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Tropic Dancer Captain’s Report: Jan 29 – Feb 7, 2012
Crew on Board: Captain Ike, 2nd Captain Andrew, Instructors – Ben, Jason and Stephen, Divemaster Jim, Chef Mani and Stewardess Len
Guest on Board: Edie, Todd, Carolyn, Kim, Herve, Ramna, Michael, Roxanne, Bernd, Ulrich, Terry, Louise, Kurt, Valerie, Manuel, Juan, Teresa and Carlos
Day one of this ten day charter, and we kick it off with unique sightings in uncommon areas. Our debut dive within the Helmet Wreck was a gold mine. Just outside the wreck, within the coral gardens, Herve finds a family of mandarin fish. Our divemaster Jim pointed out all sorts of macro delights such as the flagtail pipefish, and an abnormally large crocodile fish. For those who didn’t get the opportunity to see Herve’s mandarin fish we scheduled an encore presentation within the famous Mandarin Fish Lake. Just after sunset, you can observe these colorful creatures doing their mating rituals. They rub bellies as they make a brief accent from the coral reef.
Just before dawn early Tuesday morning, we make way to Ulong Island where we introduce our first showing of the outside reef within Ulong Channel. Laying home to pristine corals gardens and seemingly infinite visibility, the area of Ulong held a captive audience as we rode the current down the waterway. Ramna surfaced announced her “Fantastic” sighting. Bumphead Parrotfish schooling in a herd of roughly 120. This school can be seen throughout the Ulong area, it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Throughout the day, after every dive you could hear our guests say, “That was the best dive so far”.
This charter marks our very first sighting of schooling Moorish idols of the year. Moorish idols typically begin schooling in large masses once a year around the winter season. Our very first sighting was upon the beautiful corner of Shark City. Of course within “Shark City”, you can expect to find sharks of all kinds parading around the drop off looking for their next meal. The Moorish idols create a mass frenzy for our sharks, jacks, and Napoleon wrasse population. The schools of Moorish idols are still small, yet I hope that within due time the segregated schools will soon unite and flood our walls in the thousands. Later that night within Ngedebus Coral Gardens, we find the elusive cuttlefish. This cuttlefish is our second sighting of the season, yet the first for our charter.
What everyone loves about our ten-day charters is that it gives our guests the chance to dive Palau to its fullest extent. By popular demand we gave our guests a second and even a third encore presentation of some of Palau’s greatest dive sites. We witnessed the Moorish idols schooling from Peleliu Corner all the way up to Siaes Corner. Without a doubt, these are the days to dive Palau. From Moorish idols, orange spine surgeonfish, big nose unicorn fish and many more; these congregations swirl about upon our dive sites like oil and water. They mix and mesh upon the water column and eventually break away to reorganize themselves back into their gigantic cliques. It’s mating season for our sharks as well. Never have I ever seen so many sharks within my range of sight in just a few seconds. A “Legion of Sharks” as I overheard someone say after our Blue Holes dive. Whether it’s a seven-day, ten-day, or even a two week charter, there’s never a dull moment within these rock islands.
2nd Captain Andrew
Crew on Board: Captain Ike, 2nd Captain Andrew, Instructors – Ben, Jason and Stephen, Divemaster Jim, Chef Mani and Stewardess Len
Guest on Board: Edie, Todd, Carolyn, Kim, Herve, Ramna, Michael, Roxanne, Bernd, Ulrich, Terry, Louise, Kurt, Valerie, Manuel, Juan, Teresa and Carlos
Day one of this ten day charter, and we kick it off with unique sightings in uncommon areas. Our debut dive within the Helmet Wreck was a gold mine. Just outside the wreck, within the coral gardens, Herve finds a family of mandarin fish. Our divemaster Jim pointed out all sorts of macro delights such as the flagtail pipefish, and an abnormally large crocodile fish. For those who didn’t get the opportunity to see Herve’s mandarin fish we scheduled an encore presentation within the famous Mandarin Fish Lake. Just after sunset, you can observe these colorful creatures doing their mating rituals. They rub bellies as they make a brief accent from the coral reef.
Just before dawn early Tuesday morning, we make way to Ulong Island where we introduce our first showing of the outside reef within Ulong Channel. Laying home to pristine corals gardens and seemingly infinite visibility, the area of Ulong held a captive audience as we rode the current down the waterway. Ramna surfaced announced her “Fantastic” sighting. Bumphead Parrotfish schooling in a herd of roughly 120. This school can be seen throughout the Ulong area, it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Throughout the day, after every dive you could hear our guests say, “That was the best dive so far”.
This charter marks our very first sighting of schooling Moorish idols of the year. Moorish idols typically begin schooling in large masses once a year around the winter season. Our very first sighting was upon the beautiful corner of Shark City. Of course within “Shark City”, you can expect to find sharks of all kinds parading around the drop off looking for their next meal. The Moorish idols create a mass frenzy for our sharks, jacks, and Napoleon wrasse population. The schools of Moorish idols are still small, yet I hope that within due time the segregated schools will soon unite and flood our walls in the thousands. Later that night within Ngedebus Coral Gardens, we find the elusive cuttlefish. This cuttlefish is our second sighting of the season, yet the first for our charter.
What everyone loves about our ten-day charters is that it gives our guests the chance to dive Palau to its fullest extent. By popular demand we gave our guests a second and even a third encore presentation of some of Palau’s greatest dive sites. We witnessed the Moorish idols schooling from Peleliu Corner all the way up to Siaes Corner. Without a doubt, these are the days to dive Palau. From Moorish idols, orange spine surgeonfish, big nose unicorn fish and many more; these congregations swirl about upon our dive sites like oil and water. They mix and mesh upon the water column and eventually break away to reorganize themselves back into their gigantic cliques. It’s mating season for our sharks as well. Never have I ever seen so many sharks within my range of sight in just a few seconds. A “Legion of Sharks” as I overheard someone say after our Blue Holes dive. Whether it’s a seven-day, ten-day, or even a two week charter, there’s never a dull moment within these rock islands.
2nd Captain Andrew
