Arenui
The newest Siren fleet member, the 132-foot long purpose-built dive boat Palau Siren was launched in June 2012. There are eight large cabins, spacious dining room and dive deck, and expansive leisure deck with both covered and uncovered areas for relaxing. Newly crafted from ironwood and teak, this traditional Indonesian Phinisi has seven sails, gorgeous woodwork all through the vessel, and all the modern comforts divers expect.
Onboard you will find eight air-conditioned cabins for a maximum of sixteen guests. There are 2 fixed double bed cabins, 2 fixed twin, and 2 twin cabins that can be converted to doubles.. The cabins have private bathrooms, an audio-visual entertainment system, and little luxuries such as bathrobes, mood lighting, individual air-conditioning controls and hairdryers. Other amenities include a large cocktail bar with a 42-inch flat screen television, massages, laundry service, and a boutique. The dive deck is equipped with designated charging and preparation areas for camera and video equipment. Also onboard are two covered skiffs and kayaks. Nitrox is free for all Nitrox certified divers. Palau Siren departs from Koror to explore Palau’s best diving.
Palau Spawning Special Trips - 7 or 10 nights
During the New Moon Spawning special itinerary, thousands of bumphead parrotfish gather together in one area at one particular time each month. Building up to a spectacular showdown, males begin their display of dominance, attempting to attract as many mating partners as possible. As females continue to gather, the school spills out into the blue where the tension erupts into a climatic mating dance.
During full moon, red snappers aggregate to show their own similar spawning spectacle full of energy and excitement. Not surprisingly, these events also attract the biggest predators in Palau such as oceanic blacktip sharks, grey reef sharks and on rare occasions even hammerheads. Watch how they hunt actively within the large school of spawning fish. It is something only a select few people ever get to witness and you can now be one of them.
In addition to these special spawning dives, you will have the opportunity to experience ‘Blackwater’ diving in Palau. Imagine rolling off the boat in the pitch black of night, sometimes many miles away from the shallow water of the reefs, to watch one of the largest migrations on earth as all manner of weird and wonderful creatures from the depths head closer to the surface to feed.
From post larval fish to Cephalopods, many smaller than your finger nail, these amazing dives present some of weirdest creatures you are ever likely to see without a submarine.
During the period of the cruise when the spawning occurs, your Cruise Director will give a number of presentations about these unique dives. These informative talks will cover everything from the ecology of these events to the best way to photograph them. For the diving, the group will be split into two teams of eight divers to witness these spectacular events, thereby maximizing the experience and ensuring that we only observe, not interfere with, this spectacular behavior.
