PALAU

December 14th - 21st, 2025

Micronesia!    The region evokes visions of small islands (340 of them, to be precise!) surrounded by azure blue seas, white sandy beaches and, of course, amazing diving – including a 600,000 square kilometre shark sanctuary (the size of France)!

Our liveaboard trip to  Palau gives divers a chance to experience all the highlights:   crystal-clear waters, thriving coral gardens, World War II wrecks, and famous sites like Blue Corner (one of the iconic, top dive sites in the world) and German Channel. 

 

The region is teeming with marine life—from manta rays and reef sharks to swirling barracuda and vibrant macro critters—offering exhilarating drift dives and unforgettable underwater encounters in one of the planet’s most ecologically rich marine environments.   Not just that, our trip is timing to coincide with the bumped parrotfish aggregation and spawning, one of the most incredible (and lesser known) underwater spectacles.

 

photo

And did we mention “shark sanctuary” and “bumped parrotfish spawning”?     Oh yeah!!!

Palau (or Belau) is a small and independent country lying on the south-western cusp of Micronesia, with a population of 21,271 that resides mostly in its commercial capital, Koror. 

 

The total land area of the country is ~ 466 square kilometres and is said to have been settled ~ 3000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines.  The region has had a turbulent history both before and after the World War II, before being declared as an independent state in 1978.

 

The climate is typical of a tropical rainforest with temperatures ranging between 24 and 32 degrees Celsius (mean temperature in June is 28 degrees Celsius).

 

The official currency of the country is the US Dollar.

The planned itinerary is as follows:

 

  • Dec 14:   Arrive at Koror (ROR) airport and transfer to the liveaboard from Malakal Port @ 4:30pm.   Dinner and safety briefing
  • Dec 15-20:   3-4 dives a day, depending on the schedule 
  • Dec 21st:  Breakfast, followed by disembarkation at Malakal Port @ 8am, and transfer to Koror Airport for the flight home, while considering quitting your job and staying here permanently.

The typical diving day looks as follows:

– Wake up to hot beverages and light snacks

– Dive 1

– Breakfast and surface interval

– Dive 2

– Lunch and surface interval

– Dive 3

– Afternoon snacks and beverages

– Day 4 (if scheduled)

– Dinner

 

As with all liveaboards, the number of dives and itinerary is indicative and may vary based on conditions and other factors.

 

Divers are also required to ensure an 18 hour surface interval between their last dive and outbound flight and plan the diving on the last day accordingly.

Converging oceanic currents of the Pacific and the Philippine Sea make the waters of Palau extremely nutrient rich that are ripe for encounters with incredible marine life such as manta rays, huge schools of reef fish, turtles, barracudas, tunas, silver tips, hammerheads, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and on rare occasions – rainbow runners, marlins, sailfish, orcas, and wahoo! If one were to talk about the most

diverse ecosystems in the world, Palau would certainly make the list.

Owing to the steady erosion of the limestone islands over the years, the topography of the dive sites here comprises of pinnacles, caverns, barriers, walls, plateau, and steep drop offs that make for some the most exhilarating drift diving for both big fish and small reef fish action. Carrying reef hooks is recommended when diving in the deep canyons, where you may want to stay put and see some of the largest fish aggregations.

 

For wreck diving enthusiasts, Palau boasts of over 15 wreck sites including the famous ‘helmet wreck’, and the famous Jake Seaplane, which lies intact at ~15 meters’ depth.     And of course, ‘Blue Corner’ is iconic as one of the world’s best non-baited shark dives.

 

The mean temperature underwater is 28 degrees Celsius – anything from a rash guard, fleece top or a 3 mm wetsuit would work, based on your preferences.   While the visibility underwater is a constant 40+ meters for most of the year, it does go down to 10-15 meters at some wreck sites. 

 

You can expect to log ~22 dives during this trip.

Advanced and 30 dives is a minimum requirement for the trip – but as with any dive trip, more than the specific number of dives, having solid dive skills is what is more important:   ie, be able to ascend and descend in a controlled manner, have good buoyancy skills, tracking your  depth/air/time as well a general awareness of what’s going on around you.  

 

There will be 2 guides for the boat and a Bangalore Scuba instructor also along to help with logistics and provide advice/support as needed, but divers are generally expected to be self-reliant as buddy teams in terms of managing themselves during dive.  

For our trip, we will be staying aboard the Palau Aggressor, a 32m long liveaboard with 9 staterooms and an 18 passenger capacity.

 

All cabins will have the following amenities and services:

  • Hairdryer
  • Bathrobes
  • Closet and drawer space
  • Individual climate control
  • Television with movie selection
  • Daily steward service
  • Morning beverage service

Visas

You must have a valid passport with not less than 6 months from date of expiration to enter Palau. Tourist visas, which are valid for 30 days, are issued to all nationalities upon arrival.  Palau is the first nation on earth to change its immigration laws for the cause of environmental protection. Upon entry, visitors need to sign a passport pledge to act in an ecologically and culturally responsible way on the island, for the sake of

Palau’s children and future generations of Palauans.

 

Arrival/Departure

We request that you arrive at Koror (ROR) by the afternoon of December 14th, 2025 and for your departure, select flights that depart from Koror starting the afternoon of December 21st, 2025 or later.  Please confirm your flight arrival and departure times with us before you book.

 

Insurance

Diving insurance is mandatory.     In addition, travel insurance is also recommended in case you have to cancel due to health or travel connection issues.   You can purchase insurance using the links below or contact us if you need any assistance selecting a plan:

 

Dive Assure:

DAN:

The pricing for the trip, based on twin sharing and with all diving and meals included is as follows:

  • Dive Deck Stateroom:   $3785
  • Deluxe Stateroom:  $3985
  • Single supplement:   65% extra

INCLUSIONS

  • Stay with all meals and snacks as per the above dates
  • Complimentary beverages (beer, wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee, juices, water)
  • Approx 22 dives
  • 12L tanks, weights and belts
 EXCLUSIONS
  • International flights
  • 15L tanks and gear rentals
  • Airport transfers ($30PP each way)
  • Satellite internet connectivity (to be purchased on board)
  • Port fees ($270)
  • Crew gratuities ($350-400)

A non-refundable deposit of $1000 is needed to confirm the spot.    The balance is payable as follows:

  • $1500 by July 19th
  • Balance by September 6th

This trip is being led by Vinnie, who has a special interest in wreck diving, underwater photography and ThumsUp (not necessarily in that order).

 

We will form a Whatsapp group to get to know each other, and also to plan things like flights and travel logistics, trip extensions and such.

 

Refund policy is as determined by the boat – and for this trip, we have generally timed the payment schedule to be as late as possible.    The flip side to that is that payments are non-refundable as and when they are made.    However, if we are able to find someone to take your spot, we’ll seamlessly shift your deposit over to them.  Bank charges, currency rate variations, etc are to be borne by the diver, however and are not refundable.

 

If you want to complete any training while on the trip – Deep, Nitrox, Wreck, etc – contact us.   We have significantly discounted prices for these in conjunction with our trips.

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