping. Worn, shubby, but serviceable rooms, adequate a/c, hot showers, cable TV. Room w/ 2 beds (queen and double) with fridge but no kitchen - $45; 2 bedroom apartment with kitchen - $85, discount may be given. Pleasant sitting and coffee area, a small shop.
West Plaza hotels are of higher quality and price than Lehns, but still budget. Two of
them - "by the sea" and "reef" even have an ocean view, are on the water, 5-10 min walk from the main street.
Groceries in Palau: I saw at least two small supermarkets with the usual US-like assortment of US-made foods.
Peleliu: 7 miles long island, two docks (north and south points), couple days worth
of hiking the sites and (well-marked by red and white concrete markers)
trails of WW2. 500 population, of whom about 60 are Filipinos. Small village
(about 500 m radius) 10 min walk from north dock. The rest is empty: dense
jungles, sharp coral hills. Mostly very shabby huts, but some well kept
concrete houses. Reliable electricity and drinking water. Very friendly
natives are laid back, most work and business is done by Filipinos. Several
neatly kept churches and noticeable piety of the folks, as is a drug
problem, esp. over-use of betel nut. Couple small stores sell basic
products. Sizeable elementary school and athletic field. One storey building
of Peleliu state governor and local legislature. Couple paved roads and many
dirt roads. Good Palau-wide phone connection. Use pre-paid cards (sold in
stores) to call international. Internet only in the home of local speaker of
legislature (he goes by Des), $3 for 30 min, an extremely slow dial up.
How to compare Peleliu vs Koror? Peleliu diving tends toward nearby sites, with less variety,
few trips to more northern sites like Ulong channel. But Peleliu offers short boat rides, unlike Koror. Peleliu boat often comes back to dock for surface interval. Koror boats(according to some
experienced Japanese divers who tried both Koror and Peleliu, and prefer Peleliu) have to hurry
the dives in order to squeeze 3 dives and long rides between 9am and 4:30pm.
Japanese tend to buy 3 dives/day, and they dominate the diving scene. So a 2-dive/day diver
must sit on the boat 2 additional boring hours, waiting while the other divers go thru the second surface
interval and 3rd dive. Peleliu boats usually avoid this by doing 2 "far
side" dives, then coming back to Peleliu dock where 2-dives divers can end
the day, and 3-dives divers can have a third local dive.
MAML Dive shop: the cheapest, budget operation on Palau (with discount, $45/dive from Koror, $40/dive from Peleliu. Koror shop of MAML is adequately appointed, runs 3
boats, one even has a head.
Peleliu shop of MAML is under-equipped, marginally
maintained, shabby; runs 2 boats. 5 staff (2 dive-masters, 2 captains, 1
assistant) for up to 25 divers (up to 75 dives a day). Lack of firm procedures and
rules, rudimentary pre-dive briefs, no spares on board, little to rent, no
tank hanging at 15 ft, many dives end beyond NDL. One boat had
malfunctioning fuel pump for at least a week, but the captain managed OK.
Japanese box
lunches are served after the second dive, generous portions. Tanks are filled generously - 3500 psi is typical. Dive-masters are very hard-working, try to shepard the divers, to accommodate and to help. They also tend to provide all kind of general help for the divers as they stay on Peleliu. Overall - adequate budget diving operation.
What to do when there is no head (toilet) on the boat? Without a head and given
4-hour or longer trips, the system for meeting the biological needs is this: during the surface interval, divers in wet
suits jump in the water, remove (and hold, for the sake of bouyancy) the suits, and do the elimination. Japanese ladies often hold by the ladder while doing the deed.
Peleliu dives: the best sites are Peleliu Corners and Peleliu Express. You
drift along the wall toward the southrn tip of Peleliu (beyond which is the open
ocean), hook yourself to the reef, watch sharks, then exit. Currents are
often very strong. The topography and currents almost always result in
exceeding NDL and in about 10 min decompression. If current sweeps you into
the open ocean-tough. Use sausage and pray that your boat or the rescue will
find you before the night fall.
Peleliu lodging: Island Terrace has 6 nice rooms ($65/night), large, 2 queen
beds, clean, newish, fridge, adequate a/c, hot water, shared and fully
equipped kitchen, shared terrace space with table and chairs, rinsing tank
and drying shed. No ocean view, but much greenery around. Island View (run
by MAML) has nice ocean views, but rooms ($65/night) are older, worn.
Dolphin Bay is a neat, well-appointed resort, bungalows on the beach, a/c,
about a mile from the village, more expensive, was all booked. Storyboard is
a set of older, more rustic bungalows on the beach, 2 are with a/c, others
with fans, $70/night, was almost empty. Couple small, cheaper ($25/night ?)
inns are available thru MAML or Peleliu Adventures. Carp Island is couple
miles from Peleliu, eco-resort (no a/c, fans), all booked.
Peleliu dive shops: besides MAML (described above), Peleliu Adventures is active, with
good-looking shop. Also, Day Dream seems to operate? All are affiliated with
a lodging, but take divers from any inn.
Peleliu eateries: Yellow Wall Restaurant is run by MAML, a one room shack
with one long table; essentially a family meal of reasonable quality. Storyboard
offers breakfast ($8) and dinner, $13; reportedly tasty; reservation is
probably required as they cook for very few customers.
Wetsuit: in February most people wear full 3mm. I used a 1mm skin plus 2
mm shorty - felt warm, only couple shivers on strong-current dives. Because of
strong currents and frequent hooking to reefs, you will often bump into stones and
coral; thus some wetsuit or at least a dive skin for protection are important.
Equipment for safety: because some dives feature dangerous currents (e.g
southern Pelelui where a group of Japanese divers died after being swept
into the open ocean), carry big sausage, folding snorkel (not a regular one because
currents will pull on it, but the one you can fold and put into BC pocket),
electric night strobe, pressure-powered horn. Carry at least one glove, to
better grab stones in high currents.
Opinions on alternative sites: I asked a few divers I met in Palalu what diving destinations they would rate higher than Palalu. Some prefer Philippines (twice cheaper, nicer, more variety), some say Indonesia and Thailand (more colorful reef and small life). Sabadan (sp?) was recommended.
About budget lodging in Palau. Hotel Lehns is an older 3-storey inn in a humble part of town, not much of a view. 5-10 min walk to the main street and shopping. Worn, shubby, but serviceable rooms, adequate a/c, hot showers, cable TV. Room w/ 2 beds (queen and double) with fridge but no kitchen - $45; 2 bedroom apartment with kitchen - $85, discount may be given. Pleasant sitting and coffee area, a small shop.
West Plaza hotels are of higher quality and price than Lehns, but still budget. Two of
them - "by the sea" and "reef" even have an ocean view, are on the water, 5-10 min walk from the main street.
Groceries in Palau: I saw at least two small supermarkets with the usual US-like assortment of US-made foods.
Peleliu: 7 miles long island, two docks (north and south points), couple days worth
of hiking the sites and (well-marked by red and white concrete markers)
trails of WW2. 500 population, of whom about 60 are Filipinos. Small village
(about 500 m radius) 10 min walk from north dock. The rest is empty: dense
jungles, sharp coral hills. Mostly very shabby huts, but some well kept
concrete houses. Reliable electricity and drinking water. Very friendly
natives are laid back, most work and business is done by Filipinos. Several
neatly kept churches and noticeable piety of the folks, as is a drug
problem, esp. over-use of betel nut. Couple small stores sell basic
products. Sizeable elementary school and athletic field. One storey building
of Peleliu state governor and local legislature. Couple paved roads and many
dirt roads. Good Palau-wide phone connection. Use pre-paid cards (sold in
stores) to call international. Internet only in the home of local speaker of
legislature (he goes by Des), $3 for 30 min, an extremely slow dial up.
How to compare Peleliu vs Koror? Peleliu diving tends toward nearby sites, with less variety,
few trips to more northern sites like Ulong channel. But Peleliu offers short boat rides, unlike Koror. Peleliu boat often comes back to dock for surface interval. Koror boats(according to some
experienced Japanese divers who tried both Koror and Peleliu, and prefer Peleliu) have to hurry
the dives in order to squeeze 3 dives and long rides between 9am and 4:30pm.
Japanese tend to buy 3 dives/day, and they dominate the diving scene. So a 2-dive/day diver
must sit on the boat 2 additional boring hours, waiting while the other divers go thru the second surface
interval and 3rd dive. Peleliu boats usually avoid this by doing 2 "far
side" dives, then coming back to Peleliu dock where 2-dives divers can end
the day, and 3-dives divers can have a third local dive.
MAML Dive shop: the cheapest, budget operation on Palau (with discount, $45/dive from Koror, $40/dive from Peleliu. Koror shop of MAML is adequately appointed, runs 3
boats, one even has a head.
Peleliu shop of MAML is under-equipped, marginally
maintained, shabby; runs 2 boats. 5 staff (2 dive-masters, 2 captains, 1
assistant) for up to 25 divers (up to 75 dives a day). Lack of firm procedures and
rules, rudimentary pre-dive briefs, no spares on board, little to rent, no
tank hanging at 15 ft, many dives end beyond NDL. One boat had
malfunctioning fuel pump for at least a week, but the captain managed OK.
Japanese box
lunches are served after the second dive, generous portions. Tanks are filled generously - 3500 psi is typical. Dive-masters are very hard-working, try to shepard the divers, to accommodate and to help. They also tend to provide all kind of general help for the divers as they stay on Peleliu. Overall - adequate budget diving operation.
What to do when there is no head (toilet) on the boat? Without a head and given
4-hour or longer trips, the system for meeting the biological needs is this: during the surface interval, divers in wet
suits jump in the water, remove (and hold, for the sake of bouyancy) the suits, and do the elimination. Japanese ladies often hold by the ladder while doing the deed.
Peleliu dives: the best sites are Peleliu Corners and Peleliu Express. You
drift along the wall toward the southrn tip of Peleliu (beyond which is the open
ocean), hook yourself to the reef, watch sharks, then exit. Currents are
often very strong. The topography and currents almost always result in
exceeding NDL and in about 10 min decompression. If current sweeps you into
the open ocean-tough. Use sausage and pray that your boat or the rescue will
find you before the night fall.
Peleliu lodging: Island Terrace has 6 nice rooms ($65/night), large, 2 queen
beds, clean, newish, fridge, adequate a/c, hot water, shared and fully
equipped kitchen, shared terrace space with table and chairs, rinsing tank
and drying shed. No ocean view, but much greenery around. Island View (run
by MAML) has nice ocean views, but rooms ($65/night) are older, worn.
Dolphin Bay is a neat, well-appointed resort, bungalows on the beach, a/c,
about a mile from the village, more expensive, was all booked. Storyboard is
a set of older, more rustic bungalows on the beach, 2 are with a/c, others
with fans, $70/night, was almost empty. Couple small, cheaper ($25/night ?)
inns are available thru MAML or Peleliu Adventures. Carp Island is couple
miles from Peleliu, eco-resort (no a/c, fans), all booked.
Peleliu dive shops: besides MAML (described above), Peleliu Adventures is active, with
good-looking shop. Also, Day Dream seems to operate? All are affiliated with
a lodging, but take divers from any inn.
Peleliu eateries: Yellow Wall Restaurant is run by MAML, a one room shack
with one long table; essentially a family meal of reasonable quality. Storyboard
offers breakfast ($8) and dinner, $13; reportedly tasty; reservation is
probably required as they cook for very few customers.
