PADI Travel Network along with hosts Sam's Tours in Palau in September 2010

Photo:
© Gunther Deichmann
Alii (Hello) Everyone!
The PADI Diving
Society and TY Sawyer are headed for Palau in
September 2010. Yes, PALAU!
PADI Travel
Network along with hosts
Sam's Tours
and
Palau Royal Resort are set for this
awesome event
September
15-24, 2010. Sam's and Palau Royal are known for
their Five Star service and attention to
detail

,
you will not be
disappointed.
Palau,
the eighth marine wonder of the world is known for
its world-class diving, including famous sites like
Blue Corner, German Channel and Ulong Channel.
Experience drift diving over spectacular walls,
explore WWII wrecks and amazing close encounters with
exotic marine life. In September 2009 Palau was named
the world's first Shark Sanctuary so you'll see
plenty of
these
magnificent creatures first-hand. Palau's wonders

are
not just limited to the sea - the breathtaking
Rock
Islands
are a sight worth traveling for and a
snorkeling
trip
to famous Jellyfish Lake will show you that not all
jellyfish are created equal.
Pricing starts at
$2250 US per person for eight nights accommodations,
five days of three tank boat dives, three meals
daily, free enriched air, and much
more.
And
with all the Society shenanigans you can handle

(aka,
parties, contests, prizes and your loyal
staff!)
you
wont want to miss this week. I hope you'll
consider joining
us in Palau and discover where the rainbow truly
ends.
If you want more
information, Karin Sahm is standing-by to answer all
of your travel questions. Email
Karin or give her a
call at 800 736-7021, ext. 165.
Of
course, you can
email me or call 800 729
7234 or
+1
949 858 7234, ext. 2322, as
well.
Hope to see you
all in Palau!
Kind
regards,
Theresa
Kaplan (formerly
Gulledge)
Manager, PADI Diving Society
A PADI Diving Society Event; 15 - 24 September 2010 - Join Us. See Life. In Palau.
Join Us. See Life. In Palau.
A PADI Diving Society Event; 15 - 24 September
2010

Photo Courtesy © Gunther
Deichmann
Join PADI Diving Society for nine adventurous days
and eight magical nights in Palau at
the Palau Royal
Resort.
You'll enjoy five days of three-tank boat diving
with PADI Five Star
Dive Center Sam's Tours.
with special guests, including Sport Diver's Ty
Sawyer.
Read more @
Join Us. See Life. In
Palau.
Announcement: Sam's Tours and GD Photo Workshops Adventure Travel with your Digital Camera in Palau
Adventure Travel with your
Digital Camera in Paradise...
one of Natures best kept secret!

No Photoshop! Natural reflection in the amazing Rock
Islands
Palau Micronesia. Original Image is in color,
converted into
Black & White using the Monochrome Mixer in
Aperture 2.
For detailed information please go
to GD Photo Workshops
June 18 - 25, 2010
Palau
Micronesia
GD
Photo Workshop in Palau...Natures best kept secret,
final details to be announced shortly,
"ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS"
Only 7 spaces remaining!
10
participant limit!
This Workshop is filling fast!
If you want to see "inside" Palau better
book your space now! More info @
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/index.html
or contact Sam’s Tours @
http://www.samstours.com/
Late NEWS: A Hero’s Welcome for Palau President Johnson Toribiong, the Shark Sanctuary is a reality now
KOROR, PALAU, 9/28/2009, 7:45 p.m.
A Hero’s Welcome for Palau
President Johnson Toribiong.

A well deserved and warm
welcome to
Palau President H.E. Johnson Toribiong
Palau President H.E. Johnson Toribiong arrived home
moments ago to a hero’s welcome at Koror
International Airport, Palau. The founder of Palau
Shark Sanctuary, Dermot Keane, Managing Director of
Palau dive shop Sam’s Tours, was on hand to greet the
President and thanked him for declaring Palau a Shark
Sanctuary.
The large
welcome committee included grateful members of the
Palauan community who greeted President Toribiong
with flower leis and loud applause upon his arrival.
Palauans are understandably proud of their President
who declared Palau as a Shark Sanctuary during his
recent address to the United Nations, General
Assembly, on Friday, September 25,
2009.

A warm welcome...Dermot Keane
from the Shark Sanctuary &
President Toribiong from Palau at the arrival only
hours ago at the Palau airport
Despite his long journey from Washington D.C. to
Palau, the President was clearly moved by the warm
reception and graciously thanked everyone for showing
up to welcome him. Palau Shark Sanctuary once again
thanks and admires President Toribiong for his
landmark declaration of Palau as a Shark
Sanctuary.
Palau Shark
Sanctuary was founded in 2001 with a goal of securing
a declaration by Palau that the waters of their
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are a Shark
Sanctuary.
For
more information visit: www.sharksanctuary.com
or
www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com
Palau Visitors Authority Staff gets Compliments...
“We were then met by our guide and Marketing Representative from the PVA – the excellent Mr Kadoi Ruluked – who was to be with us for our trip. Kadoi was a fountain of knowledge and an obvious love of all things Palau related...”
© Gunther
Deichmann
- Bai, traditional meeting
House
It’s an early start with a full day ahead
of us. We are staying at the Palasia Hotel located in
the centre of Koror. The room I am in has views
across the tree-tops out to the sea, other rooms have
town views. The Palasia is one of Palau’s better
hotels and has approximately 165 rooms configured
around a central open atrium. The hotel is especially
popular with Asian tourists (mainly from Taiwan,
Japan and Korea) although there were also a number of
European divers staying there as well.
Breakfast (and indeed Dinner) was on a buffet basis
and although there do appear to be ‘a la carte’
options many of the hotels provide buffets for their
meals. Interestingly the dining room was very busy
between 07.00am and 08.00am and thereafter pretty
much empty. Primarily this is because many people
visiting Palau are taking part in daily tour
activities such as diving, island tours, kayaking
etc. Operators like Sam’s Tours (see
more later) collect their guests from the hotels
and then assist them back later that day. Very few
of the hotels actually have their own dive
operator or tour centre in-house and instead the
typical model is for the hotels to concentrate on
accommodation and for the tours and trips to be
provided by external operators. Similarly, very
few of the Dive Centres appear have their own
accommodation or resorts.
Just a word on tourism in Palau; it’s proximity to
the rest of mainland Asia means that it is a popular
destination for Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean
visitors. There are also a number of arrivals from
China. However, diving is the main draw and it is
rightly considered to be one of the best diving
destinations in the world – this means that there are
also steadily increasing numbers of European.
Australian, SE Asian and US divers coming to
experience the underwater world.
Breakfast at the Palasia was similar to many others –
a combination of Western and Asian flavours. We were
then met by our guide and Marketing Representative
from the PVA – the excellent Mr Kadoi
Ruluked – who was to be with us for
our trip. Kadoi was a fountain of knowledge and an
obvious love of all things Palau related. Our plan
today was to see as many of the hotels, resorts
and operators as possible during the course of the
day. First stop was West Plaza by the Sea.
The West Plaza group own 5 hotels throughout the
Koror area and they are very popular with visiting
divers. Indeed Sam’s Tours provide some excellent
value Diving / Touring packages using West Plaza as
the accommodation. West Plaza hotels have basic but
clean and efficient rooms, with television, a.c, tea
and coffee making facilities etc and are ideal for
those on a budget who wish to concentrate their
resources on diving and touring. Blue Horizons will
provide you with more details of flights,
accommodation and diving packages for these hotels.
Next stop was Palau Plantation Resort which has more
traditional buildings set in tropical gardens on the
side of a small cultivated valley. Definitely popular
with the Japanese market the rooms range from simple
to high end.
We then briefly called into IMPAC Tours who provided
some welcome cold drinks (March temperatures being a
warm and sunny 36 degrees). IMPAC provide a range of
tours and diving trips primarily for the Japanese
market.
Our final stop prior to lunch was to call into the
Palau International Coral Reef Center. The PICRC is
located on the water on the south west tip of Koror.
It is an autonomous government project and non-profit
organisation designed to highlight Palau’s marine
bio-diversity and to act as an educational / tourist
tool. Of course nothing beats seeing the marine world
in its natural habitat but this is an interesting
place to visit for an hour or so. There are a number
of themed aquariums and a great deal of visitor
information is available.
Lunch was spent at the impressive Elilai Restaurant.
Elilai is a set on a side of the hill of Ngerkebesang
and has stunning views across the sea to the
neighbouring islands. It is just 5 – 10 minutes drive
from downtown Koror. Owner Takuya Mizokami and his
team have prepared an interesting fusion menu and a
modern dining space that is open and breezy. This is
well worth visiting during a visit to Palau. The
highlight of lunch for many was a perfectly fresh
piece of tuna lightly fried and served ‘fish and chip
style’!
Our afternoon continued with a visit to the Cliffside
Hotel. Previously this was a very popular choice with
Diving guests but has undergone a number of
management changes over the past couple of years and
some feedback has been a little negative. Rooms are
big and spacious and it is to be hoped that the
current management can restore the Hotel’s
reputation.
Next up was Neco Marine one of the larger dive
operators in Palau. They have a solid reputation and
a good location with some excellent looking boats
moored up to their dock.
Our final stop of the day was at Sam’s Tours where I
met old friends and some new ones (hello Adela and
Russelle) for the first time. Sam’s Tours
considered to be one of the best Dive Operators in
the Pacific and probably the world. No space here
to do them justice so a full report on Sam’s to
follow tomorrow.
At day end we returned back to Palasia for a tour of
the hotel and facilities (include fitness centre,
pool area, bar, restaurant etc) and a very pleasant
meal where we joined by Janine Wong (General Manager)
and Janice Aguon (Asst Manager - Sales and
Marketing).
Finally, after wrestling with the vagaries of wi-fi
access, it was time to head off to the room. The next
day was a Rock Islands tour day and one which
everyone was very much looking forward to….
TRAVEL AND TOUR EXPO PHILIPPINES...a big success for the Travel industry locally and worldwide
Great attendance at the
TTE...reporting in almost real Time
from the venue at the Mall of Asia SMX

Mall
of Asia SMX Travel & Tour
Expo
The
second day at the
Travel&Tour Expo in Manila has been
another success for the Palau Visitors Authority and
participating Operators.
Of course with the support of Continental Airlines
and their special packages from as low as
US$ 495.
- for 3 days.
(for more
info see the previous Blog from
Friday)
Tomorrow
is the last day of the Show, so you better hurry up
and book your next vacation at Continental Airlines
or Visit the PVA Palau Visitors Authority Booth at
the Travel and Trade Expo Mall of Asia complex SMX
for your Dream Vacation above and below the waves.
Thinking of getting Married? Then you have to check
out the Palau Pacific Resort, they can make all the
arrangement for you’re wedding and an unforgettable
Honeymoon in Paradise.

Smiling faces at the
PVA Booth:
visit-palau.com
Left: representative from
Fish n’Fins & Ocean
Hunter, Carol Ngiraidis Vice
President/CFO
Dolphins Pacific, Darin d Leon General
Manager and CEO
Palau Visitors Authority
(PVA), Adela M. Balangkig
Accounting Manager
Sam,’s Tours, Loreen Sugiyama
Marketing
Palau Pacific Resort (PPR)
and Lutchie
Jorge
PVA Sales and Marketing
Representative.
Continental Airlines, located right next to
the Palau Visitors Authority Booth, PVA
Saturdays huge Crowd
LATE NEWS! Dive...Palau! for as low as US$495.00 for 3 days, with Continental Airlines

FOR
MOR INFO AND PRESS RELEASES GO
TO:
http://www.ptaatraveltourexpo.com.ph/
Super
Special from Continental Airlines at the Manila 16th
TRAVEL TOUR EXPO
Travel
Period: January 21-march,2009
Dive Palau! -2 for as low as
US$ 495.- for 3 days...
Palau
is only
2.1/2 hours away from Manila.
Including roundtrip economy
class airfare to Palau,two (2) nights hotel
accommodation,daily hotel breakfast and roundtrip
airport transfers. For more information and
reservation, please call Continental Airlines at;
818-8701 or 032 -233-7533 in Cebu City. Or contact
your local Travel Agent.
The Continental Airline Booth is right next to Palau
Visitors Authority.
Palau
Visitors Booth (PVA) Darin de Leon from PVA
and representatives from the Tour and Resort
Operators.
http://www.visit-palau.com/
Palau Visitors Authority
participation in the 16th TravelTour Expo 2009 in
Manila, held at February 6 to 8 at Halls 2, 3 & 4
of SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. Participating
Tour and Resort Operators from Palau:
Dolphins Pacific,
Palau Pacific Resort
(PPR) Fish‘n Fins, Ocean Hunter &
Sam’s Tours
had all their
representatives in the PVA Booth.
The TravelTour Expo was conceptualized by PTAA in
1994 to showcase the products and services of its
members. Since then, the show has evolved into a much
awaited annual industry event, covering practically
all segments of the travel business.
After its successful move to SMX Convention Center
this year, preparations are again underway for the
16th TravelTour Expo 2009 which will take place on
February 6 to 8 at Halls 2, 3 & 4 of SMX
Convention Center, Pasay City.
With the theme “Travel in Style” , the event features
two new segments – lifestyle (which will cover travel
accessories, health and wellness products and
services, culinary schools, car rentals and the like)
and food sellers with lounge areas.
PLEASE
STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER MORE IN DEPTHS UPDAYE SHORTLY,
DIRECT FROM THE TRAVEL EXPO IN
MANILA.
Palau reveals new fish species... Pacific dives recover novel fish... The bright blue damselfish is finally in the hands of science, blue damselfish found 120m down off Palau
for the images and Video please go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7564126.stm
Pacific dives recover novel fish...Marine biologists being filmed for a BBC TV series have confirmed an astonishing 13 new fish species on a single expedition in the Pacific Ocean.
The bright blue damselfish is finally in the hands of science.
The researchers have a further 15 animals they think may also be new to science but require additional study. The haul comes from deep dives made across reefs in Micronesia. The quest to find the novel fish is detailed in the series Pacific Abyss and includes the capture of a long-sought and spectacular damselfish. The team concentrated its efforts on waters referred to as the "twilight zone".
Sited some 60m (200ft) to 150m (500ft) down, this is a transition region between depths that still receive some sunlight during the daytime and waters that are in perpetual darkness.
The twilight zone is rarely explored, being below the activity of normal scuba activity but above the operations of most submersibles.
The scientists had to use sophisticated closed-circuit rebreather gear to avoid decompression problems. Even so, for safety reasons, their dives were strictly time-limited, and each sortie saw a quick scramble to net as many different fish as possible before the required slow ascent to the surface.
The newly described species include several new colourful damselfish in the Chromis genus; at least one new species of basslet (from the Plectranthias genus); an unusual hawkfish and a new species of butterflyfish.
The most spectacular recovery was of the bright blue damselfish found 120m down off Palau. This was described recently in the scientific literature by team-member Dr Richard Pyle, from the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The fish has been named Chromis abyssus in honour of the TV series.
The story is a more complicated one, however, because Dr Pyle first saw this fish more than a decade ago. Other researchers, too, had sightings, including one from a small submersible and another from a Remotely Oerated Vehicle (ROV).
It was during the BBC filming, though, that nine specimens were finally captured, allowing for an official scientific submission this year.
Discovery of a new fish species
Pacific Abyss starts its three-part run on Sunday, 17 August, on BBC One, at 2000 BST
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7564126.stm
Latest NEWS...Press Release from the BELAU ROYAL Yacht CLUB... EARTHRACE returns to Palau, Micronesia,

PRESS
RELEASE FROM PALAU, MICRONESIA!
For Immediate Release from the
Balau Royal Yacht Club
EARTHRACE
returns to Palau,
Micronesia.
What is earthrace?
The goal of Earthrace is to set a new world record
for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe,
running 100% renewable biodiesel
fuel, and with a net zero carbon footprint.
The amazing Earthrace boat will make the attempt
starting from Sagunto in Spain. Earthrace is also
undertaking a two year promotional tour, visiting 100
great cities around the globe. The crew meet local
people, talk about their experiences, and most of all
connect with people about the need to get renewable
fuels into our energy mix and to inspire them to do
something themselves to minimise their impact
on the environment.

KOROR, PALAU, May 29, 2008:
Earthrace, the world’s
fastest eco-boat returns to Palau on its second
attempt to break the Round-The-World record set by
the vessel Cable and Wireless back in 1998. The
24,000 nautical mile journey began in Spain and has
included crossing the Atlantic Ocean, transiting the
Panama Canal, and crossing the Eastern Pacific
enroute to Hawaii. The current leg of the journey now
underway took EARTHRACE from Hawaii to Majuro,
Marshall Islands with Palau as the next refueling
stop before heading for Singapore.
The complete round-the-world itinerary includes
Sagunto (Spain) – Horta (Azores) – San Juan (Puerto
Rico) – Colon (Panama Canal, Panama) – Manzanillo
(Mexico) – San Diego (USA) – Maalaea Harbor, Maui
(Hawaii) – Majuro (Marshall Islands) – Koror (Palau)
– Singapore – Kochi/Cochin (India) – Salalah (Oman) –
Port Said (Suez Canal, Egypt) – Sagunto (Spain).
EARTHRACE powered in to Hawaii well ahead of the
record time however she suffered a fuel line failure
shortly after departure that reduced her to one
engine, slowing her progress from Hawaii to the
Marshall Islands where repairs were made to get her
back in the race. Even on one engine, EARTHRACE
manages 16 knots so despite the delays, she remains
very much in the race.
Skipper Peter
Bethune
said: “The progress we’ve made so far is nothing
short of outstanding, but it’s nervous times. There
are so many possible situations that can slow
you down when you take on a challenge as ambitious as
this, but the team has so far managed to overcome
every obstacle that’s been thrown at us. “We’ve
conquered the Atlantic and most of the Pacific, at an
average speed of 20 knots. The engine problem is a
setback but we have overcome challenges all the way
through the race so far.”
Earthrace is already beyond the half-way point on its
historic round-the-world record attempt to
circumnavigate the globe in a vessel powered by
renewable bio-diesel, a fuel created from plants and
waste materials. Given diminishing fossil fuel
reserves worldwide as highlighted by rapidly
escalating gasoline costs, EARTHRACES goal to focus
attention on the need to develop renewable sources of
energy makes more and more sense.
EARTHRACE is crewed by skipper Peter Bethune, New
Zealand; Robert Drewett, Britian; Mark Russel,
Britian; and Adam Carlson, Sweden. The Royal Belau
Yacht Club bestowed Lifetime Honorary Membership on
Skipper, Peter Bethune during his last visit to
Palau, recognizing him for his outstanding
accomplishments and contributions to the art of
circumnavigation.
EARTHRACE is scheduled to arrive in Koror, Palau late
Saturday evening, May 31. The public is invited to
join the Royal Belau Yacht Club in giving EARTHRACE
and her crew a warm welcome to Palau at the Royal
Belau Yacht Club, located at Sam’s Tours in Malakal,
immediately following port clearance and refueling,
Saturday evening.
On Sunday, EARTHRACE is open to the public for a
unique opportunity to get a close up view of this
radical wave-piercing high speed craft.
EARTHRACE is scheduled to depart late Sunday, June 1
or early Monday, June 2.
For more information, please contact the
Royal Belau Yacht Club at 488-4382 or contact
Sam’s Tours at 488-7267.
EARTHRACE on-line:
www.earthrace.net
Late NEWS...Ban on live fish export becomes law in Palau Micronesia a step in the right direction to preserve Palau's natural environment and unique Bio-diversity
...brought to you by palautours.com
Ban on live fish export becomes law in Palau Micronesia
a step in the right direction to preserve Palau's natural
environment and unique Bio-diversity.
See below excerps from a News Paper article by the
Horizon News Staff
With a stroke of his pen, president Tommy Remengesau, Jr. has put a stop to the export of live reef fish yesterday in Bai Mengeliakl,
Ngarchelong. Remengesau signed into law the Senate Bill.
President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. makes it clear, the significance of stopping the exportation of live reef fish yesterday.
We are proud to announce...the PALAU Tours website is almost completed...enjoy Micronesia like never before...
GD








