April 2007
Most certified divers have heard about the diving in Truk (or Chuuk) and Palau (Belau) ranking high on the list of best destinations for scuba diving, and I was fortunate enough to experience these Pacific wonders of the underwater world. The average water temp 82-86 degrees which makes them the perfect place to visit all year round, (December – June being the most favorable times) August can offer more rainfall than other months. Currency is U.S. dollars, electricity is 110-volts and it is safe to drink the water.
I departed Orlando, Florida on Continental and made a connection in Houston, continued on to Honolulu followed by Guam and then onto Palau. I met the rest of the dive group en route.
Slightly over 2,000 tiny islands make up Micronesia (hence the name “micro”-nesia), Guam being the largest and the second largest being Babeldaob (where Palau’s international airport is located). Palau is located in the western-most area of Micronesian waters, just 7 degrees north of the equator. The surrounding boundaries would be Hawaii to the east, Philippines to the west, Japan to the north and the equator to the south.
Upon arrival we were greeted by the staff from Neco Marine who provided our transfers to the hotel and with whom we’d be diving for the week. The transfer from the airport to the hotel was a scenic 25 minute ride in an air-conditioned bus with the luggage not far behind. The Palau Pacific Resort (PPR) is beautifully landscaped with 64 acres of tropical gardens on the western shore Koror.
I loved everything about the resort especially the Elilai Spa by Mandara. The Spa Villas are built on an elevated area overlooking a private bay, the views from every angle of the hotel are breathtaking - Staying at PPR was a real treat!!
A particularly beautiful area of islands in Palau are called the “Rock Islands”. It is around these islands that most of the dive sites are located. Koror is the island where most of the hotels are located. Just seeing the topography cruising around the Rock Islands was amazing in itself.
Every morning Neco Marine would pick us up at the hotel dock. All of the equipment was set up, and lots of refreshments, lunch and towels were provided on board (we ordered lunch the day before). All we had to do was sit back, relax and enjoy the amazing scenery weaving through the Rock Islands on our way to the famous dive sites of Palau, such as Blue Corner. At this amazing site we hooked into the rock ledges and witnessed a feeding frenzy as the schools of fish gathering in the strong current were pursued (and nabbed!) sharks, tuna and other predatory pelagics. We also enjoyed Blue Hole, Turtle Cove, New Drop-Off, Dexter’s Wall and Chandelier Cave, just to name a few. It was even better than I had imagined!
Dive Permit fees are $35 USD per diver and include diving in the Rock Islands and snorkeling in famous “Jellyfish Lake”. Nitrox is available. The average ride is 45 minutes to the dive sites. Below are some pictures of Neco Marine’s boats. They also have a bar and grill on site called The Drop-Off which offers good food & reasonable prices.
One of the must-do’s is snorkeling at Jelly Fish Lake which is a huge lake filled with millions of non-stinging jellyfish. Other popular activities include kayaking around the Rock Islands, land tours, local museums (don’t miss the Etpison Museum!), tours of the famous World War II site of Peleliu, or just enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the beach or by the pool.
During our visit, we also visited The Carolines Resort which offer very quaint private bungalows situated on the side of a cliff with panoramic views. There’s no restaurant or bar on site but local restaurants will deliver food at no additional cost. It has a very romantic feel to it and is beautifully landscaped as well.
Another hotel we visited was the Cliffside Hotel. This hotel offers its own distinctive flair. The rooms are adequate. It has a bar overlooking the swimming pool and an interior dining room with a spectacular view.
Palau offers more then enough food options for people that like to venture out and explore. Taxis are very reasonable at approximately $5 USD each way for up to 5 passengers.
In the center of town we visited a budget property called the Desekel Hotel. They have a very reasonable nightly rate. It is within walking distance to local restaurants and it is perfect for singles or those with a smaller budget.
We visited Fish ‘N Fins Dive Shop, also home to the Ocean Hunter live-aboards, Palau’s premier live-aboard vessels. Ocean Hunter I is a 60’ sailing yacht offering a maximum of 6 passengers plus crew while the Ocean Hunter II is a 75’ motoryacht with a maximum of 12 passengers. They have earned a reputation for premium service and gourmet food. Unfortunately they were both out on charters so we only saw them from a distance when we were out diving. Fish ‘N Fins is a complete technical center, they offer Nitrox as well as Trimix and Rebreather support. Other live-aboard options in Palau include the Palau Aggressor, Big Blue Explorer and Eco Explorer which will arrive in Palau in September 2007. She will replace the Pacific Explorer, and will be used as a floating hotel and stationed near the German Channel.
When traveling to Palau, it’s recommended to take a second week and hop over to another amazing dive destination. Our trip included “Truk” or Chuuk. We departed Palau in the wee hours of the morning and flew to Truk by way of Guam. Upon arrival we were greeted by the staff of the Blue Lagoon Resort.
The bus transfer from the airport was about 25-30 minutes due to the road conditions. The streets are unpaved roads with potholes and there are locals selling their goods on the side of the road. I was amazed to see the way these people live compared to home. It really reminded me of how much we take for granted. It is always eye-opening to see how other cultures live. You cannot drink the water in Truk.
The Blue Lagoon Resort is located on Moen Island. The hotel is a moderate property - each room has a balcony with an ocean or garden view. They have an onsite restaurant with great food and a bar & dive shop on property as well. The rooms are air-conditioned but basic. The Blue Lagoon Dive Shop does offer Nitrox.
Many locals live on other islands such as Dublon. Eten Island is another island that was once a Japanese airstrip. On one of our surface intervals at Eten Island, we took our box lunches ashore and walked around a bit. We saw some buildings that were bombed out that were thought to be munitions housing and a headquarters building. Truk was the base to repair ships during the war as well as assemble airplanes.
Truk is world-famous for its wreck diving. It was an important World War II stronghold. On Feb. 16, 1944, the American fleet attacked Truk as part of “Operation Hailstone.” The objective was to destroy Japanese air opposition, establish air supremacy and to make the air field unusable by bombing runways and destroying the Japanese shipping fleet. This confrontation led to losses for the Japanese including 2 light cruisers, 4 destroyers, 3 subchasers, 1 motor torpedo, 1 armed merchant cruiser and 31 miscellaneous auxiliary ships. Total tonnage sunk over a period of 2 days was 220,000 tons. The Japanese lost between 250-275 aircraft which were destroyed or damaged. A 2nd attack was carried out on April 29, 1944 by U.S. Air Force B24’s and B-29 Bombers resulting in more Japanese ships and aircraft destroyed.
Truk is a volcanic island which has a lagoon that is 320 feet at its deepest point. There are 67 wrecks within Truk Lagoon – all with different types of artifacts such as saki bottles, toilets, phones, shoes, china, and even trucks inside freighters. Human remains can still be found on some of the wrecks. It was unreal to see all of these different things on each and every dive. The very best part was the extensive coral growth that has transformed these wrecks into spectacular reefs over the past 60+ years, so you get the best of both worlds.
Some of the names of the wrecks we dove were:
Fujikawa Maru (Maru meaning freighter):
Description: 6938 ton passenger cargo ship, sunk upright
Depth: 40-110 ft
Sankisan Maru
Description: 4,776 ton Cargo ship sunk upright in 2 sections. Forward section is between 50-90 ft and the stern section is between 135-150 ft – the cargo includes trucks, munitions, aircraft engines & parts
Depth: 50-150 ft
Heian Maru
Description: Truk’s largest wreck, 11,614 ton submarine tender, 350 feet long, sunk on port side – torpedos in special converted hold forward, periscope in companion way
Depth: 35-110 ft
Shinkoku Maru
Description: 10,020 ton Naval Tanker 500 ft long, with easy penetration with interesting engine room
Depth: 40-120 ft
Fumisuki
Description: 1,913 ton Mutsuki Class Destroyer sunk upright with list to port, intact – interesting guns, torpedo tubes & depth charge gear
Depth: 110-140 ft
Yamagiri Maru
Description: 6,438 ton passenger cargo ship on its port side. Huge Naval artillery shells in #4 hold
Depth: 40-100 ft
San Francisco Maru
Description: one of the deepest wrecks, 5,831 ton passenger cargo ship sunk upright loaded with cargo including trucks, tanks, mines, torpedos, bombs, artillery & anti aircraft munitions, aircraft engines & parts
Depth: 14-210 ft
There is no mooring system in Truk. The dive guides take land sites and that is how they know where the wreck is. An anchor is thrown out for each dive on the dive site with no mooring system which was disturbing... Trips to the dive site are an average of 20 minutes each way from the resort.
We also visited the Truk Odyssey live-aboard. Their tender picked us up and took us to the boat – we did a site inspection of the boat/dive deck/salon & cabins. The cabins are spacious with their own TVs & DVD players, private baths, individual thermostats and tastefully decorated. The boat offers Nitrox and departs every Sunday. All the dives are done in Truk Lagoon.
We saw the SS Thorfinn live-aboard as well. This boat is a little more moderate without the large dive deck like on the Truk Odyssey but they have very nice tender/dive boats. Most of the cabins have private baths and there is a lounge area with a 44” HD Plasma TV, central air-conditioning on board and Nitrox is available. This live-aboard also remains in Truk Lagoon.
I had a fabulous time in Micronesia - I can’t wait to go back and explore more islands in that area!
Amy Garrow
Caradonna Dive Adventures