trip report-- Tropic Dancer (Palau)

[jake11]

Hi everyone-- I'm glad my report was helpful! And stiffing on the tip was tough b/c the non-American staff were so great, and they needed the money the most-- I did write to the company, tho! Steve P, yes, the liveaboard definitely maximizes dives BUT (and other folks can chime in) b/c the good dives are so tide- and current-dependent having 5 dives a day locks you into a schedule where you aren't necessarily diving any of the sites at the right time. That said, some people have had great experiences on other liveaboards. W/Fish'n'Fins you get 2 dives a day, leaving 8:30-9AM, coming back usually 3-4ish, altho' we came back a little early when some people wanted 3. Something to know about F'n'F: if you want to do 3, you need other people to sign up, AND they'll usually come back to the shop to drop off the 2-tankers so your 3rd is always in the lagoon (i.e. bad vis, old wrecks, shallow).It's a 45 min/hour ride out to the sites and back, and with 2 tanks they basically hang out in-between to catch the best tide/current for the second, so the third dive is always pushed back. Maybe Sam's does a better job with letting you do 3? I'd ask whether the boat comes all the way back to the shop in-between 2 & 3.

We are headed to Palau at the end of Feb. and almost went on the Dancer boat. Your report confirms that we made a good decision to go land based and dive with Sams! Thanks!

 

[Steve P]

Hi everyone-- I'm glad my report was helpful! And stiffing on the tip was tough b/c the non-American staff were so great, and they needed the money the most-- I did write to the company, tho! Steve P, yes, the liveaboard definitely maximizes dives BUT (and other folks can chime in) b/c the good dives are so tide- and current-dependent having 5 dives a day locks you into a schedule where you aren't necessarily diving any of the sites at the right time. That said, some people have had great experiences on other liveaboards. W/Fish'n'Fins you get 2 dives a day, leaving 8:30-9AM, coming back usually 3-4ish, altho' we came back a little early when some people wanted 3. Something to know about F'n'F: if you want to do 3, you need other people to sign up, AND they'll usually come back to the shop to drop off the 2-tankers so your 3rd is always in the lagoon (i.e. bad vis, old wrecks, shallow).It's a 45 min/hour ride out to the sites and back, and with 2 tanks they basically hang out in-between to catch the best tide/current for the second, so the third dive is always pushed back. Maybe Sam's does a better job with letting you do 3? I'd ask whether the boat comes all the way back to the shop in-between 2 & 3.

2 dives per day won't cut it for me. Not after traveling half way around the world and associated costs. I am getting quotes from land based ops for 3 dive packages. However, I like the convenience of a live aboard and the choice to do 4 dives per day.

Sounds like the tide schedules are critical to best conditions. I checked and we will be in Palau just before and during full moon. Even if we had a better crew than backpacking diver I suspect schedules for all live aboards are similar so that could limit ability for best conditions. How do you determine when conditions are best? I assume incoming or outgoing tides means more current & more fish life.

 

[Shasta_man]

Wow, sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. As for the dream trip to Palau, that really sucked. Your report provides plenty of reasons why.

Just FYI, for those who may be interpreting liveaboard diving from this, this is not how most liveaboards operate, and liveaboards aren't limited on dives due to schedule. Like Fish n Fins, if they know what they are doing, it's a vastly different and positive experience. And it can be 5 dives a day. We anchored in German Channel and everything was within a few minutes skiff ride so we were on the sites before anyone else, then back to the boat to eat, repeat like you no doubt did on your other liveaboard trips. We did Blue Corner multiple times. This report proves again the value of a experienced crew. You can be in paradise but if you don't know how to read it, when and where to go, it's hit or miss.

Sorry again to hear what a poor experience you had.

 

[Doubler]

Why does the " dive supervisor" need to be present when doing your NITROX reading? On the Aggressor boats I've been on the Analyzer and log were on the table and it was up to the diver to analyze, log and sign no requirement for DM to be around. And I would have had a BIG problem paying for 26% vice the 32% you should have gotten. I've had a similar experience on the Kona Aggressor. Crew dynamics are a strange thing. In those cases I don't stiff them on the tip but rather hand the money directly to who deserve it instead of putting it in a group envelope.

 

[Doubler]

I am looking at two of the lesser known Palau liveaboards for my trip. The Eclipse and the Safari. Leaning towards the Safari as it will take just two. A little more expensive, not much more, your boat, your agenda. Dive right off the boat.

 

[supergaijin]

Reading that... I wonder how long the OP has been working at Fish’n’Fins?

Maybe I'm just tired (late night editing a snorkeling movie) but it does sound a little bit suss when the OP's first post is discrediting one company and openly advertising another.

 

[TSandM]

I'm sorry, but I think the degree of detail, and the care with which the OP praised the things he could, argue for a legitimate review. Thank you to the OP for it -- I don't know that I'll ever get to Palau, but it's nice to know some of the issues that have to be considered when planning a trip there. (This report also made me treasure, yet again, the liveaboards I've been lucky enough to be on, where the crew knew just where to put you, and helped make the trip fun.)

 

[theduckguru]

Is it a fair observation that the number of complaints about liveaboards is increasing? There seems to be a lot on complaints showing up here on SB.

 

[SoBay Jim]

Fish 'n Fins is a TOP of the line operation and provided me with among the best diving experiences I've ever had. Well worth the praise of the original post. As I remember, we were not limited to two dives per day. There were three tank options, night diving, etc. Contact them with questions, I found them very responsive to emailed questions prior to my trip.

 

[Shasta_man]

<<This report also made me treasure, yet again, the liveaboards I've been lucky enough to be on>>

You and me both. You find out that an experienced operation is not necessarily a given. Really a shame to hear abou this report as I've had good experiences on other Dancers.