Question about Palau just out of personal curiosity

[Mantasscareme]

I have a quick question. I only have 15 logged dives and when I posted in a previous thread that I was interested in Palau, people had said that Palau was a bit much for a newbie and that Cozumel is generally a much better choice. Anyway, I've looked at some photos that have really piqued my interest in Palau again. I've read several reports that say it's not so bad if someone were to dive landbased and hire a private DM to go with them, plus I've contacted several Palau dive ops who had said that they safely deal with begginers all of the time. Thsi could just be good advertising of course. So, just out out of personal curiosity, how bad is it? Are there ripping currents everywhere 24/7, or are most of the sites (with the acception of maybe the blue corner, Peleliu, ect.) easy dives. Your opinion? Does this place really deserve it's reputation as advanced only, or does it have something for everyone? Also, was there any point in the diving where sharks or any other dangerous marine life became a threat? I'm looking for new dive destinations and while I've heard that Palau isn't most novice's first choice, it's still a destination I want to find out about.
Thanks, sorry for bugging once again
-Mantasscareme

 

[seafox69]

try to time your vacation around the middle of the lunar cycle, do not go when the moon is full and the tidal change is the greatest and the current is therefore the strongest and has the most water movement.

I have been to Palau multiple times, and while I am an extremely experienced diver(36 years, 6700 dives, PADI and NAUI Instructor actively teaching, and if you are athletic and keep your head on your shoulders you should not have a problem. The only concern would be that your air consumption rate as a new diver will force you to come up early at times. Just follow the DM or Instructor and tell them when you are getting low on air.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Plenty of easy dives, wall drifts, coral gardens, snorkelling Jellyfish Lake, toward the end of your stay you can tackle Blue COrner once your confidence is higher.
No the currents are not always ripping, sometimes we would dive B Corner and there was nothing, other times it was ripping. All depends on time of day, tides etc...

As for Sharks, they will not become a threat so get that out of your head right now unless you plan on spearfishing!

 

[Mantasscareme]

Thanks guys (thanks Mike Veitch for responding to every post I've made. I'm sorry that I have a tendancy to... uh.. repeat my questions, but being paranoid makes me not believe anything until it's been repeated 100 times, you'll just have to bear with me).

 

[RICHinNC]

Living on the west side of the USA I can understand your likelihood to dive further out that direction....as I tend to always dive the Carib or Dutch Antilles.....

but consider the longer plane ride and give Bonaire a shot. Bonaire is fantastic for divers of all levels. And, being primarily set up for shore diving.....you can get in as many dives as you can handle.

Just a thought.
Rich
ps....if you decide that route...give a yell...have a suggestion where to stay.

 

[divebuddy68]

I brought by gf to Palau in Feb. on the Aggressor. Just got certified and these were her first dives ever. She did every dive, including all the night dives, with no problem. Think we did 24 in total. She loved it.

 

[Mantasscareme]

Thanks for the imput. To RICHinNC- Considering that I'm really not into shore diving, is Bonaire really that much better than Cozumel and Turks and Caicos?

 

[thranx]

There are plenty of beautiful dive sites in Palau suitable for beginners, and as mentioned earlier, once your confidence level rises you can consider diving places like Blue Corner. Jellyfish Lake, by the way, is snorkeling only.