hallboy
Contributor
Almost everything has been said about Palau, so don' t expect too much of that trip report about diving ( nothin unusual: 2 blue marlins, 1 leopard shark; 1 eagle spotted ray ( no manta: if someone could tell me when is REALLY the manta season....??? ) 20 Bumped parrotfishes, 20 turtles, a little bit more Napoleons than that, 200 sharks? ( including maybe 50 grey passing slowly one after the other at Peleliu express? a WALL of blue lined brass; a WALL of trevallyes + giant trevallies and some dogtooth tunas; schools of trevallies; schools of barraccudas ( 3 kind of differents baracudas on the same dive ) + all the usal reef life : groupers, angelfishes, anthias, trigerrfishes by thousands etc etc + 1 leaf fish ( but i don't care much about leaffishes )
So: 7 days. 18 dives . 1000$
Dive op: Maml divers: 6 days 3 dives a day: 120 $ - 20% : 576 £ ( + 25 $ fee permit to Koror & Peleliu. There is some materiel to rent but mostly in a mid condition: the dive op work quite all the time with japanese people used to dive with their own equipment. In fact i was the only non japanese customer, but i ve been so often the only french customer..... The Japanese DM was OK, but with a limited english. Not really a problem; i just get along better with Ken ( another DM, Paluan this one, that run the whole thing one day and was there 3 others ).
Being based in Koror and Pelieu Mamal divers let you organise yourself to enjoy all the divesites, but i recommend to stay the last night before the last diving day in Koror and insist heavily in advance to be sure that way to do sites like Ulong channel or Siaes corner, sites that they not really want to do from Peleliu.( lucky me i did dove them, choosing the right person and the right moment for tipping )
by the way :Hotel in koror, New koror hotel: 35$ ( A/C hot water, small fridg in the room ) along the road, in the so called downtown. Clean and not exactly romantic.
I made all my dives from Peleliu ( diving is a litlle bit cheaper from there ) and stayed at Muyamis inn : 50 $ a day including food water and coffe at diposal, A/C; shared bathroom with hot water but all that Japanese clean ( compare to any liveaboard ) the food was good and as at the same time there was fishermen we get a lot of fresh shashimi and some crab as bonus.
It seems that i should have pay fror transfer, but they did not ask for. You can also make the Jelly fish on the way back to koror for 27 $ but i did not: there were other people in the boat and i don' t know if they would have take much pleasure to wait for me playing around with jelly-o; more accurate, i got a tank in the morning on my big toe wich turn immediatly into a nice and dark purple and doubled of size. As i m a lucky guy, it was not broken and with some aspirin and cortisone in the first minute, i could dive, and even finning with my both legs sometimes
Well, you kow most of the story now,
but, if i come again with my kids or 2 or 3 friends, i will:
a/ choose the manta season
b/charter the Eclipse
So: 7 days. 18 dives . 1000$
Dive op: Maml divers: 6 days 3 dives a day: 120 $ - 20% : 576 £ ( + 25 $ fee permit to Koror & Peleliu. There is some materiel to rent but mostly in a mid condition: the dive op work quite all the time with japanese people used to dive with their own equipment. In fact i was the only non japanese customer, but i ve been so often the only french customer..... The Japanese DM was OK, but with a limited english. Not really a problem; i just get along better with Ken ( another DM, Paluan this one, that run the whole thing one day and was there 3 others ).
Being based in Koror and Pelieu Mamal divers let you organise yourself to enjoy all the divesites, but i recommend to stay the last night before the last diving day in Koror and insist heavily in advance to be sure that way to do sites like Ulong channel or Siaes corner, sites that they not really want to do from Peleliu.( lucky me i did dove them, choosing the right person and the right moment for tipping )
by the way :Hotel in koror, New koror hotel: 35$ ( A/C hot water, small fridg in the room ) along the road, in the so called downtown. Clean and not exactly romantic.
I made all my dives from Peleliu ( diving is a litlle bit cheaper from there ) and stayed at Muyamis inn : 50 $ a day including food water and coffe at diposal, A/C; shared bathroom with hot water but all that Japanese clean ( compare to any liveaboard ) the food was good and as at the same time there was fishermen we get a lot of fresh shashimi and some crab as bonus.
It seems that i should have pay fror transfer, but they did not ask for. You can also make the Jelly fish on the way back to koror for 27 $ but i did not: there were other people in the boat and i don' t know if they would have take much pleasure to wait for me playing around with jelly-o; more accurate, i got a tank in the morning on my big toe wich turn immediatly into a nice and dark purple and doubled of size. As i m a lucky guy, it was not broken and with some aspirin and cortisone in the first minute, i could dive, and even finning with my both legs sometimes
Well, you kow most of the story now,
but, if i come again with my kids or 2 or 3 friends, i will:
a/ choose the manta season
b/charter the Eclipse
