Dive Review of Eclipse and Safari liveaboards/Safari in
Micronesia/Palau

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Eclipse and Safari liveaboards/Safari, Jan, 2012, by Jennifer Widom, CA, US ( Contributor 12 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 6399.
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	Palau diving is typically either land-based (2-3 dives per day with long speedboat rides) or via one of the well-known liveaboards (e.g., Aggressor, Dancer, Ocean Hunter) that carry up to 20 divers doing 4-5 dives per day. There's a third option many are not aware of: Two small liveaboards, Eclipse and Safari, cater to 2-4 divers. You reap the advantages of sleeping at the best sites and diving several times a day, while getting a more customized, personal experience than on the bigger liveaboards. Furthermore, with four passengers (and free drinks!) the total cost can undercut even the least expensive of the large liveaboards, significantly. Both boats are owned by John McCready and are affiliated with Sam's, where they dock. John normally captains the Eclipse, a 48' sailboat; his wife Charlie is the cook/divemaster. Our family of four chartered Safari, a 36' powerboat. Safari is nicely laid out with a comfortable master suite, a forward cabin with two small single beds, a galley, dining table, air-conditioning, three small deck areas, and a dive platform that works well for up to four divers. Even though we had a dinghy along, we were able to dive all sites easily from the main boat. Safari isn't perfect: She could use a quieter/faster compressor (apparently it's coming), a larger supply of fresh water, and a bit more shade, but we won't actually complain -- we loved the boat. We had two crew: Jason the captain, and René the cook/divemaster. They worked together very well, getting amazing amounts done yet always seeming relaxed. Jason, a friendly American who's built, lived on, and piloted boats a good part of his adult life, was extremely competent at both driving the boat and keeping all of its systems humming. René, a charismatic and fun-loving German, runs a popular restaurant on Malakal Island with his wife. The food on board was truly gourmet, the best we've ever had on a liveaboard. (And since it was a private charter, the food could be customized to our tastes.) In addition to being an amazing cook and an excellent divemaster, René was a fount of information on just about any topic -- fun company and a perfect "cruise director" for our family. As for the diving itself, what is there to say about Palau that hasn't been said a thousand times already? Blue Corner and New Dropoff had ripping currents and were teeming with sharks and large schools of fish. German Channel yielded lengthy encounters with multiple mantas each time we dove it. Other sites boasted healthy coral, beautiful walls, innumerable turtles, a few eagle rays, stingrays, eels, sea snakes, etc. The macro creatures weren't as numerous as, say, Indonesia or the Philippines, but they were made up for by the good visibility and frequent company of the big stuff. Our dive schedule on Safari had us doing four one-hour dives per full day, starting at 7:00am and finishing just after dusk. (We managed three dives the day we set out, and two dives plus Jellyfish Lake on the last day.) The wide spacing of the dives was useful and safe, given that some of them pushed our computers close to the no-deco limit. Where we dove was a decision made jointly between our desires and René's knowledge of currents, tides, and when each site was at its best. We also managed to plan our dives so we rarely encountered other groups underwater, no small feat given the hundreds of divers out there from the other liveaboards and the many dayboats. In summary, for a group of 2-4 divers who want the "hard core" Palau diving experience, great crew, great food, a comfortable boat, and no company, consider Safari (or Eclipse, though we don't have first-hand experience to report). Depending on your group, it could even be surprisingly easy on your wallet.
Websites	Eclipse and Safari liveaboards
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Worldwide
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, currents, no currents
Water Temp	82-83°F / 28-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	All dives were about an hour.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	No dedicated camera/charging area but it's a private liveaboard so no problem creating one.

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Dive Review of Eclipse and Safari liveaboards/Safari in Micronesia/Palau

Eclipse and Safari liveaboards/Safari, Jan, 2012,

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 Eclipse and Safari liveaboards/Safari in
Micronesia/Palau