Questions...Trip to Palau/Yap

[Velour]

Hi.

I am currently planning a trip to Palau/Yap for November? this year. I have a friend who is newly certified and asking to come along, but I have been reading a lot about the current. Will any of the diving be ok for her? Should she not come along at all? I am comfortable with the conditions and the other 2 divers are experienced. I hate to tell her "no" but I would hate worse to bring her if it will be dangerous/no fun for her.

Also, as far as logistics- We have decided on Manta Ray Bay in Yap for a week, and are thinking of splitting Palau into both live-aboard and land diving. Any thoughts about the eclipse (sams tours)? Are there any other live-aboard options for <7 days (ideally 5 days) besides the eclipse? Finally, I will be flying from NJ- does Yap/Palau or Palau then Yap make more sense as far as flight connecitions?

Thanks for any help to my many many questions!
Monika

 

[PalauDiver]

There are certain dives in Palau, such as Blue Corner, that have tremendous current, but there are many other dives which are easy and enjoyable. I cannot speak for Yap, but I know in Palau there is great diving for all experience levels. I do not know much about liveaboards in Palau. Sam's Tours however is a great outfit with helpful and knowledgable staff.

Palau and Yap are only 1 hour 45 minutes apart by plane so the only consideration for which to hit first will probably be ticket cost, there is usually a difference, why?, your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Hi and welcome to the board. I just returned from a month in Yap, Palau and Chuuk on December 24th. We stayed at Manta Ray Bay in Yap and were in Palau for 15 days, 12 aboard the Eclipse. The Eclipse might be booked, but contact Sam's for more info.
There were just 2 of us on board the Eclipse and it was fantastic. John McReady is the captain and his wife Charlie is the DM and chef. The great thing about the Eclipse is that you can do anything you want. I liked to start the day with an early dive, about 6:30 AM, and since we were right at the dive site, or just a few, read maybe 10, minutes away it was no problem. We are both photographers so we could just dive at our own pace and wait for the light if we needed to. You would have a lot of fun with Charlie.
The food was fantastic, Charlie is a world class chef. We fished when we moved from site to site and had fresh sashimi every day. If you're hungry you can just grab a bite anytime. Dinners are usually 4 courses.
This is not a super luxury live aboard but more of a relaxed, cruising with some friends sort of trip. We made some life long friends in Charlie and John on that trip.
Mike Veitch is the Video and Camera pro at Manta Ray Bay. Terrific guy and he is also on this board. I liked Yap a lot and the people there, as in all of Micronesia, were terrific.
If you like, you could PM me and I could send along a few photos.
Dennis

 

[save-money-diving]

A dive site called Yap Caverns, at the southern tip of the island, offers a truly spectacular dive with an array of caverns....A unique feature of Yap Caverns is that the dive is not restricted to advanced divers, & beginners have no trouble negotiating the swim throughs. Therefore novices are able to share an experience of rare beauty otherwise reserved for more experienced divers. Take a look at http://www.usdivetravel.com/R-MantaRayBayYap.htm
check this out for discounted rates for palau live aboard & palau hotel with dive package

 

[Velour]

Thanks all!
Monika