Dive Review of Sam's Tours/Palau Pacific Resort in
Micronesia/Palau

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Sam's Tours/Palau Pacific Resort: "Sharks, Mantas, and spawning Bumphead wrasse, oh my!", Dec, 2015, by Elise O Lovell, IL, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 8779 has 1 Helpful vote.
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	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Just finished 6 days of diving with Sam's, including 4 days of " New Moon Unique Expedition", with the first dive of the day watching the spawning of the Bumphead wrasse. This was like watching a lovely dance, augmented by the expert commentary provided by marine biologist Paul, and his partner in discovering and studying this phenomenon, Richard. Both were terrific divemasters, as were all the staff at this top-notch operation. This is a shop perfect for more advanced divers who are comfortable with their gear and don't require a lot of hand-holding, although everyone is super friendly and ready to answer questions and help out. The reefs are just spectacular, with an inkling of how oceans must have looked prior to humans, ecosystem destruction, and over-fishing. Dive sites are 45 minutes to one hour boat rides, but the beautiful Rock Islands, with their prehistoric appearance (was that a pterodactyl?!), make for some of the most scenic boat trips I've encountered. You'll see tons of sharks, probably mantas (we saw at least 6 at German Channel), and incredibly fishy reefs. With over 1500 coral species, there's also something fascinating to look at. Oh yeah, and dolphins on our last dive day! What's special about Sam's is their dive masters and thoughtfulness when choosing sites and leading dives (shout outs to Micky, Bernard, Ally). Examples-going to German Channel in the morning when it's a manta cleaning station rather than in the afternoon when incoming currents turn it into a manta feeding station. The difference? Maybe fewer mantas in the am, but also many many fewer divers. We had the manta ballet all to ourselves. Diving the Iro wreck, we enjoyed the huge anemone collection at the top of the refueling pod. Another group on the wreck at the same time just blew by this beautiful feature. Perfect timing at the Blue Corner-up over the top and into the jet stream of current, hooked in, and watched the "shark airport." Transfers to your hotel pre/post dive makes the whole day hassle free, and Sam's will store your equipment. Usual rinse tanks, and tasty restaurant on site. Yes, do Jellyfish lake-a swimming meditation-surpassed expectations. Wished we had built in a day of diving at Peleliu Island-both for the significant historical importance (land excursion possible with the diving) and supposed to increase chances of seeing pelagics. Stayed at Palau Pacific Resort-review on Trip Advisor. We've done hundreds of dives around the world, and Sam's will be our easy choice when we return to Palau..and we'll dive the Full Moon Snapper spawning-supposed to be even more exciting-mixes in some hungry sharks...
Websites	Sam's Tours
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Belize, Cayman, Hawaii, Red Sea, Australia/Coral Sea, Galapagos
Closest Airport		Getting There	it's a groaner, but worth it
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	40-90 Ft/ 12-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	excellent dive briefings, but we followed our own computers, and good deal of trust on the Unique Expedition days-these are marketed for more advanced divers, and it was a pleasure to be in a small group of reasonable, competent folks every day.
Liveaboard?	no	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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Sam's Tours/Palau Pacific Resort in Micronesia/Palau

Sam's Tours/Palau Pacific Resort: "Sharks, Mantas, and spawning Bumphead wrasse, oh my!", Dec, 2015,

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 Sam's Tours/Palau Pacific Resort in
Micronesia/Palau