Group tour Palau – A bucket list destination for divers (SOLD OUT)
Travel period
Features
Starting from
Group trip Palau - A liveaboard trip to the heart of Micronesia
- Travel dates: October 13 to 27, 2027
- Liveaboard dates: October 15 to 25, 2027
- Route: Best of Palau Special (Malakal – Koror)
- Stay: 10 nights on a full board basis
- Dive level: from Advanced Open Water, minimum 50 logged dives
- Number of dives: Approx. 25 dives, 3 to 4 dives per day
In October 2027, we are organizing a special group trip to Palau, one of the most impressive diving destinations in the world. This island group in Micronesia is known for its exceptionally healthy reefs, enormous biodiversity and spectacular underwater landscapes. For many divers, Palau is a real bucket list destination, and not without reason.
This liveaboard trip is all about diving at the highest level. Palau offers an unprecedented variety of dive sites: from colorful coral gardens and steep walls to mysterious caves and impressive World War II wrecks. Drift dives are among the absolute highlights here, with great chances of encounters with sharks, manta rays, turtles and huge schools of fish. Iconic dive sites such as Blue Corner and Jellyfish Lake make this trip extra special, as do the many pristine reefs and wall dives that make Palau so legendary.
We stay aboard the luxurious liveaboard Black Pearl, a comfortable and stylish ship fully equipped for divers. On board you will find spacious cabins, nice common areas and a Jacuzzi to relax after diving. The professional crew provides a relaxed atmosphere, excellent service and of course well-organized dives, so you can fully focus on enjoying yourself – above and below water.
Participants for this group trip
Available spots: 0,maximum group size: 10
For this trip we have a total of 10 spots available, of which 9 are currently definitely booked, 1 is in option. Would you like to be notified when another spot might become available? Then please contact us.
Booked participants, including age:
- Woman: 60, 48
- Male: 43, 44, 60, 55, 56, 42, 42
Tour guide: Robbert op’t Hof
Go on a trip with Robbert op ‘t Hof (42), one of the owners of EWDR and also an enthusiastic diver. He has been to many places and many of these trips were group trips. He knows better than anyone how much fun it is to discover new dive sites together and share underwater experiences.
Average temperatures
Wetsuit advice for diving in Palau
Diving in Palau is very pleasant all year round. Therefore, a 3mm wetsuit is sufficient.
What will you experience on this diving vacation?
View itinerary here
Day 1 to 3 | The journey to Koror, Palau
October 13 to 15, 2027
Day 1 and 2: You will depart from Europe to Koror, with a flight to Taipei, Taiwan. Depending on your departure point, this may be a direct flight or with a stopover, making your travel time between 13 and 16 hours. After arrival, you will spend the night near the airport in Taipei.
Day 3: In the morning, fly to Koror in about 4.5 hours. Upon arrival you will meet your driver, identified by a sign reading “M/Y Black Pearl.” In about 30 minutes you will arrive at the Black Pearl Liveaboard. Boarding can begin at 3 p.m., so if you arrive early, wait a while at the airport. After a welcome drink and briefing, you can enter your cabin. A safety briefing will follow around 6 p.m., but there will be no diving on the first day.
Day 4 & 5 | Diving at Ulong Channel, Siaes Corner, Siaes Tunnel & Shark City
October 16 to 17, 2027
In the morning, the Black Pearl will leave Koror harbor and sail south. There are some great dive sites scheduled over the next few days.
- Sand Bar / Sandy Paradise: On the west side of Palau’s barrier reef is Sandy Bar, a sloping coral garden about 5 meters deep, descending to a sandy bottom at 25 meters. The reef is covered with hard corals and there are a variety of reef fish, garden eels, rays and eagle rays.
- Ulong Channel: known as one of the best drift dives in the world. The narrow channel is famous for its sharks and seasonal spawning activity.
- Siaes Corner: this popular spot is a gathering place for gray reef sharks, horse mackerel and barracuda during high tide. You’ll also see Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles eating corals. The turtles are so focused on their meal that they barely notice the divers.
- Siaes Tunnel: a unique location with an underwater cave that has three openings from the reef wall. Ideal for macro photography, the largest entrance begins at a depth of 28 meters and the cave descends to deeper than 45 meters, with a vertical cliff up to 65 meters.
- Shark City: this finger-shaped dive site has slopes, vertical walls and canyons that descend to a sandy bottom. The strong currents and ocean swells make it challenging, but it is home to gray reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, barracudas and snappers.
A typical diving day looks like this:
06:00 – Wake-up call
06:30 – 07:00 – Hot drinks and light breakfast, followed by briefing and Dive #1
08:30 – Full breakfast, time to relax
10:30 – Briefing and Dive #2
12:30 – Lunch, time to relax
14:30 – Briefing and Dive #3
16:00 – Afternoon snacks and drinks, free time
18:30 – 19:00 – Briefing Dive #4.
19:00 – Dinner or a sunset or night dive
20:30 – Dinner and briefing on next day’s planning, free time
Day 6 | Diving at German Channel
Oct. 18, 2027
German Channel is a man-made shallow channel that connects the lagoon with the outer reef connects. The canal was created by the Germans in the early 1900s to create phosphated minerals of the island Angaur to the port of Koror. This narrow passage separates the islands Ngemelis and Ngercheu and forms a link between the inner lagoon and the open sea. Nowadays, many manta rays the channel and feed on the plankton brought in by the strong currents. The cleaning station is located at 18 meters depth and the beautiful coral garden is between 7 and 13 meters depth. In addition to manta rays you can also find eagle rays, garden eels, snappers, barracudas, trevallies, reef sharks and many species of schooling fish.
Day 7 & 8 | Blue Corner, Blue Holes, New Drop Off, Big Drop Off
October 19 to 20, 2027
Over the next few days, explore some of Palau’s most spectacular dive sites and enjoy breathtaking underwater landscapes and diverse marine life:
- Blue Corner: this is without a doubt the most famous dive site in Palau. This famous location offers strong currents that attract sharks, rays and other pelagic species. You dive onto a plateau that suddenly disappears hundreds of meters into the abyss.
- Blue Holes: a beautiful cave diving site with sunlight shining through ceiling openings, ideal for photography. Explore colonies of boulder and cabbage coral and spot unusual nudibranchs and scorpion fish, among others.
- Big Drop Off: a world-famous wall dive with a nearly 300-meter drop off. Admire the colorful corals and sea fans and spot turtles and various fish species.
- New Drop Off: Similar to Blue Corner. This location mainly attracts gray reef sharks and schools of Snappers, barracudas and napoleon fish.
Day 9 & 10 | Diving at Peleliu
Oct. 21 to 22, 2027
Over the next two days, explore the fascinating dive sites around Peleliu, a small island in southern Palau:
- Peleliu Wall: On the west side of Peleliu you will find this spectacular wall dive. The wall starts at a depth of 20 meters and descends to more than 200 meters, with schools of fish and large pelagic species.
- Orange Beach: on the east side, this site is known for World War II artifacts such as tanks and planes. The sandy bottom and reef are home to eagle rays, turtles and reef sharks.
- Peleliu Express: located at the southern tip, famous for strong currents. Drift along the wall and see sharks, rays and schools of fish.
- Peleliu Cut: on the north side, a notch in the reef leads to a lagoon, with schools of fish and reef sharks.
- West Wall: also on the west side, famous for its beautiful wall diving and diverse marine life such as sharks, turtles and schools of fish.
Day 11 & 12 | Wrecks, Drop-offs and Chandelier Cave
October 23 to 24, 2027
Also during your last two diving days during this dive vacation you will dive at some amazing dive sites. These sites include pristine coral gardens, steep precipices, blue holes and historic World War II shipwrecks around Malakal Harbor.
- Iro: The Iro, a World War II Japanese naval oil tanker, lies at a depth of 30 to 40 meters. The 143-meter-long wreck offers rich marine life, with snappers, horse mackerel and barracuda.
- Jake’s Seaplane: This wreck of a seaplane is located in Palau’s lagoon at a depth of 15 meters. Ideal for wreck and reef diving, with colorful reef fish.
- Chuyo Maru Wreck: The Chuyo Maru, a Japanese freighter, offers a popular diving site with many lionfish.
- Chandelier Cave: this cave at a depth of 8 meters offers underwater tunnels and beautiful crystalline formations, suitable for adventurous divers.
You will also visit Jellyfish Lake where you can snorkel with the unique Golden Jellyfish. Due to exceptional weather conditions, the Golden Jellyfish population has been severely reduced since October 2021. Despite this, the excursion to Jellyfish Lake is still conducted, as there are still many Moon Jellyfish to be seen.
Spend the last night in Malakal Harbor, with free time for paddleboarding, kayaking or snorkeling.
Day 13 to 15 | Return home
Oct. 25 to 27, 2027
Wake up to breakfast on board between 06:30 and 07:00. Leave the liveaboard around 8 a.m. and head to Koror International Airport for your flight to Taipei. You will stay overnight in Taipei and fly home the next day.
You can extend the trip with an extended stay on the Black Pearl. They also directly sail the unique bumphead spawning trip after this trip. Alternatively, there are options for a (dive) resort on Palau or a beach vacation in the Philippines. There are direct flights between Koror and Manila.
The liveaboard
The ship and cabins
M/Y Black Pearl
The M/Y Black Pearl Explorer is a luxurious 46-meter vessel, perfect for divers seeking comfort. The ship accommodates 24 guests in a variety of cabins, including two Master Seaview cabins. Each cabin has air conditioning, LED TV, wireless charging pods, universal outlets and a private bathroom with eco-friendly amenities. The ship has excellent diving facilities, including a waterline-level dive deck, an indoor gear station and a dedicated camera station. Two fiber optic transmitters make diving expeditions smooth. Safety is a priority with comprehensive safety equipment. Relaxation is available on the main deck with an outdoor lounge, bar, hot tub, and on the upper deck with an entertainment lounge and 360° views of Palau.
All cabins have private bathrooms, air conditioning, a safe, reading lights, international plugs and safe, reading lights, international plugs and USB charging ports.
2 x Master Seaview Cabins (18m2) – Cabin 301 & 302
These cabins are on the upper deck, have large windows and feature a queen double bed.
4 x Seaview Cabins (16m2) – Cabin 201 to 204
These cabins are on the middle deck, have large windows and with twin beds or queen bed and large windows.
6 x Deluxe Cabins (14m2) – Cabins 101 to 106
These cabins are on the lower deck and have portholes and only two twin beds.
Travel costs
What is included
This diving vacation to Palau is available from € 5.358 per person. The diving trip can be expanded as desired. A number of things are included by default in this travel package.
Prices are subject to price changes, increases or changing exchange rates. Flights are always based on the cheapest possible booking class.
Want to know more about this diving vacation to Palau? Get in touch with us!
Included in this diving trip, from € 5.358 p.p.
- 10 nights in a deluxe cabin
- Accommodation on full board basis
- Water, coffee, tea and other hot beverages
- Dive package consisting of approximately 25 dives
- SMB & Reef Hook
- Return transfers Koror Airport - Liveaboard
- Use of Nitrox
- VZR & Administration fee
Excluding
- Flights from € 1.500 p.p.
- Marine Park Fee for Peleliu approx. € 57 p.p.
- Park and harbor fees (payable on board) from € 145 p.p.
✈︎ The quoted (international) flight prices are indicative prices and based on departures from Europe. However, we can arrange flights from any location worldwide. Booking your own flights is of course also possible.
Optional
- Diving equipment, without dive computer from € 45 per day
- Tipping, approx. from € 150 p.p.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Internet via Satellite
Email this diving holiday
Want to save or share the details of this diving trip with someone? You can do so by sending the trip by email.
Where may we send the email to?
Frequently asked questions about diving on the Black Pearl
Group trip
This depends on each group trip we do. On this liveaboard there is a maximum of 24 divers. We try to fill our group with at least 10 divers.
You can certainly participate on your own! Most participants of our group tours come solo. This also makes it so much fun, you get to know people right away and have dive buddies right away. Joining the group trip as a couple is, of course, also allowed.
Yes, we create a group app in advance so participants can get to know each other and receive practical info.
Basically, you share a room with someone of the same sex; the price of the trip is based on this. Would you rather have your own room? Sometimes this is possible, but not always. Book on time to guarantee a private room and factor in an additional cost if you want the cabin to yourself.
If there are 8 or more participants, a trip leader from EWDR will accompany you. With fewer participants, this is a buddy trip, where you will always have remote assistance from EWDR should the need arise. We are available 24/7.
There may be additional costs if you want to rent diving equipment, drink alcohol, etc., for example. It is listed under “included in this trip” what is included in the group trip.
During this trip we make dives suitable only for divers who are at least Advanced Open Water certified. So everyone has at least this level.
You can always skip a dive, but doing another activity is not possible during a liveaboard.
Diving in the Galapagos Islands general information
At least Advanced Open Water certified and at least 50 logged dives are required.
Diving from the liveaboard and small dive boats sailing with the big boat. Combination of wreck diving, coral diving, drift diving and cave diving (not deep).
3 to 4, except on arrival and day before departure.
Yes, but you can’t learn to dive here.
Diving equipment
The tanks are DIN, but can also be used with adapter to INT
Yes, for the 10-night trip it costs 150 USD P.P.
Yes, is included in the price.
Yes, for the 10 nights it costs 450 USD P.P.
Liveaboard
No, it does have satellite internet and you can buy a SIM card for $11.
Yes. Unless you also take the second spot off against 80% of the price.
From the smaller submarines.
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