Tardy Trip Report - Palau Siren, March 23-30

[Scubagolf]

This was supposed to be a two destination report for a two week trip with our LDS to Palau and Yap.

The good news is we spent the first week on the Palau Siren and had a fantastic week of sailing and diving. The Siren is truly a first class live-aboard. Everything from the cabins to the food to, of course, the DIVING was top drawer. The crew was fantastic. We DEFINITELY recommend the Palau Siren, and we will no doubt do another week at a different destination on another Siren.

The bad news is we flew to the Manta Ray Bay Hotel on Yap for the second week, and on the second day my wife misstepped coming down from dinner on stairs and broke her ankle. End of Trip...for the two of us. DAN stepped up big time and flew us back the next day on DAN's nickel. We also had trip interruption insurance.

Below is a photo of the Palau Siren and the digital dive log for our week provided by DM Megan.




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[TD]Palau Siren
March 23rd - March 30th, 2013[/TD]
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#	Date	Location	Site name	Vis	Current	Marine life
1	24 Mar	Malakal Harbor	Haf Adai (Wreck)	10 m	None	Crinoid shrimps, boxer shrimps, flabellinas (serpent pteraeolidia), crown of thorns, banded pipefish
2	24 Mar	Ulong Island	Siaes Tunnel	12 m	None	Hawksbill & green turtles, jacks, giant moray, warty nudibranchs, bumphead parrotfish
3	24 Mar	Ulong Island	Ulong Channel	12 m	Mild	Giant clams, grey Reef Sharks, White Tip Reef Sharks, Huge lettuce coral formations, Regal Angelfish, black snapper, Yellow Margin Triggerfish, Napoleon Wrasse, Titan Triggerfish, flatworm, moorish idols, batfish, serene neon slug
4	24 Mar	Ulong Island	Sandy Bar Night Dive	12 m	Mild	Juvenile Warty Frogfish, Chevron Barracuda, Walking Feather Stars, Warty Sea Slugs, tiny nudi, juvenile midnight snapper (b/w american flag fish), huge marble shrimp
5	25 Mar	Ulong Island	Shark City	20 m	Mild	Grey Reef Sharks, White Tip Reef Sharks, huge schools of: yellowfin & blackfin Barracuda, giant trevally, humpback, Midnight & black snappers, lunar & striped fusiliers, red tooth triggerfish. Hawksbill turtle, bumphead parrotfish, napoleons, spawning orangeband surgeonfish
6	25 Mar	Ulong Island	Siaes Corner	15 m	Mild	Grey Reef Sharks (many juvenile!!), white tips, dogtooth tuna, Midnight Snappers, blackfin barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon Wrasse, Titan Triggerfish, map pufferfish, pyramid butterflyfish
7	25 Mar	Ngemelis Island/2 Dog Beach Mooring	German Channel	12m	Mild	MANTAS!!!! Grey reefs, blue trevally, huge school of longnose unicornfish, massive baitball
8	25 Mar	Ngemelis Island/2 Dog Beach Mooring	Big Drop Off (Night Dive)	20 m	Mild	White Tip Reef Shark, grouper, coral & decorator crabs, flatworms, leaf fish, banded boxer shrimp, spearing mantis shrimp, swimming/hunting giant moray
9	26 Mar	Ngemelis Island/2 Dog Beach Mooring	Blue Corner	20 m	Mild	Harlequin Sweetlips, Yellowfin & great Barracuda, Schooling Jacks, Hawksbill Turtle, Anemone Fish w/eggs, Flame Anthias, Grey Reef Sharks, Whitetip Reef Sharks, Bumphead parrotfish, pink & brown leaf scorpionfish, dogtooth tunas, napoleons – curious & hunting w/giant trevally, garden eels, giant moray, Vlaming’s doctorfish
#	Date	Location	Site name	Vis	Current	Marine life
	26 Mar	Rock Islands	Jellyfish Lake			Jellyfish (Mestigias papua etpisoni) , Cardinal fish, White anemone (eating Jellies), sardines
10	26 Mar	Ngemelis Island/2 Dog Beach Mooring	New Drop Off	10 m	Mild	Whitecap shrimpgoby, remora (sharksucker)! White tips, grey reefs, farting yellowfin barracuda, spawning black snapper, napoleons, bumphead parrotfish, turtles, starry flatworm
11	26 Mar	Outer Mooring / German Channel	Barnum’s Wall (Night Dive)	10 m	Mild	Banded boxer shrimp, marble shrimp, crabs
12	27 Mar	Outer Mooring / German Channel	Blue Holes >Blue Corner	20 m	Mild	Juvenile hawksbill turtle, Green Turtle, Pink Anemone Fish, Clarks Anemone Fish, Grey Reef Sharks, crinoid commensal shrimp, Disco Clams, Schooling Jacks, White Tip Reef Sharkshunting w/Giant Trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, vlaming’s doctorfish, humpback snappers
13	27 Mar	Outer Mooring / German Channel	Virgin Blue Hole	20 m	Mild	Leopard shark w/juvenile giant trevally!!! Turtle, pyramid Butterfly Fish, ‘much-desired flabellina’ (Flabelline exoptata), warty nudi
14	27 Mar	Outer Mooring / German Channel	Turtle Cove	20 m	None	Nembrotha cristata nudibranchs, elegant squat lobsters in crinoid, disco clams in cavern, black snappers, giant & blue trevally, pyramid butterflyfish, red tooth triggerfish, sea pearls
15	27 Mar	Outer Mooring / German Channel	German Channel	15 m	None	Mantas!! Hunting grey reefs & white tips w/giant & blue trevally, massive dogtooth tuna, school of jacks, cuttlefish, peacock mantis shrimp
16	28 Mar	Peleliu	Peleliu Cut	20 m	Strong	Schooling Bumphead Parrotfish, Grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, black & midnight snapper, red tooth triggerfish
17	28 Mar	Peleliu	Orange Beach	10 m	Mild	Dogtooth Tuna, Barracudas, Grey Reef Shark, Midnight Snapper, Schooling Jacks, Schooling Black Snapper
	28 Mar	Peleliu Island	Peleliu Land Tour			1000 Man Cave,Japanase Machine Gun Post, WWII Museum, Peleliu Airfield, Orange Beach & 81st Infantry Memorial, Japanese & American Tanks & Anti-Boat Gun on hill, LBT4- Armored Landing Craft, LBTa4- Landing craft w/ Flame Thrower, Sniper Caves, Japanese Power Plant & Headquarters, Japanese Bunker.
18	28 Mar	Outer Mooring / German Channel	German Channel	10m	None	Manta!! Whitetip Reef Shark, Dogtooth Tuna, mystery nudi/flatworm, grand pleurobranchus, elegant squat lobsters in crinoids, sea cucumbers
19	29 Mar	Rock Islands	Iro Maru Wreck	10 m	None	Cuttlefish, chromodoris & flabellina nudibranchs, juvenile giant trevally
20	29 Mar	Malakal Harbor	Short Drop-Off	10m	None	Nautilus, Cuttlefish, Crocodilefish, Grey Reef Shark, White Tip Reef Shark, School of Oriental Sweetlips
#	Date	Location	Site name	Vis	Current	Marine life
21	29 Mar	Malakal Harbor	Chandelier Cave	10 m	None	Limestone cave with stalactites and four air pockets, squirrelfish. Aaaand...on our way out we saw the light at the end of the tunnel J
22	29 Mar	Malakal Harbor	Sam’s Wall	7m	None	Ringed & Banded Pipefish, Mandarinfish mating, Shrimps, decorator crab, decorator urchin, bristle-tailed filefish, nudibranch

 

[kneptoon]

Great report thanks much for sharing.

 

[Worldwide Dive and Sail]

Hi ScubaGolf

Thanks for your great comments on the Palau Siren, we are thrilled you and your group had a wonderful time on board and in Palau. But very sorry to learn that your wife broke her ankle in Yap- we trust she is well mended and you are both safe & well now.

With best wishes from all at the Siren Fleet

 

[soundfield]

Thanks for the helpful input and information; it's very much appreciated. The Siren it is, wow am I looking forward to this "bucket list" trip of a lifetime! Tick-Tock....

 

[nudisusie]

I went in 2012 and the trip was fabulous so i'm sure you won't regret your decision. Just saw on their facebook page that there's 10% discount for trips until 31st Dec 2015 too ;-)