
Palau Siren
Palau liveaboardThe 40m Palau Siren is a traditional Indonesian gaft rigged Phinisi handcrafted in ironwood and teak accommodating just 16 guests in 8 beautifully furnished cabins. As part of the Worldwide Dive and Sail fleet, the Palau Siren was built with divers in mind and offers the ultimate in safety, comfort and luxury.
The Palau Siren offers 7 and 10 night itineraries combining the very best dive sites Palau has to offer. Consistently ranked as one of the world’s most spectacular dive destinations, Palau boasts more than 1500 species of fish, 700 species of corals, and seven out of nine species of giant clams, in addition to several species of sharks, schools of barracuda, king mackerel, tuna, giant and bluefin trevally, resident Napoleon wrasse, manta rays, frogfish, mandarin fish, pipefish and an array of nudibranchs.
To find out more about this area, visit our Palau page.
Getting there
There are many airlines operating flights to Manila from the UK and you would need to take a night’s accommodation in Manila prior to continuing your journey to Palau the next day. From Manila, there are direct flights to Palau operating twice a week, travelling on United Airlines. Flight time is just two and a half hours, although the flight times can be at unsociable hours!
Upon arrival into Palau, you will be met at the airport by a member of the Siren crew and transferred to the departure point, Sam’s Tours Palau, where you will meet the Siren’s cruise director. Guests spending additional time in Palau ahead of their cruise will be collected from their hotels at a pre-arranged time. Transfers to Sams Tours Palau from the airport will take approximately 40 minutes. Cruise departure is 4pm.
Guide price: 7 nights: from GBP £3246 per person / 10 nights: from GBP £4445 per person.
Includes: Return transfers from local airport to the vessel on days of embarkation and disembarkation, full board meal plan , tea, coffee, juices, soft drinks & local beer, up to 4 dives daily, 12ltr cylinder with air fills or nitrox if qualified, weights, weight belt, SMB, equipment hire (BCD/regulator/3mm shorty wetsuit/mask/fins & boots)
Not Included: International flights, overnight hotel stays, Marine Park & Port fees: Palau Islands 6/7 nights – 200 USD, additional equipment hire (torch/computers/reef hooks/nudi pointer), spirits, cocktails, wine, on board merchandise, crew and dive guide gratuities
*Price shown is for guide purposes only and is based on low season travel and for twin share accommodation. Any length of stay is possible, please contact us for a confirmed cost based on your preferred duration and time of travel.
Accommodation & Facilities
The Palau Siren has 8 spacious cabins all located on the lower deck. There are 2 fixed double cabins, 4 fixed twin cabins and 2 cabins that can be configured as either twin or double. All cabins have ensuite bathroom with hot shower, air conditioning, personal computer, audio-visual entertainment system, ample storage space, safe, bathrobes, hair dryers and towels.
Between dives there is plenty of space to relax in the spacious air-conditioned saloon with cocktail bar, 42 inch flat screen TV, movie network, comfortable sofas and library or you can head up to the sun deck which has cushioned loungers where you can enjoy the beautiful views or just have a snooze in the sunshine.
Meals are served on the rear deck outdoor dining area and are served in a buffet style with plenty of choice for all dietary requirements. Breakfast with eggs cooked-to-order, followed by lunches of chicken, fish or red meat and salads or vegetables and a 3 course evening meal. Each trip also offers a freshly prepared barbeque evening. Throughout the day, fresh fruit, snacks and cookies are available, as well as complimentary soft drinks and local beer.
The huge shaded dive deck allows ample space for each diver with personal storage and dive station. There are large rinse tanks with fresh water solely for camera and video equipment with an indoor work station provided for maintenance of cameras and equipment. Diving is from one of the three zodiacs, allowing for easy access to each site. Divers are split by experience and dive in groups no larger than six guests to one instructor.
Itinerary
A 7 night itinerary allows up to 22 dives including up to 4 night dives and a 10 night itinerary allows up to 33 dives including up to 5 night dives. Each itinerary offering the chance to explore some of the finest diving in Palau. As with all diving trips, the choice of dive sites visited during the itinerary will be affected by a number of factors including weather, tidal movement, moon phase, experience of divers and number of vessels. The Captain & Cruise Director will give a detailed briefing each evening for the following day’s dive schedule.The safety of all on board is paramount. The Cruise Director is always pleased to listen to requests from guests to visit or remain at certain sites and providing it is possible and the schedule allows, then guest’s requests are respected.
Palau Diving Highlights
Ulong Channel: This is often considered one of the best dives in Palau! This exhilarating drift dive has it all: hard & soft coral encrusted walls, schools of sharks and other pelagic action, a beautiful stand of lettuce coral as you drift through the channel, giant clams and plenty of groupers just to name a few. Keep your eyes open, seeing just about anything is possible on this dive!
Shark City: Southwest of Ulong Island, this wall dive is where currents attract many large pelagics from grey reef sharks to the occasional sighting of a bull shark or hammerhead. The wall drops to 50m (150ft) and is dotted with gorgonian fans. In the shallow waters huge lettuce corals host colourful anthias and Moorish idols. Bumphead parrotfish are regularly seen here and eagle rays are known to cruise the reef wall.
Blue Corner: This is Palau’s most famous dive site and has even been judged the top dive site worldwide! Steep sheer walls provide little shelter from fierce currents (reef hooks are usually recommended here). The currents bring black tip, white tip and grey reef sharks, plus huge schools of snapper, barracuda and jacks. Smaller creatures such as leaf fish and pipefish can be seen in amongst the coral gardens.
Blue Holes: Located just along the reef from Blue Corner, this large cavern has four “blue holes” at the top allowing natural light in from above. These rays of light make diving in the cavern a unique and amazing experience. White tips can be seen on the sandy bottom and there are numerous critters including dart fish and the flaming scallop lining the cavern walls.
German Channel: This channel was created by miners during the German occupation (1899 – 1914) to enable easier transportation of phosphates that were being mined. The mouth of the channel is a great place to spot manta rays feeding on plankton or visiting the cleaning station bommies. White tip and black tip sharks are also common here. The channel here is over 1km long and allows for great drift diving, and so usually visited more than once during your trip!
Iro Maru wreck: A Japanese oil supply ship, sunk during World War II by American forces lies upright in just 20m of clear blue water close to the harbour of Koror. The bow is encrusted with corals and the gun mounted there is clearly visible as you descend the mooring line. Large groupers are commonly seen whilst schools of batfish hover above.
Jake Sea Plane: A reconnaissance float plane that lies fully intact, making for incredible photographs. This site usually offers little current and great visibility, and has attracted octopus, cuttlefish and nudibrach who have made the plane wreck their home.
Peleliu Cut: Here you can experience some of the strongest currents of the trip due to converging ocean currents that flow around the archipelago. The cut is full of life – plenty of pelagics, sharks, jacks, barracuda, rainbow runners, snappers, tuna and sweetlips. Reef hooks are a must for this dive!
Jelly Fish Lake (snorkelling): One of 70 inland lakes in Palau, this one offers the incredible opportunity to swim (safely!) with golden jellyfish who have evolved over time to shed their stining cells. A really once in a lifetime experience.
Ready for your next adventure?
Great Escapes Diving Holidays Ltd
Combs Tannery
Tannery Road
Combs
Stowmarket
Suffolk
IP14 2EN
United Kingdom
Office hours: Mondays to Fridays, 9am - 5pm
Tel: 01449 535010
Email: info@greatescapesdiving.com
All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLcertificate

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