Safe, professional, knowledgeable, luxurious, fun: those are the words that I and my girlfriend (a diver with more than 30 years of experience all over the world) repeatedly BOTH use to describe our recent experience with Palau Dive Adventures (PDA) during our 2 week trip to Palau earlier this month when we discuss it with friends.

With respect to safety, PDA provides a level virtually unheard of in commercial recreational diving operations anywhere in the world by invariably using THREE dive masters per boat and limiting the number of clients per boat to maintain a ratio of roughly 1:3 dive masters to divers (NB- by comparison, Sam’s – perhaps THE major operator in Palau – boasts of a 1:8 ratio of dive masters to divers!). In tricky currents such as can occur in certain dive locations in Palau (e.g., Blue Corner or even Blue Hole itself), this can be critical to maintaining the safety of less experienced divers; regardless, it allows divers who, quite frankly, consume less air than others, to enjoy a longer experience underwater than their fellow divers who can surface as needed with one of the other two dive masters available underwater. (NB- nitrox users have their tanks tested and recorded on the spot by the dive masters before each dive, UNLIKE what both my girlfriend and I both have experienced elsewhere in the world).

As to being knowledgeable, both my girlfriend and I were impressed by the almost Phd-like recitation PDA’s dive masters (particularly Nick) gave during each outing when it came to not just IDENTIFYING the myriad of underwater flora and fauna at Palau’s spectacular dive sites but also relaying other interesting and informative tidbits, both about the country, WWII battles affecting the area and local events, recommended local eateries and the like. The breadth and depth of this information as it pertained to diving in particular included but was not limited to the following: (1) very detailed pre-dive descriptions of each dive site and what to expect in terms of safety considerations; (2) the specific types of coral and sea life to be found and how to identify it; and (3) any other pertinent information such as wrecks nearby.

Although we mention fun last when it comes to describing our recent experience diving with PDA (a first trip with them for both of us but not my girlfriend’s first dive trip to Palau), make no mistake about it- the folks at PDA are all about having fun (AFTER safety of course), which includes going WAY out of the way to make sure everyone aboard EACH boat on each dive trip was carefully attended to. This included voluminous cups of tea/fresh fruit for each diver after each preliminary and third daily dive; your choice of more than a DOZEN DIFFERENT luncheon selections after the second dive; very high quality dive boat jackets (both warm and waterproof/windproof) and water bottles kept filled repeatedly onboard and provided to divers after their trip is over, each LABELLED by diver name; gear bags and very high quality “chamois” towels (also personally labelled by diver).

To summarize, you CAN find less expensive diving in Palau if that’s your focus; however, for both my girlfriend’s and my money (and, in reality, not all that much more per dive for anybody else), you will NOT find a safer, more professional, knowledgeable or “funner” operation there. Bottom line: do yourself a favor and go with a first-class dive operator on EVERY level you could reasonably ask for (and then some) in a place that truly warrants it and choose Palau Dive Adventures. You’ll be glad you did, both while you’re there and when you get back.

My boyfriend and I dove 9 days with PDA, and in 30 yrs of diving, in 17 different sites worldwide, are the BEST I have had the pleasure of using!
Safety is #1, followed by luxurious service, followed by lots of fun! We had 10 divers the first week, 11the second, with 3 divemasters so they could carefully watch each diver and I more importantly, come up with the groups whose air usage differed. Therefore, I got to stay on the dive till I needed to come up rather than having the person who uses air more quickly determine the length of everyone's dive. In the rare days of inclement weather, we felt safe in Cap'n Dustin's hands at the helm! Their great experience and knowledge of the weather, currents, fish, sharks and sea life was impressive. With the exception of when we toured Pelelui, with an excellent guide to share the details of the WWII battle fought on that island, we did 3 dives/day. The Pelelui Land tour was optional and could do a 3rd dive if desired, which we did week 2.
I came back to Palau for a 2nd visit because the diving is amazing...fish, sharks, turtles, rays, barracuda, nudibranches, octopi, and we're talking schools and big numbers of them. At New Drop-off, we saw 20 turtles! We did Blue Corner 4 times(we begged to go back), using the reef hooks they taught us how to use safely, and each dive there was totally different!
The water was warm(82-84), so very few used full wetsuits. We were given our own water bottles to use and keep, big towels and windbreakers​ to use, and 1st surface interval were served hot tea/fresh fruit, and 2nd interval was Bento box lunches, chosen daily from a list of 18 choices! 1st week we had an engagement celebration so the guys provided them/us with cake, and the next week we had an anniversary celebration to enjoy more cake! Our Nitrox was free, our gear was taken care of for us from day 1, switching our tanks/gear for us. We saw/recorded our own Nitrox readings daily, which is a great safe practice. If a tank wasn't filled to 3000 psi by mistake, there were extra filled tanks available to use, as well as extra masks, etc.
Nick , Christian, and Allain were great..So much fun to talk to and spend time with, meeting for dinner with us on the last night before many left the first week! Dustin is an amazing Capt, and a lot of fun too. Jason is not only a DM, but has many yrs experience in Palau AND part owner of PDA! But he's very cool and down-to-earth, tho we traded him a lot!
Our first week dive boat was international: Scotland, New Zealand, China, Italy, Hungary and Abu Dhabi..And USA. Next week it was Germany and USA...So really cool to share country/cultural stories!
I can't forget to mention Cheryl..She is the personal concierge for everyone, including airport transportation ALWAYS in the wee hours, tour arranger, question-answerer about all things/services in Palau, money handler, car rental person, AND manages, somehow, to also be a wife and mother of two, AND get some sleep in-between!!! Cheryl, you are an undeniable and very necessary support for this company, that ensures it's smooth operation and makes it appear seamlessly done!
Grace, your emails were so prompt and friendly and you made booking diving AND our lodging easy and cheaper than doing it all ourselves..Thank you!
Chris, owner in CA, thank you...You've done a great job picking GREAT people to run PDA! Last time(2013) I was in Palau, our group used Neco Marine and there's no comparison. And Sam's ratio of DM:diver can be (per their website) 1:8, which means an experienced diver sch as myself is at the mercy of the novice's rate of air usage...No thanks! Keep up the attention to detail...PDA is the BEST!!