Dive Review of
Peleliu Divers/Storyboard in
Micronesia/Palau

Fiji, Turniffe Atoll, Roatan, Curacao

Dive Conditions

NONE  

[None]  

Overall Rating

Peleliu divers is a great option if 1) you don’t want to do a
live-aboard, you want to get your feet on solid ground at the end of the
day 2) you don’t want to be cooped up in a small hotel room in
Koror 3) you don’t want to spend the money and be
institutionalized at the PPR or Carp Island 4) you prefer a nice quiet spot
all to yourself 5) you don’t want long boat rides to the dive
spots 6) you would like to get away from other boisterous Americans 7) you
would like to get a small sampling of the local customs and culture 8) you
don’t mind two dives a day and relaxing the rest of the day 9)you
want to go all that way and spend two weeks but yet you still have to stay
with in your budget 10) you don’t mind an informal dive
operation. Godwin Sadoa is the owner/manager of Peleliu divers. A native
Peleliuan was born and raised on the very property upon which the resort
now stands. Along with his Japanese wife Mayumi, they run a very nice
resort. The huts/bungalows that you stay in are very nice for their purpose
and setting. Made of mostly natural construction materials. There is a nice
size balcony to sit on while palm trees and other vegetation surround you.
There is no nice beach for you to go for a swim and play in the waves. As
far as the food is concerned, I would call it adequate. If you are
enchanted by culinary delights, you may be disappointed.  My wife would
have preferred a larger variety of foods, but for me, I came there to dive.
One important thing to note about the food is that the food is seasoned
with a lot of MSG. So if this is a problem for you request no MSG. As is
usual for such settings expect roosters crowing, frogs croaking and cats
fighting all night long. Bring your earplugs. Mosquitoes will bite you. The
islands are flat and the vegetation is lush, so not surprisingly it rains
quite a bit. But the diving is not affected. 

As far as the diving is concerned, I will not dwell on every fish I saw.
For those who haven’t been to Palau here is what to expect: As
stated in the 2006 Chapbook, the coral has been bleached by the 1998 El
Nino, do not expect psychedelic/florescent colors in the coral as can be
seen Fiji.  But the coral colors are coming back little by little. Just
about every dive has strong currents; reef hooks are used here to keep you
stationary while the multiple schools of fish flash by as sharks chase
them. This must be what others call “high voltage”. You
will know it when you see it. Also, a multitude of fishes is feeding on the
plankton floating by in the strong current. The reef hooks anchor you in
place while preventing damage to the aquatic life. The water temperature
needs some discussion as well. In my opinion, you need at least a 3mm wet
suit. Although the water temperature will read about 80 to 82 on your dive
computer, the strong current forces a lot of water down your wet suit, so
your body is constantly warming up a water layer. Also, the water
temperature changes considerable with depth. Additionally cold water
pockets can arrive to your location while you are attached with a reef
hook. 

 The diving: Palau delivers. Of course Blue Corner is the reson divers go
to Palau. I dove Blue corner six times. Dive it all you can. I did six
dives at the southern tip of Peleliu. Peleliu Cut was as good as the Blue
Corner. I did not dive Peleliu Express. Godwin’s Point was also a
very good dive, it was not the high voltage type of dive though, it was a
coral garden. 

One important note: Blue Hole is usually crowded with boats and divers and
this provides a safety net. Because if you get in trouble or drift far away
from your boat, another boat can help you out.  At the southern tip of
Peleliu, your boat is most likely the only boat there. So take every
signaling device available. 

Of the more heavily trafficked areas, the dives that I did that I think are
worth doing: 1) Blue Corner, 2) Turtle Cove 3) New Drop Off. The last two
are pretty much high voltage dive sites but not quite up to par with Blue
Corner. 4) Ngedbus Coral Garden was a very nice relaxing dive with almost
no current, plenty of nice pristine coral, anemones, clams etc. and just
about nonone dives it.  Not high voltage. 

Some dives that did not live up to the hype but were ok: 1) Big Drop Off,
2) German Channel. 3) Blue Hole. German channel had strong current and very
nice coral gardens but it is dove to see mantas. Blue Hole was just a
geological feature. I did not get to any of the other frequented dive
sites.  

Off course you must visit Jellyfish Lake.   
 

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