Palau, Micronesia 🇵🇼 - 7-Night Scuba Diving Liveaboard | Is it WORTH IT? What to Expect

I took an overnight flight. Thank you so much captain. Have a good night. And woke up the following morning to explore the tiny nation of Palau. Where is Palau? Located in Micronesia, it's an island nation southeast of the Philippines consisting of approximately 340 islands. The currency here is the U.S. dollar and because it was a strategic base between the U.S. and Japanese forces during World War II, there are a number of historic ruins of military communication centers and vehicles scattered about the island. There are even sunken warships which we explore later on in this video. The main drag of Karor, Palau's capital, is pretty small with a handful of resorts sprinkled throughout and a few areas for beach access, although they're quite limited. We chose to stay at Yogi Dives B&B which was a simple bed and breakfast and centrally located. It came equipped with a full kitchen and a standard double room along with a shared bathroom. Palau boasts some of the most diverse and vibrant marine ecosystems in the world. There's just an astounding array of marine life, coral gardens, and crystal clear waters. Personally, I recommend coming to Palau only if you're considering scuba diving. Truth be told, there just isn't much else to do otherwise and I think scuba diving is the best way to experience this island nation. I booked a liveaboard cruise with Sam's Tours about a month in advance. They're under the Master Liveaboard's umbrella and I've posted a link to their website in the description. After a quick debriefing, we hopped on the vessel called the Palau Siren for the excursion. Since this was my first liveaboard, I do want to go over the price breakdown real quick. I purchased the premium double cabin during a sale period which included pickup to and from the boat, unlimited food, accommodation, and around 22 total dives. Palau also charges each person a marine park fee as part of its commitment to marine conservation and there's also the option to rent a full scuba suit package during the entire stay. The boat was very well put together with a semi-rustic charm and an above deck area to catch some rays. The cabin itself was surprisingly spacious for two people with daily turnover and a private ensuite bathroom and shower with all the fixings. The food buffet was seemingly never-ending and all our dishes were freshly prepared by an on-site chef. Sunrises from the boat are always a treat and well worth getting up for. Breakfast and being woken up by a ukulele jam sesh was pretty funny. There are two skiffs that took us out on the open water. We took these out about four times a day and each trip showcased a different part of Palau and its dynamic scenery. Both the water temperature and visibility were on par with the perfect dive and it was just an absolute blast seeing all the different kinds of marine life below. The reefs were also some of the healthiest I've seen throughout my diving years. Everything is just so colorful and intact which made me one happy diver. Among the reefs there's also plenty of macro species to be found if you look closely. A popular location to spot manta rays is the dive site named German Channel. I won't spoil it just by talking so just take a look at the grace and beauty of these gentle observing them dance and float like giant spacecraft. When we reached a dive site called the Blue Corner we hooked in against the strong current to watch blacktip reef sharks swim about and get ready for feeding time. Diving in Palau also offers up several opportunities for some outrageous cave diving. There's a lot to unpack and explore within these systems so watch your NDL and stay with your dive buddy. We were fortunate with good visibility and quality torches to make navigating a lot easier. Wreck diving is also especially fun. We made a deep dive to explore a sunken World War II Japanese vessel that was not only overgrown with coral but had a few narrow passageways for swim throughs that put perfect buoyancy to the test. I live for these types of wrecks that captivate your imagination and allow for nature to begin slowly taking over and claiming the wreck as its own. After almost a week on the water I finally lived out my dream of scuba diving on the open waters with Master Liveaboards. The crew was absolutely fantastic in every sense of the word and we left with cherished memories from this experience. The big question, is it worth all the money? And the short answer for me is yes. While the sticker shock may put some people off it's the value and appreciation for the underwater grandeur that sealed it for me. I'm looking forward to maybe joining another one somewhere in the world in the near future. In my next video I travel to South Korea to reconnect with a kind local culture, explore all the massive bustling districts of Seoul, sample the food, and get an eye-opening experience of seeing North Korea. See you next time.