A Palau dive trip needs to be on every divers bucket list.   It is consistently rated one of the world’s top diving destinations for a good reason. The reefs of Palau are at a unique crossroads where 3 of the planet’s major ocean currents meet.  This marine ecosystem includes barrier reefs, fringing reefs, inner lagoons, sea-grass beds, marine lakes and mangrove forests.  Which is why over 1,500 species of fish and 700 species of coral lives here. The rushing currents and nutrient dense water host one of our planet’s most bio-diverse regions and supports more coral, fish, and invertebrates per unit area of marine habitat than any other place on Earth!

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Package Includes:

7 Nights at The Cove Resort, with an upgraded 2nd-floor room with balcony

5 Days 2 Tank Boat Diving, plus the dives below

Chandelier Cave Dive 

Jellyfish Lake Tour (or wreck dive if lake is not open)

Unique Dive Expedition – Full Moon Snapper Spawning

Specialty Kayak Tour – Tarzan Tour or Long Lake

Free Blue Corner PADI Specialty

NITROX

Unlimited Shore Diving at Sams Macro Wall

Free Rental Gear, if needed

Exclusions

Anything not specially mentioned above.  Dinners & lunch on non-diving days.  Government ocean use permits of $100, must be paid in cash, subject to change by local government, (this includes the Jellyfish Lake permit).  There is a $50 departure tax to be paid in cash at the airport upon leaving Palau.  Any rental gear fees will be paid directly to Sam’s.

Travel & Flight Considerations

USD is the currency in Palau.  No Visa required for US Citizens.  Passport must be valid for 6 months after the conclusion of the trip.  Outlets are US compatible.

Flights are a bit tricky to Palau as most of us will be dealing with an international date change and United flights out of Palau leave in the early am. The published dates of the trip are from these flights (Matt and Sheila’s) from Honolulu. If you want it to be easy, book these:
Depart HNL Sat 2:15 pm June 23rd United flight 201 via Gaum to Koror (ROR). This flight arrives Koror at 9:10 pm on the 24th of June
Return to HNL via Gaum on July 2nd 1:45 am United flight 158 (arrives back to HNL on Sunday, July 1st at 5:40 pm.

An additional consideration- The seven-night package checks us in on the 24th of June, but checkout is 1st of July at noon.  We are without a hotel for about 11 hours until we leave for the airport at 11 pm on the 1st of July.  You can book an extra day at the hotel, but out of the package price, it is $265/night for the room!

What we have done in the past:  Go ahead and check out and bring your bags to the lobby, the hotel will hold them.  This leaves a full day to do some additional exploring on the island, and if you want a shower before you leave, you can always use the locker room at Sam’s Tours.

Options for that day: go into town to shop, rent a car, (Sams’ can arrange for about $60), and drive to the north side of the island and do the waterfall hike, $10 entry last year. You can also do a self-guided kayaking tour around the local area, (we did this last year). Half day kayak rental single ($35) or double ($45).  It was good, good enough that this is what I’m likely doing it again this trip.

About the Expeditions 

The Unique Dive Expedition Full Moon Snapper spawning – We didn’t book this in advance last year and they were full. I was bummed, so it is part of the trip this time. What it means is that we will be getting up really early to be on the outside of the reef at dawn to dive during the spawning. While the spawning is likely to be cool, what really rocks is all the giant predators that show up to feed! The expedition dive is followed by 2 more dives on the outside reefs. *This upgrade is normally $110, but is included in this trip.

Specialty Kayak tour – We’ll decide on which of these we are doing (the group can split up if interests vary) while we are there. This happens on the first non-diving day. Kayaks are loaded up into boats and we take a ride to the best spots in the Rock islands. You spend the full day kayaking and snorkeling exploring the nooks and crannies of the Rock islands. *It is normally a $165 tour, but included in this trip package.

Educational Options- Nitrox: If you don’t have nitrox yet, you should get it. Nitrox is included in the package and we’ll all be on it all week. Talk to us, we offer it for $99 and can complete it in about 15 minutes in Palau after you do the online learning.

Blue Corner Specialty- The first time Sheila went to Palau she spent $175 on the Blue Corner Specialty, that price is down to FREE!.  You get some really neat information on fish behavior at Blue Corner (and this is one of our favorite dives). This is taught by the instructors at Sam’s Tours.

Wreck Diving Specialty with Matt. $495. Includes 3 wreck dives after the normal 2 tank dive in the morning. We come back to Sam’s, then go back out to the lagoons to explore some of the wrecks left over from when the US caught the Japanese fleet in Palau. You’ll need to show proof of at least one wreck dive from your Advanced class to book this (or we can do it in Honolulu). We will work on wreck history, underwater mapping,  underwater light communication for the overhead environment, using the reel as a safety line, tying off the line, and finally safely penetrating wrecks. Emergency procedures are also examined and practiced. You will need a primary light, a backup light, and a reel. Full exposure protection (from the sharp wreck) is also recommended (gloves, skin, etc). I can recommend, sell, and bring this to you in Palau if that makes it easier for you.

Palau

Palau is located 900 SW of Guam, 400 miles S of Yap, N of New Guinea and E of the Philippines at the Westernmost edge of Micronesia.  Surrounded by warm tropical waters, Palau has spectacular reefs, dramatic walls, caverns, channels and WWII wrecks making it a true diver’s paradise.  Topside brings you azure lagoons rimmed with white sandy beaches and rock islands topped with lush rainforests.  For such a tiny area of land, Palau has an extraordinary array of natural wonders.  This archipelago consists of nearly 200 largely pristine limestone and volcanic islands blanketed in emerald forest, surrounded by a shimmering turquoise lagoon.  It is no wonder that diving is the #1 activity in Palau with its truly world-class dive sites, exciting seascape, fascinating wrecks and stunningly diverse marine life.

If you like sharks (gray reef, blacktip, whitetip, occasional bull, leopard, hammerhead & silky), manta rays, pelagics, friendly giant Napoleon wrasse, schools of barracuda, bait balls, giant clams, anemones,  sea fans, soft and hard corals and tons of colorful tropical fish), Palau won’t let you down.  Wonderful dive sites await us with names like Blue Corner, Ulong Channel, Siaes Corner, Devil Fish City, Shark City, Virgin Blue Hole, Jake’s Seaplane and too many WWII wrecks to mention. ( Palau saw heavy fighting during WWII, including massive aerial bombardments of Koror Island, launched from fast carrier task forces, particularly during the assault and liberation of Peleliu Island by US Marines. Remnants of WWII are visible throughout Palau today including the huge fleet of ship and plane wrecks resting at the bottom of Palau’s inner lagoon.)

Sam’s Tours

Spacious and open, Sam’s faces the ocean with magnificent views of the Rock Islands. Cozy and welcoming, comfortable and relaxing, we always find ourselves kicking back and talking story at Sam’s after our dives. Perhaps with the local beer, Red Rooster, in hand.  Not only is Sam’s an award winning PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center, it’s an awesome place to hang out, eat and be merry. Sam’s makes every Palau dive trip a little better. Staff will go out of their way to help you or make things easy. Even if you are the last customer in the bar, you will get a cheerful ride back to your hotel.

Some perks of diving with Sam’s – Complimentary coffee, tea and safe filtered water available all day, secure guest gear locker, rental gear center, three separate freshwater rinse tanks for cameras, gear and wetsuits, restrooms with warm shower facilities and wireless internet access.  Sam’s picks up/drops off divers at the hotel.

• Arrive June 24th
• 2 Tank dive June 25th, optional exploration of Sam’s Macro Wall 3rd tank
• 3 Tank dive with Full Moon Expedition either the 26th or 27th
• 2 Tank dive another day
• 2 Tank dive June 28th, plus Chandelier Cave 3rd dive
• 2 Tank dive June 29th, followed by Jellyfish Lake tour or a wreck dive
• Kayak specialty tour on June 30th, all day
• Check out noon on the 1st, self-guided kayak, waterfall car rental, or town shopping.  Meet back at Sam’s (shower available) or The Cove at 10 pm to transfer to airport.

Option: the prepaid activities are over on the 30th, so if you want to leave early morning on the 1st you can book your flights that way.

Payments to Dive Travel Services

The Palau dive trip payment schedule: $500 to reserve a spot. $500 total due by April 23rd, 2018. Final $995, or full payment of $1,995 (or single occupancy full payment of $2,845) due by May 23rd, 2018.   All payments need to be made by check or cashier’s check to Dive Travel Service (not Island Divers). The best way to get that in our hands is mail to PO Box 30108 Honolulu HI 96820, though dropping off at a shop is an option.  If you want to pay by cash you need to make an appointment with Sheila Jordan at divetravel@islanddivershawaii.com  Payments are non-refundable for any reason.  That being said we will work with any resort or operator or airline to secure refund if possible.  Don’t count on this though, Dive Travel Services makes commitments based on trip payments, and once resorts have the have the money, getting it back is not very likely.  Get travel insurance from DAN!

Email Us

Information you should send to us

• Passport number – valid for 6 months after the last date of travel
• Date of Birth & Redress and Known Traveler numbers if applicable
• your contact phone & email as well as an emergency contact
• any food allergies or dietary restrictions
• your flight details

If you have sent this information for a previous trip, we have it.  Update as necessary.