Fish 'n Fins: "Best Dive Trip Ever. Fish 'n Fins Palau sets the bar high!", Jun, 2018,by Whitney Holcomb, AK, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 10368 has 1 Helpful vote. |
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | N/A | Food | ![]() |
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Shore Diving | N/A |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
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Comments |
Fish ’n Fins Palau has really got it going on. This single operation has two live-aboard dive boats, another dozen or more day trip boats, kayak trips, off-road jungle tours, helicopter tours, skydiving and their own restaurant on site. From the moment you walk into the dive shop, you just know you’re in for a treat. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, gear is top-notch quality, and anything you might need is available for purchase, all the way down to a Palau Diving & Snorkeling Guide book written by the owners, Tova and Navot Bornovski. You’re given a menu to choose your lunch, which will be freshly cooked pork, bbq chicken, veggies, rice and fruit or something along those lines - served in a bento box, usually on a beach or somewhere nice while still out on the boat after both of your dives. These and the meals from the restaurant are inspired by Tova’s book, “Taste of the Raibow’s End,” with recipes from Palau and Micronesia. The dive boats are clean and well-maintained with at least two staff on board. Nitrox is available, which is well worth it since dive times are not limited by anything other than your computer and air consumption. It’s about 45 minutes to an hour across incredibly turquoise water to reach most of the dive sites. None of the dives disappoint, but some of my favorite are “Blue Corner,” where you use a reef hook to relax in one place while the current brings an up-close, never ending show of sharks and the biggest schools of fish I’ve ever seen. German Channel is another site where on one dive I saw my first manta rays, a zebra shark and an ornate eagle ray. Ulong Channel is always good for seeing grey reef and whitetip reef sharks, barracuda and snappers, and then the dive finishes with long fields of 15-20’ tall lettuce coral and some giant clams. One of the coolest things I learned is that sharks are fairly common on most dives in Palau, in part because the owners of Fish ’n Fins are founders of the Micronesia Shark Foundation, which is dedicated to researching and protecting the sharks in Palau and Micronesia. Awesome! When diving with a camera, I often find a rock or dead piece of coral to touch with my finger for balance while I stay in one place to get the shot. In Palau this is actually a challenge since the reef is so alive and thriving, I found myself being extra cautious not to touch anything. After twenty years of diving, I admittedly find myself falling into the “been there, done that” mentality where I’m not taking as many dedicated dive trips, and vacations are now catered towards other activities and just a few dives. More often than not, the best part of a dive these days is seeing someone else get excited about what they see for the first time. In Palau, it’s the opposite for me. The dives are unusually exciting - with everything bigger, better, more colorful and more grand in every way, as though I’m seeing it all for the first time, and the dive guides have a way of making every dive one to remember. This was my second vacation with Fish ’n Fins in two years, and I hope to return again next year. |
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Websites | Fish 'n Fins | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | Over 1000 dives | ||
Where else diving | Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, St Eustatius, Saba, Bonaire, Belize, Cozumel, Key West, California, Utah | ||
Closest Airport | Koror (ROR) | Getting There | From the U.S. through Japan, Korea, Hawaii or Guam |
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 81-81°F / 27-27°C | Wetsuit Thickness | |
Water Visibility | 200-0 Ft/ 61-0 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | Most dives were an hour or so with no restrictions if using a computer | ||
Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | yes |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | Lots | Mantas | Squadrons |
Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | None |
Turtles | > 2 | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | ![]() |
UW Photo Comments | Boats have covered roofs and dry boxes. Cooler with water for cameras. Rinse tank for cameras at the dock. |
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