Philippines, Palau, Yap--need acvice

[viva1]

We're planning a dive trip for May, 2013. Currently, we plan to spend 4 days on Yap , 5 days Palau (4 days diving) and 8 days split between Dumaguete/Bohol (7 days diving) in the Philippines. Due to the days that non-stop flights go between Palau and Manila, there is not much flexibiliy in the schedule.

I am wondering what people think about only having 4 days to dive in Palau? Is this just way too short, or will it be OK since we will have been at Yap and then go to the Philippines?

Thanks.

 

[Centrals]

4 days is certainly too short to dive Palau but if you want to cover three different places in such a short period of time. You have to compromise.
Stick to your original schedule. And if money is no object then a liveaboard in Palau.
If you really want to hear different opinion then:
Go to Yap and Palau on this trip ONLY and then to Philippines in the future but do try to allocate more time for it.

Have fun.

 

[absolutdiver]

4 dive days is plenty. You will be able to see enough in 4 days. You can do 3 dives a day there from the boat and some from the dock for mandarin fish. Your schedule looks good. Do you have to fly nonstop from Palau to Manila or is it easier to go through Guam?

 

[viva1]

I can fly through Guam, but the flight leaves Koror at 2:30 a.m. or something and there's a layover in Guam and it sounds miserable. The straight shot to Manila leaving at 8:50 p.m. is much more appealing.

I'm glad you think 4 days is enough in Palau. If we love it, we can return there another time. I wanted to get a taste of all 3 places, just in case we never get to go again, or if we do, we can go back to our favorite spot.

 

[Centrals]

You will definitely want to go back to Palau and Philippines again after this trip.
On the other hand you might want to sample Indonesia.
BTW, do consdier Malapascua over Bohol/Dumaguete! Just my opinion though.

 

[ocdiver1]

+1 on Malapascua over Bohol/Dumaguete. I think 4 days for Palau is too short...I'd personally ditch Yap and spend the extra time in Palau.

 

[altaskier]

I've been to both Palau and to Anilao in the Philippines. Palau has incredible variety: sharks, coral walls, mandarin fish, jellyfish lake, wrecks... Anilao has macro critters galore, plus muck dives with critters. Both are fantastic. Given that in a trip to Asia you might be a bit fuzzy for a day or three, my personal preference would be to spend 6-7 days in two places rather than 4 days each in three places. A liveaboard in Palau is great: check out the Ocean Hunter boats as well as the Agressor/Dancer boats. I did one of the Ocean Hunter boats and it was fantastic. In Anilao I stayed at Club Ocellaris, where the dive guides are really tuned into underwater photography.

 

[craracer]

I just got back from Palau and absolutely loved it. The more time there the better I say. Personally, I would skip Jellyfish Lake. Not that it isn't neat to see, but that it's a fair amount of work for a relatively short snorkel. I think time would be better spent boat diving or doing Sam's dock dive. There are a lot of neat critters to be found at the dock.

Here's a link to my photos for you. Not the best shots, but they'll give you an idea of what to expect:
https://picasaweb.google.com/yellod...&authkey=Gv1sRgCP-gvKeWk5qXOQ&feat=directlink

And a link to some video my mate took:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ohHWuEs-I&feature=g-all-s&context=G25e5de7FAAAAAAAAAAA