Dive Review of Fish 'n Fins Ocean Hunter III in
Micronesia/Palau

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Fish 'n Fins Ocean Hunter III, Nov, 2010, by Harvey S. Cohen, NJ, US ( Sr. Contributor 27 reports with 20 Helpful votes). Report 5794.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Palau diving is awesome, and Ocean Hunter III / Fish'N'Fins provided wonderful service and accommodations. The boat is very thoughtfully designed and in pristine condition. Everything works well, and with a full load of 16 divers plus crew it never feels crowded. I've been on 7 other liveaboards, but this was my first with all tender diving. Surprisingly, it was more convenient than diving directly from the mothership. One easy, level step took me from the dive deck to the tender, which was quite spacious with a full load. BC/reg/tank was kept assembled on the tender all week, along with fins and mask. For each dive, I donned my suit and stepped onto the tender. A crew member put the Nitrox analyzer on my tank while I recorded the reading. After a 5-10 minute ride, we moored. A crew member lifted my gear to my seat; I slipped it on and backrolled off the side. For recovery, the tender came close and let me grab a granny line. At the ladder, I passed up my fins and climbed an easy three steps. A crew member took my gear and handed me a fresh face towel. Back on the boat, two warm showers, two warm hoses and a dunk tank on the dive deck allowed me to rinse body and suit immediately. Also on the dive deck was a big dry towel for me after each dive. It was all so easy that I almost felt guilty. All dives had leader and chaser divemasters. The leader often pointed out interesting critters and wrote the name on his magnetic slate. More than half the dives were walls, with current from very mild to very strong. On several dives we hooked in with reefhooks and watched an astonishing quantity and variety of big and small creatures. On one reefhook dive, a beautiful spotted eagle ray hung in the current right next to me for ten minutes, while schools of fish, cruising sharks, giant napolean wrasses, etc., swam in front of us. Another highlight was the manta cleaning station, where one manta after another soared in and hovered for cleaning while we watched from arm's-length. Food was excellent in variety, quality, and attractiveness. The entire operation is incredibly skilled, efficient, and friendly. They just couldn't seem to do enough for us. Finally, I must note that the admirable owners of Fish'N'Fins contribute a great deal of their own expertise, time, and money to conservation of ocean resources.
Websites	Fish 'n Fins Ocean Hunter III
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Coral Sea, Caribbean, Red Sea, New Jersey, Florida.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	86-87°F / 30-31°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	40-150 Ft/ 12-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No restrictions, but on most dives the tender chases instead of mooring, so a diver who loses sight of the divemasters had to shoot his/her own SMB to get picked up. The crew doesn't seem to mind if you do this on a few dives.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Since dive gear stays on the tender, there is lots of dry room for photo gear. Nicely laid out tables, lots of charging sockets. Big separate rinse tank kept full of clean water. Compressed air. 2 PCs in lounge.

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Dive Review of Fish 'n Fins Ocean Hunter III in Micronesia/Palau

Fish 'n Fins Ocean Hunter III, Nov, 2010,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Fish 'n Fins Ocean Hunter III in
Micronesia/Palau