By Liveaboard Explorer · Published
Palau liveaboards: compare boats, routes and diving requirements
Compare Palau Siren, Palau Aggressor II and Ocean Hunter by schedule, cabin layout, skiff diving, current experience and permit costs.
Which Palau liveaboard fits your diving?
Choose a Palau liveaboard by current experience and programme before cabin price. Palau Siren publishes seven- and ten-night trips, including dedicated spawning itineraries; Palau Aggressor II advertises a seven-night Sunday-to-Sunday week. Ocean Hunter offers another cabin-focused option with eight guest cabins across Standard, Deluxe and Master categories. These are named alternatives, not interchangeable packages or a live availability feed. Palau’s channels and reef corners can involve strong currents. For a recently qualified diver who has not dived in current, a boat accepting the booking does not establish suitability for every site. An experienced diver choosing a spawning departure should compare the moon-specific programme and its experience guidance with an ordinary Palau Islands week.
Master Liveaboards: Palau Islands seven-night itinerary and requirementsCompare the programme and onboard setup
Scroll sideways to compare every column.
| Compare | Palau Siren | Palau Aggressor II | Ocean Hunter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme distinction | Seven- and ten-night Palau Islands; dedicated new/full-moon spawning departures also listed | Seven nights, Sunday to Sunday; diving Monday to Saturday before lunch | Compare the specific dated departure; do not infer length from cabin category |
| Verified cabin detail | 16 guests in eight double-occupancy ensuite cabins; double/twin options | Use the exact vessel room plan and cabin quote | Eight guest cabins; Standard, Deluxe and Master categories |
| Dive logistics | Two accompanying skiffs; main vessel normally stays at anchor | Dives from an 18-passenger skiff lowered by hydraulic cradle | Operator advertises up to five dives per day; this is a maximum, not a guaranteed tally |
| Decision to make first | Ordinary reef/channel week or more demanding spawning programme | Whether the Sunday turnover fits your flights | Bunk-style cabin or Master with a king bed |
Blue Corner, German Channel, Ulong and Peleliu
Blue Corner is a reef shelf and wall setting where currents are central to the dive. German Channel includes a manta cleaning-station area; choosing it does not buy a manta sighting. Ulong is a channel dive whose execution depends on the tide and conditions. Peleliu is farther south in the archipelago, so its presence on a destination map does not mean that every sailing reaches it. These sites help distinguish a reef-and-channel programme from a wreck-focused holiday. Palau also has WWII wrecks, but a list mentioning Iro Maru does not mean the week is designed around wreck penetration. Match your interests to the actual itinerary and remain within your training; cave, cavern and wreck descriptions are not an invitation to enter overhead environments. Site order is a captain-and-guide decision, not a fixed sightseeing circuit.
Aggressor Adventures: Palau programme and named dive sitesPalau Siren requirements: use the stricter itinerary wording
The current Palau Islands seven-night page specifies Advanced Open Water or equivalent, a mandatory minimum of 30 logged dives, and experience and comfort in strong currents. It strongly recommends Nitrox. Master’s general Palau FAQ is less strict about the certification level: it calls Advanced recommended and says Open Water divers may be accepted but excluded from unsuitable dives. For this itinerary, plan against the stricter published trip requirement and resolve that discrepancy with the operator before booking. Dedicated spawning trips are a separate choice. The FAQ recommends at least 50 logged dives, including current experience, because conditions can be more demanding. That is operator guidance for those trips, not a universal Palau law or a guarantee that reaching a dive count makes someone ready. Master says Palau diving must be guided and describes Siren’s skiff journeys as usually 5–15 minutes, sometimes longer. Factor in repeated skiff boarding and ladder exits. Its FAQ also requires diving-specific cover for evacuation, chamber treatment and medical costs; a general travel policy is not automatically equivalent.
Master Liveaboards: Palau FAQs, diving teams and experience guidanceSeven nights or a longer spawning itinerary?
Palau Siren’s seven-night programme advertises up to 22 dives. Longer trips add time, but choose a dedicated spawning trip because you want its timed diving, not merely because it has more nights. Moon-phase scheduling targets aggregations; it does not guarantee a wildlife event. Siren’s eight cabins have ensuite bathrooms and individual air conditioning, with double and twin arrangements including two flexible cabins. Palau Aggressor II’s advertised Sunday turnover differs from Siren’s dated sailing schedule. Its destination page describes four daytime dives Monday–Friday, night dives on three evenings and a final half-day Saturday. Compare whole travel dates, not just nights on board. Ocean Hunter is worth comparing if the bed matters: its official site describes bunk-style Standard accommodation and a Master Stateroom with a king bed. Do not assume every room described as twin has two beds at floor level, or import Siren’s qualifications and inclusions into Ocean Hunter’s contract.
Master Liveaboards: Palau Siren cabins and itinerariesKoror transfers, permits and the real trip cost
Palau Siren lists transfers between Koror Airport or a hotel and the vessel on embarkation and disembarkation days as included. Extra hotel nights and additional transfers are excluded. Match the date and time in your joining instructions to the flight arrival rather than assuming a seven-night fare includes all arrival logistics. An extra land night is an editorial buffer option, not an operator requirement stated here. Siren excludes obligatory surcharges, Nitrox, rental equipment and alcohol from the basic inclusions. Its FAQ says Rock Islands permits are valid for five days and its seven- and ten-night itineraries require two. A land-based dive extension or back-to-back cruise can trigger further permit costs; the first permit should not be assumed to cover the entire holiday. Have the actual permit-and-tax bundle itemised for your dates rather than applying one generic national park fee. The same FAQ lists 10% GST on onboard extras such as Nitrox and rental equipment, with state permits and taxes excepted, plus a 3% card-payment surcharge. Those are Siren’s published payment terms, not a blanket claim about every vessel. No fare or availability is promised by this guide.
Master Liveaboards: Palau Islands inclusions and exclusionsSeason and Jellyfish Lake: avoid two booking assumptions
Master describes diving as year-round, with November–May the peak season and rainfall more frequent July–October. That is a seasonal tendency, not a promise of dry weather or calm conditions. For a spawning trip, the departure’s moon-phase focus is a more specific selection criterion than a broad best-month label. Do not count Jellyfish Lake as an automatic liveaboard inclusion. Master’s current FAQ says it is not part of Siren’s normal programme because of depleted jellyfish populations. It describes possible advance arrangement if enough guests want it, at an extra charge and at the cost of one dive. A lake photograph on a booking page therefore does not prove a visit is included, that jellyfish numbers will suit your expectations, or that every operator follows the same policy.
Master Liveaboards: Palau season and Jellyfish Lake policy