Palau Dive Adventures offers a fantastic diving experience with some notable highlights.

The best aspects of Palau Dive Adventures are their knowledgeable guides and the careful decisions made regarding dive sites and prevailing conditions. The guides, Chris and Jason, ensured that we had the best position for Mantas at German Channel and tried and succeeded to avoid the crowds at other dive sites.

Palau Dive Adventures differentiates itself by offering a Monday to Friday program designed for singles, couples or small groups of divers who will dive together with the same group and mostly the same dive guides throughout the week. This program is meticulously planned to visit a different dive area each day, providing guests with continuity and a comprehensive overview of the best dive sites in Palau. Additionally, they can also arrange dive courses that can be undertaken throughout the week.

The dive boats provided by Palau Dive Adventures are comfortable, covered, and feature front-facing seats, ensuring a pleasant journey for each guest. The boats accommodate a maximum of 8 divers, providing an intimate and personalized diving experience. The walk-up ladder is convenient, and there's a dry box under each seat for personal items. Refreshments such as water, Gatorade, and cordial are available on board, along with a spray jacket and towels for added comfort between and after dives.

The handling of cameras is commendable, with the crew asking guests how they prefer their cameras to be handled. We had our own crate and they identified a safe place for it.

One of the standout features of Palau Dive Adventures is the quality of lunch provided, sourced from a top Korean restaurant, King Palace, ensuring that divers are well-fed and satisfied during the breaks between dives.

Access and transfers are convenient, with pick-up services by boat from the Palau Pacific Resort jetty or other locations where guests are staying. For guests not staying at waterfront hotels, pick-ups are available at Sam's if the area is not busy.

Additionally, Palau Dive Adventures offers a "Concierge" service, providing transportation to local restaurants, laundry services, and enhancing the overall guest experience beyond diving.

Overall, Palau Dive Adventures stands out for its excellent guides, careful dive site decisions, comfortable boats, and comprehensive services, making it a top choice for diving enthusiasts visiting Palau.

The Palau Siren Liveaboard offers a floating hotel type experience in Palau with some notable highlights and areas for improvement.

The Palau Siren is a beautifully presented traditional Phinisi. One of her best features is undoubtedly the a la carte plus buffet breakfast served after the first dive, providing guests with a delightful start to their day. The liveaboard, owned by Master Liveaboards, boasts a large lounge, dining area, and well-appointed cabins.

The cabins are equipped with modern showers, toilets, and daily housekeeping services, including fresh towels. However, some guests may find the air conditioning to be noisy and prone to temperature fluctuations. Additionally, there is no onboard WiFi, but guests can purchase local SIM cards for internet access, although coverage may vary depending on the location.

Meals onboard are of very good quality and plentiful, with a wide selection of breakfast options cooked to order plus a generous hot buffet of side items. Delicious lunches and dinners are served buffet-style as well. The onboard bar offers a selection of local light beer on tap, cocktails, and some spirits to enjoy after diving is completed for the day.

The dive team on the Palau Siren Liveaboard comprises the Cruise Director/instructor, assistant CD, and two experienced guides, maintaining an overall ratio of approximately four guests to one guide, although this ratio may vary slightly on different dives. Dive briefings were engaging and informative, featuring rotations among the team and supplemented by humorous anecdotes and visually appealing graphics displayed on a large screen in common areas. However, there were instances where the dive plan did not achieve its objective due to misjudged current conditions.

Diving activities are conducted from banana boat skiffs, with travel times ranging from 20 to 40 minutes. While the dive boats are comfortable and covered, the open sides can lead to exposure to wet and windy conditions, especially during rough weather. It's important to note that there is no provision for water onboard the dive boats, but the ever cheerful hospitality team always serves water or juice before and after the dive.

Equipment handling is primarily self-setup, and equipment stays on your allocated skiff. Tanks are filled in situ, and the crew ensures wetsuits are rinsed after each dive. Guests should be self-sufficient in terms of camera handling, although the crew is supportive in passing equipment as needed.

Nitrox at 31% is available, with guests required to sign for each tank, although an on-site O2 analyzer is not provided. The compressors onboard are essential for dive operations but can be noisy.

The itinerary is collaboratively decided with input from the Cruise Director, boat captain, and skiff drivers, taking into account prevailing conditions and a routine itinerary. However, there may be room for improvement in optimizing the itinerary for the best diving experiences throughout the trip.

During our 10-night trip, we found the itinerary somewhat disappointing as we spent 4 nights in Malakal Harbor (2 at the beginning and 2 at the end), 2 nights at Ulong, and just 4 nights in the Ngemelis area. The diving experience was notably better in the Ngemelis area, which hosts premier dive sites like Blue Corner and German Channel. The Ulong area was also good, but Malakal Harbor had poor visibility and lacked marine life. Pelileu dives were conducted using the skiffs, with one boat remaining behind for guests opting for a land tour at Pelileu instead of a second dive.

For non-divers, the liveaboard offers snorkeling and kayaking options, adding to the variety of activities available during the trip.

Overall, the Palau Siren Liveaboard offers a memorable diving experience with excellent meals, comfortable accommodations, and knowledgeable guides. However, improvements in air conditioning stability, WiFi availability, and itinerary. The Palau Siren Liveaboard offers a floating hotel type experience in Palau with some notable highlights and areas for improvement.

Sam's Tours, located at their own boat dock on Malakal Island, offers a well-organized and spacious environment for both divers and snorkelers.
The dive boats at Sam's Tours are comfortable, covered, and provide side seating, ensuring a drier experience compared to other operators. Convenient walk-up ladders and a dry box under the driver's seat for personal items add to the convenience on board.
Gear handling is efficiently managed by the boat crew, although divers are reminded to retrieve their own wetsuits from the rack. Certified divers can enjoy complimentary Nitrox with 80cf/11l tanks filled with 32% Nitrox.
Camera handling is well organized, with a crate immediately provided for cameras. Refreshments such as water and punch are available on board, and lunch is served between dives. While boat towels and toilets are not provided, the overall comfort and functionality of the boats are acceptable.
Additionally, Sam's Tours facilitates access and transfers to/from hotels, ensuring convenience for their guests.
The diving experience with Sam's Tours relies heavily on the teamwork of the boat captain and the dive guides, who vary each day and ultimately decide on the dive site based on prevailing conditions. They also set the direction and pace of the dives.
During our two dive days, we noticed a significant difference in approach. The first day was characterized by a relaxed and non-prescriptive style from the guides. Dive times typically lasted around 60 minutes, including a safety stop. As photographers, we appreciated this unhurried pace, as it allowed us ample time to focus on interesting subjects without feeling rushed or losing sight of our group.
However, our experience on the second day was quite different. Our guide set a very fast pace for the first dive, which was unsatisfactory for photography. We expressed our desire for a slower pace during the surface interval, but unfortunately, the second dive followed a similar hurried pattern. We were even scolded for lagging behind the group, which was frustrating.
Overall, while the first day provided a positive experience with its relaxed approach, the second day's fast pace and lack of flexibility for photography detracted from our enjoyment.

Seaventures Rig is a one-of-a-kind dive resort situated on a converted oil rig. Upon arrival, diving equipment and people were lifted to the main deck using an open elevator. We were well-received with a cold drink and a thorough briefing. The main deck housed the dive center, restaurant, bar, and offices, providing refreshing breezes and panoramic views of Mabul and stunning sunsets.

The modest accommodations were located on the three floors above the main deck, while the deluxe rooms required climbing a rabbit warren of stairs to the fourth floor. The air conditioning and wifi worked perfectly, the beds were comfortable, and the private bathrooms were "wet" rooms where the shower drained across the floor.

A notable convenience was the camera room on the main deck, eliminating the need to carry cameras to the top floor. This room was continuously monitored by CCTV and remained unlocked.

The meals were served buffet-style and offered a delicious variety of hearty and healthy options. On one memorable night, a special BBQ with fresh fish was organized as a farewell for a group, accompanied by live music. There was always someone attending the bar, ready to answer any questions and keep the keys safe.

One of the highlights of the resort was the house reef, where the checkout dives took place and where divers can freely explore at their own pace. Navigating the reef was easy with numbered support columns and excellent visibility. The marine life was interesting, featuring juvenile species, macro life, and unfortunately, some newly discarded waste that had not yet become part of the habitat.