June Day!

Yesterday Joedyn told us to plan our future trips to coincide with the half to full moon (force me to have to spend two weeks here).  Wayne woke up early and started plotting out the next trip.  5 years between visits is far too long for Palau, it is so very much like coming home.  And even though we have been gone for quite a while, it feels like slipping into a comfortable pair of slippers custom designed for your feet.

It is very unpleasant to realize we only have 2 diving days left, and then we return to Hawaii.  Admittedly, it isn’t the mainland, but the shoe there sometimes doesn’t fit quite as comfortably...I checked things out, and they have a need for both social workers and lawyers here.  Hmmm.

It was an early start this morning, unintentionally and intentionally both.  Today we were headed to Ulong Island for two out of three dives, and then to Helmet Wreck, a wreck of unidentified origin (we think a European vessel commandeered by the Japanese for use as a Maru).

The ride out was only 30 minutes, but as Joedyn checked the current, and it was going a bit wonky, so we did our first dive at Siaes Tunnel.  Looks like no new dives for Wayne and me on this trip, but again, this is an extremely comfortable, custom made pair of slippers!

There were no Jacks to greet us at the mouth of the tunnel, it may have been too early, but they showed up a bit later.  The mouth of the tunnel was considerably deeper than I had remembered, and it was far too easy to slip down to 120 feet to go see our buddies.

There were no long nose hawkfish or white tip reef shark sleeping in the tunnel today, so it really does show how badly the typhoon hit this part of the islands.  We exited the tunnel and had a very pleasant wall dive to end it.

Our second dive was Ulong Channel.  The current was still a little iffy, but the life was unbelievable!  It is grouper spawning season, so it was like a little bit of grouper heaven, mixed in with all sorts of other fish, to include giant clams, those nasty titan triggerfish, and an incredible school of jacks.

Lunch was on Ulong Beach, where we were invaded by flies, snorkelers, and another boat full of divers.  We left there pretty early and headed out.                                                   

Our third dive, and last guided dive of the day, was on the helmet wreck, a wreck that the Japanese did not get to cleaning up after World War II.  A lot of the artifacts have been moved out of small spaces in order to prevent new divers from going in.  We saw a sink with an interesting logo.

We didn’t just penetrate the wreck for the wreck’s sake, there was a crocodilefish, a pair of batfish getting cleaned, and other little critters abounding.

Our final dive of the day was a muck dive - Sam’s Wall - which is literally the wall outside of Sam’s Tours.  We saw another crocodilefish, yellowspotted pipefish, short-bodied pipefish, ringed pipefish, large juvenile and juvenile many-spotted sweetlips, and, hold your breath, wait for it....

MANDARINFISH!

Not too crappy for a muck dive.  However, we terminated early when three out of four divers ran out of battery power for their cameras.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Dinner was at the Palm Bistro Cafe, home of the Red Rooster brewing.  The food is much improved, and worth coming back.  Three out of four of us got the special Thai seafood curry, and one of us (um, ME) had the lamb burger.  Yum, yum, yum.

The streak ends here

It started like your average good day at Sam’s Tours - arrive early to get a head start and catch the tide in the most advantageous manner, get your gear assembled and on the boat, analyze the nitrox, get your second cup of coffee and some water, and head out.

We descended, went to the cleaning station, and waited.  At about 13 minutes into the dive, we turned to head out, and there it was, a black manta in the sky!  So further down to the cleaning station we went.                                         

It only got better from there.  We saw four mantas, and one of them did a drive by right overhead.  It was utterly magnificent.  We were astounded and thrilled!  Near the end of the dive there was also a stingray nestled in the sand.  We had to head out to do a safety stop, and we held our breath hoping for more, but four was our final number.  The only down side was this sort of shimmering that we began to see in the water in front of us, below us, and eventually encompassing us.  Thermal clines.  The water went from 85.2 degrees to 77.8.  Instantaneously.  It. Was. Freezing!

Ok, I know, not freezing, but you try warming up your thermal core back to 98.6 when you are completely surrounded by 77.8.  Not easy!

From there we had a surface interval over the always beautiful Ngemelis Coral Garden, and we then rolled over into the blue to drift from Fairy Wall to New Drop Off. 

The drift was filled with a lot of pelagics, teeming around us as we drifted on.  Lots of interesting stuff on the walls as well, to include a number of amorous nudibranches.  Plus quite a few juvenile sweetlips!                                                   

Lunch was again on the dogless Two Dog Island, where we stayed until the rains came back.  Then it was on to Jellyfish Lake, where we had not been since 2005.  It’s changed a bit - the fee for entry is now  $50, up from our last time in; and there is a check in stand where they take your permits until you exit the lake.  They are looking to up the fee to $200 to limit the numbers coming in fairly soon, so it was good to get in while the price was still relatively low.

Jellies still abound, but there is now no free diving allowed, as the majority of free divers hurt the jelly population by thrashing their legs to get down.  That was ok, we still had a ton of jellies to see teeming about us.

From there back to the shop (tide was too low to do Sam’s Wall), planning for tomorrow, and for Peleliu.  After we went back to the hotel, it was off to the aquarium (Palau has a small, but well kept aquarium), to Arirang for a most spectacular Korean dinner (I had the stir fried squid with spicy sauce, YUM), and then back home.  All this, and it was only 7:30! 

Off to Blue Corner

This morning saw a beautiful sunrise, but we were hammered with humidity the moment we left the hotel room and headed for breakfast at 6 am.  The clouds overhead looked a little bit ominous, but rains happen here quickly, with some intensity, and then they break.

Rain first hit during breakfast, it was just a bit of a drizzle, not a downpour, and Jodi’s positive mental attitude sent it spinning away by the time we made it to Sam’s.  We geared up, and headed out.  And then the rain started again!  The sky in front of us was blue, but as we continued forward, the grey was encroaching.

We were hoping for German Channel, but the divemaster check showed us it was not quite the right current, we would have had to have left sooner to catch it correctly.

So off to the not so horrible Blue Corner!  We entered on the inner area close to Blue hole, and drifted up to the corner.  It was dark, and there were tons of pelagics, Current was minimal, so after hooking in for about 20 minutes, we went across the corner to the outgoing side, seeing sharks, turtles, clown triggerfish, and garden eels along the way.  The pelagics swarming on the outer wall were magnificent as well.

Since I’m just getting the hang of this new GoPro camera, my pictures are not quite up to speed, but I’ll get there!

The next two dives were Ngemelis Coral Garden to Blue Corner, followed by Big Drop Off.  We narrowly missed seeing an ornate eagle ray (insert sad face here), but were still treated to star puffer fish, juvenile sweet lips, batfish, sharks galore, and a good number of Napoleon wrasse.  Lunch between these was at Two Dog Island, where there are no dogs, and we indulged in bentos and crab racing while resting.                                         

Then back to Sam’s for dive gear maintenance, Red Rooster beer, and dinner at Kramer’s, a local favorite haunt.  Somewhere during the course of this blog, I will write about the local restaurants and provide links! 

It was a lot cooler on tonight’s walk as compared to last night, but Wayne and I still got lost despite Jodi’s good advice on a short cut road.  We now dub it Jodi’s road, and I promise to remember it always.  It was rather hot and still up at Kramer’s, and Jodi noted that the fans weren’t running, so despite a wonderful meal, it was still somewhat uncomfortable.

Then back to the hotel where we parted ways.  Wayne crashed and burned almost immediately, while I further logged dives, looked into my dive computer settings, and outlined this blog.

Friday means German Channel (we hope) and Jellyfish Lake, and perhaps a shot at “Sam’s Wall.”

Back in the (dive) saddle again

Woke up several times through the night, but finally got up at about 4:30 to a beautiful sunrise.  Breakfast was at 6 am, so there was time to get ready for the day, final checks were done on the gear, and we headed downstairs.

Uneventful breakfast, but it was a very pleasant spread.  Matt and Jodi met up with us for breakfast, and we parted ways until it was time for the boat to bring us to Sam’s.  We did use it this morning, but will probably walk the majority of the remainder of the time.

When we arrived at the dock, it was familiar, yet different.  Most of the staff has turned over, the operational layout has changed, some of the familiar sights are gone within the common area, and many amenities were repositioned.  But the most important part remained:  Joedyn was there, and he is our guide for the next 7 days of diving!!!!

Arson no longer drives for Sam’s, and we found out that the reason is that he is finishing up serving a sentence for dealing narcotics!  On the other hand, Shaft (former kayak guide) is back, and Matt (former tech dive advisor) has been allowed back in the country as he married a local national.

Oh, the drama of Sam’s.

We headed out on our boat, the Card Shark, with our new driver JC, and one additional passenger, a dive trade magazine associate editor out of Chicago named Joe.  He once was a divemaster, it seems, and he was very knowledgeable about his nudis and fish, and he carried a HUGE dive camera outfit.

Because of the unusually high incoming tide, we had a different first day schedule than Joedyn had planned.  Our first dive was Turtle Cove, one site not too badly affected by last year’s typhoon.  We descended, and we did indeed see a turtle or four, plus a fair number of sharks.  Near the end of the dive, we were encompassed by a large school of groupers, the largest number I have had that close to me at once.

Dive two was Blue Hole to Blue Corner.  Because of the incoming tide, the water was darker and greener than I remembered, but the dive still magnificent.  We went down in the hole, where we saw my first eel of the trip (and of the year), a young Napoleon wrasse (female), and a large number of disco clams.  We ascended at 50 feet and proceeded to the corner, where we were treated to dozens of pelagics.  Breathtaking.

Our last dive started at Turtle Wall (formerly known as Fern’s Wall), and took us to New Drop Off.  Nice drift dive, and we hooked in for a bit as we were treated to a show.

Home to Red Rooster beer, sashimi, a bit of a hike to the Taj for dinner (ok, in the dark, on an unlit path next to the only road running through town, it did take a while to get there, and we were HOT when we arrived), and a spectacular meal, as remembered.

I love Palau!

Somebody please remind me to never book this way again

Today was a busy road trip kind of day - with a little heavy shopping to kick it all off.  Wayne had not been able to make the Babeldaob road tour the last time we were in Palau, so this was a new experience for him, as well as Matt and Jodi.  There was enough new in the travel that made it really worthwhile for me as well!

We started out at the prison gift shop after making a stop at the Bank of Hawaii teller machine.  Let me clue you in about that machine - you can take up to $300 out if you are not a BOH customer, BUT you can take the $300 out twice in succession.  Just in case you think you’re going to buy a lot at the prison gift shop.  I wound up getting a manta ray storyboard with sea life, no story, and Matt and Jodi got a turtle of the same persuasion.  Auntie was particularly helpful in negotiating sales.  I did find out that when prisoners leave, they have the option to leave their carvings there or take them along with.  If they are sold, the prison notifies them, and they can come pick up their cash.  It is a cash and carry business.

(BTW, I am writing this page a few days after being home, so my remembrance of site names where we visited will likely be sketchy).

From here, we took off over the Friendship Bridge, and hit the Compact Road that circles Babeldaob, which now seats the capitol building.  Our first stop was a traditional Bai, which had been badly damaged by Typhoon Bopha.  It remains in disrepair as the village chiefs continue to argue over how to fix it.  I had forgotten about the pee holes and spit holes in the floors...but they are still there!  Hopefully the Chiefs will come to agreement soon, or the women who appoint them may have to choose new ones!                                                                    

From here it was off to the terraces - you can see how they were built in order to defend against invaders based upon the surrounding steep slopes.  We got to see a newly discovered gun as well as the terraced farming areas.

Back on the road, we hit two more WWII sites where we saw defensive positions originally manned by the Japanese (I think it was them and not the Germans), with intact weaponry.  Some things still remain! 

One main location on our agenda was the Ngardmau Waterfall, where we saw a baby crocodile, and went down to the Waterfall itself.  Jodi and Matt hiked down and back up, and Wayne and I took the tram -- next time, better shoes for the redhead is a requirement.

Yes, there were zip lines!  The train ran along a bauxite mining rail line, which was mined by the Japanese for construction of their wartime materiels.  No mining happens any more, as it is not safe.           

The waterfall was spectacular, the tram ride a little freaky as it wobbled from side to side. 

After the waterfall, we were off to another WWII observation/defense site, and a bombed out lighthouse.  I will have to do a little more research on that at some point in the future.  It was well constructed, and utterly destroyed by the bombing.  There are still bullets in the surrounding area.

From here it was off to Badrulchau to see the monoliths.  Auntie surmised that people brought the basalt figures and faces on rafts, and that is how they were deployed around the Pacific (think Ponape, Kosrae and Easter Island).  I’m sure that there are plenty of theories.

Then a quick jaunt around the Capitol (and Auntie’s opinion of the folly of that investment has not changed since 2006!), and we were headed to the Taj for our final dinner.  Matt and Jodi got to enjoy the Chilli Crab (Mangrove crab), and the evening was deemed successful.  Our local cab driver (Len? Lou? I have his card somewhere!) picked us up and brought us back to the hotel where we napped before heading to the airport.

We went through the same problem at the Palau airport as we did coming in because of the separate reservations.  Because Matt and Jodi had three legs, their baggage ticket had to be hand written.  We kept our fingers crossed for their bags.

We were delayed by the late arrival of the flight from Manila.  I found out that the flight from Guam was being held for us, so I felt better about that.  We arrived one gate away from the departing flight, but we unfortunately had to process through customs and wait to be allowed to re-enter the airport (did you know that means going through security screening again?).

We dashed to the plane, boarded, and headed back to Honolulu.  This time, the flight was without event.  And Matt and Jodi’s bags made it!  They had plenty of time for their connecting flight to Houston, so we were all on our way.

Looking forward to the next dive trip with Matt & Jodi (BVI, here we come), good diving companions!