Dive Review of
Sam's, Neco/Cliffside Inn in
Micronesia

Around the world; see related reports on Palau Aggressor, Yap and Pohnepei

Dive Conditions

Nitrox Limits or Sport Diving Limits  

The boats had a semi-secure location for cameras, but I would up
lap-holding my housing to prevent damage during the long rough rides out to
the outer reefs  

Overall Rating

UNDERCURRENT COMMENTS
(Note: This is the first part of four entries covering a five week trip to
Micronesia in July of 2006)

Palau – Land-based

My wife and I have more than 65 years of diving experience between us
around the world on live-aboard and land-based operations.  We dived Palau
on a land-based basis for three days before and four days after a week on
the Palau Aggressor II.  During the seven days we dove with both Sam’s and
Neco Marine.  In general both operations were good, though our Sam’s guide
– Daniel – connected with us and really provided an exceptional experience
on the three days we dove with him. Both operators picked us up at our
hotel and provided lunch, along with the diving.  The rides out to the
outer reef – “Blue Corner”, “New Drop-off” and “Blue Holes” was long and
often bumpy, but well worth the ride.  The large pelagics and the soft
corals were spectacular.  Visibility was good, but milky.  This caused low
contrast which contributed to difficult photography.  The overall quality
of the dive experience was totally dependent on the guide, not the
operator.  Once we met Daniel, we stayed with him and had excellent dives.

Neco provided a guide named Marcel who did a great job of showing us the
reef walls.  The next day, Neco provided a guide named “Greg” who was on
his last day of employment as a guide.  Conditions were rough and we could
not go to the outer reefs.  He insisted we do a live-prop entry along a
wall called “Short Drop-off”.  I refused to allow my wife and me to do a
back-roll entry off of a skiff with the prop engaged and turning.  After an
ugly confrontation, Greg agreed to have the engine killed just before we
entered the water.  While Greg was leading the dives, he lost the group
immediately, and never looked back.  He is an example of the type of dive
guide one never should dive with.

We stayed at “Cliffhouse”, a rustic inn outside of Koror.  The
accommodations were very comfortable and the staff was extremely helpful. 
The location looks out over a lovely lagoon, and the poolside bar – if open
– is a beautiful place to relax.  This was a really nice place to stay
while visiting Palau.

All in all – a week of land-based diving in Palau gave us some superb dives
and excellent photography. (see www.sharneal.com)
 

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