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Dive Review of Kosrae Nautilus Resort in
Micronesia/Kosrae

Kosrae Nautilus Resort, Jul, 2008,

by Chuck & Julie Feinberg, New York, USA (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 9 reports). Report 4388.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 4 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was our second time back to the Kosrae Nautilus Resort. The last time was for only one week but we were so impressed that we booked for two weeks and opted out of going to another island. We love to get to know a specific dive area so that we can dive in a totally relaxed manner. The first time was overwhelming to the point that we got certain sites confused with others. Now we intimately know most of the sites(we still get lost in the mazes between the overlapping corals).You are picked up at the airport by the most friendly staff member(Silek, who also worked in the restaurant and was an important part of the dive team) and taken back to the resort which takes about 20 minutes. There you are either greeted by the owners Doug or his wife, Sally. All paper work is done quickly and off you go to your huge, immaculate room. Two large beds, nice refrig and nice bathroom with super water pressure.Great airconditionar. Fresh drinking water is supplied each and every day and if you want more just go to the restaurant which is just a few steps away. The food at the restaurant is quite good and the staff tries hard to be very creative; super shrimp and chip, fantastic sashimi(different types), amazing pizza etc. All food can be taken to your room. I had my 63rd birthday there and I asked but did not expect fresh lobster and crab. I got both!!! The entire staff is over the top friendly and helpful.(p.s.almost no bugs-mosquitoes etc.!!!) We took a walk past the church and listened to some of the most beautiful singing I have ever heard. Just walking on the road will make you feel that you belong in Kosrae. All islanders wave to you and smile and say hello!! What world am I in?? Back to the resort: A beautiful, clean swimming pool which we used almost every day after diving. Hanging out at the gazebo with a drink just before dinner adds to the ambiance. NOW TO THE MOST IMPORT PART: DIVING!! The best thing I can do is give you a copy of one of my dives. The following is not necessarily the best dive of the two weeks. Also all gear is placed on a truck and taken to the dock where the boat is docked. Doug's new engine gets you to the furthest sites in around twenty minutes. Super ladder and the entire staff will help you if needed. Rarely will you find currents but what makes Kosrae so amazing is the diversity in the hard corals which makeup 95% of the coral. You will find so many different types of coral layered upon each other. I never saw any bleaching. There were times when you felt that you were swimming through areas between corals and peering underneath coral looking for scorpion fish, lion fish etc. that love to feed and hide beneath the coral heads. Some of these corals start on the flats at 60 feet and go up to 10 feet. What a way to do safety stops. Without giving you a list of the fish we did see on all dives schools of sweetlips, snappers, jacks, some spotted eagle rays and turtles. Your head seems to want to be on a swivel so it could spin around and around since there is so much to see. Now for a typical dive: Twenty minutes to the buoy which we tied up to. Easy setup. This site is Shark island which is right near the airport runway. Back roll in and down off the wall. The temperature is always 85% F.(the date was 7/11/08) The typography at this site starts with a wall going down to what I assume is around 200' and then meandering off into the abyss with white sand a small coral heads. Looking down we saw numerous gray and blacktip sharks, dogtooth tuna and some jacks. After spending around 8 minutes around 110' we headed up to the reef which like at many sites ends at 60' where the wall begins and ends nearer to the island where there might be some surge. The rest of the 65 minute dive is spent meandering through and around and over the brain, plate, rose pillar and other types of corals. Not on this dive but on another dive we spent photographing a giant travally being cleaning for over a half hour. We actually got within touching distance! The travally would swim off but constantly came back just checking us out. This is easy diving with amazing experiences that got the adrenalin constantly flowing. Never a cattle boat feeling, always a feeling like this is you own boat and the staff is just your friends. Kosrae and the Nautilus are worth two weeks. Everyday was a unique day even when we wanted and got to dive a site we had already dove it was different and special. Totally worth the trip half way around the world from New York City.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 0-25 dives
Where else diving Sipidan Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Truk Lagoon, Yap, Bikini(Marshall Islands), New York Wrecks
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 84-86°F / 29-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-150 Ft/ 9-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Try to stay with the Dive Master but not really restricted since the Dive Master will follow you while he drags a float behind him.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments Always a large fresh water box for cameras. Workers handled all cameras professionally. Rarely were there currents so you could get up close and personal with all types of critters. Fish tend to be curious of divers and not shy away since this island has not been overrun with divers and dive boats. The most amazing hard coral in the world with some many small critters hiding in the nooks and crannies in the hard coral.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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