Travellingman reisverhalen - - Koror
Day 6: Donderdag 21 maart 2019
Koror

The first night on the ship I did not sleep very well. Around 6 o'clock to 6.30 am the sun rises. After a coffee we went for breakfast. A small but nice buffet with enough choice of fruit, bacon and eggs and a muesli. After breakfast we received a safety instruction so that we knew what the dangers of the ship are (for example slippery floors), but also what we had to do in the event of an alarm. The session ended with a photo on which we are all wearing a life jacket.



We were divided into 3 groups and divided into 2 smaller boats (skiffs), which would take us to the dive sites. For each dive we receive a briefing from the dive site and the possible dangers and details. The group of Martin and me were the first to go to a crashed seaplane, the Jake Sea Plane. You would think it is American, but that is only the name which was given by the Americans to the Japanese type Aichi E13A. The Japanese used the aircraft in World War II. As far as we know it just crashed and was not shot down. The right float and some other parts have broken off, but are still close to the aircraft itself. The visibility during our dive was not very good. The wreck is not very overgrown and therefore the shape is clearly visible. In the area there are many table corals with between (and under) various fish. 1 of us even discovered a upside down jellyfish. But sponges also grow wildly. Furthermore, a number of boxworms. The dive was not deep (14 meters) and after 55 minutes we were at the surface again. We were picked up by the skiff and after a short return trip we could prepare ourselves for lunch on the ship.

The chefs Michael and Edison had done their best to ensure that our stomachs were properly filled again. The hostesses Ann and Roxy provided the necessary service.

After lunch I relaxed on one of the sofas in the lounge while others were busy with their equipment or sitting in the sun. Around 3 p.m. it was time for the next dive briefing. Our group would now go to the Teshio Maru wreck. A Japanese ship that was sunk on 30 March 1944. The ship is on its side and is well overgrown with whip corals, lettuce coral, leaf coral and beautiful deer coral itself. There were also different fish. We also saw a black nudibranch, sea cucumber and a yellow speckled flatworm. After more than an hour, we were back on surface again with a diving depth of 23 meters.

With the skiff we were brought back to the ship where we washed out our diving suits, rested and ate a snack around 5 pm.

At 6 pm the following briefing for a dive on the Hafa Adai. It is a small passenger boat that operated a ferry service between Palau and Guam. Little is known about it, but the story goes that it was intentionally sunk in order to collect insurance money. At 6.30 pm we went back into the water. It was already dark under water and therefore had to use our lamps for this night dive. The vegetation was varied and colorful and there were various shrimps and nudibranchs. Furthermore, a filefish and starfish. After an hour we fished the dive, with a maximum diving depth of 20 meters. With the skiff we were brought back to the ship, where we washed our things again.

Now that the last dive of the day had been, I took a beer and went to dinner. A good and various choose of food. It took me some time to remember all the names of the group members, something that hostess Ann didn't seem to have a problem with. Around 10 o'clock most were already in bed, I didn't make it much later.

Initial publication: 28 april 2019
Last update: 12 mei 2019
© A. Heeroma

  • Travel route

Palau tour
ğDay 1 Home - Taipei
ğDay 2 Taipei
ğDay 3 Taipei - Koror
ğDay 4 Koror
ğDay 5 Koror
ğDay 6 Koror
ğDay 7 Koror - Ulong
ğDay 8 Ulong
ğDay 9 Ulong - Ngemelis
ğDay 10 Ngemelis
ğDay 11 Ngemelis
ğDay 12 Ngemelis
ğDay 13 Ngemelis
ğDay 14 Ngemelis - Koror
ğDay 15 Koror - Taipei
ğDay 16 Taipei - Home

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