Diving in Palau

bullshark wrote:
> Reef Fish wrote:
> > bullshark wrote:
> > I did a shore dive at PPR because I had much better dives on the
> > liveaboard ahead. It was surprisingly GOOD! Visibility wasn't much
> > to crow about, but I saw some giant clams (a foot or two in size), and
> > some colorful Pacific Reef Fishes on that shore dive.

You were complaining about your boat dive. I was comparing it with
the FREEBIE, your description below notwithstanding. You missed
the giant clams?
>
> Did a couple of those too. The coral is very sad. There are a few
> butterflies and angels, but its hardly worth the trouble. Free diving
> it is much better, since you can get access to the shallows on the
> other side of the dock where we saw pipe horses (many) and a couple of
> rare blennies as well as all the fish we saw on the shore dive.
>
> > I think that's called the Manta Ray Resort.
>
> No, bob, it's not. It's called just what I called it. "Manta Ray Bay
> Resort".

No, BS!

BS> staying at the MantaRay Bay.

You may be staying at the Manta Ray Bay beach, but I stayed at
the Manta Ray (bay) Resort. That was my correction of your
misname of the Resort.


> Do you really think that someone who travels all over the
> world diving doesn't know where they are going, or where they are
> staying?

Apparently bullshark didn't.
>
>
> >That was where I stayed on
> > one of my trips because the flight schedule allowed only a 3 night stay
> > there -- but I was sorely disappointed and was SICK of seeing the
> > Mantas because for FIVE consecutive dives (in three days) the Manta Ray shop
> > took the group back to the SAME spot to watch the same Mantas
> > gliding over the same rock.
>
> That's *your* failure, not theirs. Other dives are offered, you just
> have to plan for it.

You didn't know what was offered or what wasn't when *I* was there,
did you?

>
> > Flight to Palau is a piece of cake on CO (Air Mike)
>
> No it's not. Its a piece of shit. You might like like it, but not
> everyone is you, bob.

That's true for sure. I showed how you took at least 2,000
more miles flying to HKG first. I just came back from there!

>
> >Flying to Bali (or back) on CO is pure hell.

I said that.
>
> Going to Bali by Singapore is not the best choice.

Why not? Direct flight to SIN, and a connecting flight to DPS.
>
> LAX-TPE-DPS - 19 hours total air time - two planes.
> Coming East is always bad.

That was why I said YOUR flight EWR-HKG was a bad way to go.
>
> > The next generation of flying -- the Airbus 780 had its debut landing
> > in Kowloon (Hong Kong) yesterday on its test flight (with the crew of 78).
> > It's passenger capacity is over 800.
>
> Do you mean the A380? Or are those bankrupt jerks trying to design
> another behemoth that nobody wants? They are behind schedule, over
> budget, overweight and airlines are cancelling orders for the 380 right
> and left. If they ahve another one in the works they eill likely be Out
> of Business before they deliver it.
>
> bullshark

Yes, it was my typo for A380.

So, you got me on a typo and an omission of "bay" in Manta Ray Bay
Resort,
while you didn't even remember that you called it "Manta Ray Bay"
WITHOUT
the "Resort". You were wrong on all other accounts.

Not bad for someone who seldom travel anywhere though, bullshark.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

bullshark wrote:
> Reef Fish wrote:
> > bullshark wrote:
> > I did a shore dive at PPR because I had much better dives on the
> > liveaboard ahead. It was surprisingly GOOD! Visibility wasn't much
> > to crow about, but I saw some giant clams (a foot or two in size), and
> > some colorful Pacific Reef Fishes on that shore dive.

You were complaining about your boat dive. I was comparing it with
the FREEBIE, your description below notwithstanding. You missed
the giant clams?
>
> Did a couple of those too. The coral is very sad. There are a few
> butterflies and angels, but its hardly worth the trouble. Free diving
> it is much better, since you can get access to the shallows on the
> other side of the dock where we saw pipe horses (many) and a couple of
> rare blennies as well as all the fish we saw on the shore dive.
>
> > I think that's called the Manta Ray Resort.
>
> No, bob, it's not. It's called just what I called it. "Manta Ray Bay
> Resort".

No, BS!

BS> staying at the MantaRay Bay.

You may be staying at the Manta Ray Bay beach, but I stayed at
the Manta Ray (bay) Resort. That was my correction of your
misname of the Resort.


> Do you really think that someone who travels all over the
> world diving doesn't know where they are going, or where they are
> staying?

Apparently bullshark didn't.
>
>
> >That was where I stayed on
> > one of my trips because the flight schedule allowed only a 3 night stay
> > there -- but I was sorely disappointed and was SICK of seeing the
> > Mantas because for FIVE consecutive dives (in three days) the Manta Ray shop
> > took the group back to the SAME spot to watch the same Mantas
> > gliding over the same rock.
>
> That's *your* failure, not theirs. Other dives are offered, you just
> have to plan for it.

You didn't know what was offered or what wasn't when *I* was there,
did you?

>
> > Flight to Palau is a piece of cake on CO (Air Mike)
>
> No it's not. Its a piece of shit. You might like like it, but not
> everyone is you, bob.

That's true for sure. I showed how you took at least 2,000
more miles flying to HKG first. I just came back from there!

>
> >Flying to Bali (or back) on CO is pure hell.

I said that.
>
> Going to Bali by Singapore is not the best choice.

Why not? Direct flight to SIN, and a connecting flight to DPS.
>
> LAX-TPE-DPS - 19 hours total air time - two planes.
> Coming East is always bad.

That was why I said YOUR flight EWR-HKG was a bad way to go.
>
> > The next generation of flying -- the Airbus 780 had its debut landing
> > in Kowloon (Hong Kong) yesterday on its test flight (with the crew of 78).
> > It's passenger capacity is over 800.
>
> Do you mean the A380? Or are those bankrupt jerks trying to design
> another behemoth that nobody wants? They are behind schedule, over
> budget, overweight and airlines are cancelling orders for the 380 right
> and left. If they ahve another one in the works they eill likely be Out
> of Business before they deliver it.
>
> bullshark

Yes, it was my typo for A380.

So, you got me on a typo and an omission of "bay" in Manta Ray Bay
Resort,
while you didn't even remember that you called it "Manta Ray Bay"
WITHOUT
the "Resort". You were wrong on all other accounts.

Not bad for someone who seldom travel anywhere though, bullshark.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

bullshark wrote:
> > Why are both you and the bullshark taking the longer route?
>
> Uhhh...what makes you think I took a longer route?
> I said the flights were arduous, I didn't say what route I took.

True. Mag3 took the HKG route which would be arduous.
I don't see anything arduous (for a frequent traveller of course,
but I can see why it's arduous for bullshark).

You later wrote:

bs> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs
bs> in the air+ a couple more on the ground.

You didn't even realize you left out ROR after GUM, which
was what the last 2 hours was.

Less than 24 hours total? That's a piece of cake, as I had
said initially.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

bullshark wrote:
> > Why are both you and the bullshark taking the longer route?
>
> Uhhh...what makes you think I took a longer route?
> I said the flights were arduous, I didn't say what route I took.

True. Mag3 took the HKG route which would be arduous.
I don't see anything arduous (for a frequent traveller of course,
but I can see why it's arduous for bullshark).

You later wrote:

bs> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs
bs> in the air+ a couple more on the ground.

You didn't even realize you left out ROR after GUM, which
was what the last 2 hours was.

Less than 24 hours total? That's a piece of cake, as I had
said initially.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

bullshark wrote:
> > Why are both you and the bullshark taking the longer route?
>
> Uhhh...what makes you think I took a longer route?
> I said the flights were arduous, I didn't say what route I took.

True. Mag3 took the HKG route which would be arduous.
I don't see anything arduous (for a frequent traveller of course,
but I can see why it's arduous for bullshark).

You later wrote:

bs> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs
bs> in the air+ a couple more on the ground.

You didn't even realize you left out ROR after GUM, which
was what the last 2 hours was.

Less than 24 hours total? That's a piece of cake, as I had
said initially.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

bullshark wrote:
> > Why are both you and the bullshark taking the longer route?
>
> Uhhh...what makes you think I took a longer route?
> I said the flights were arduous, I didn't say what route I took.

True. Mag3 took the HKG route which would be arduous.
I don't see anything arduous (for a frequent traveller of course,
but I can see why it's arduous for bullshark).

You later wrote:

bs> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs
bs> in the air+ a couple more on the ground.

You didn't even realize you left out ROR after GUM, which
was what the last 2 hours was.

Less than 24 hours total? That's a piece of cake, as I had
said initially.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

"bullshark" <bullshark@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1164437803.216696.177300@45g2000cws.googlegro ups.com...

> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs in the air+ a couple more
> on the ground.
> CO was late, late, late all the way.
> We walked off one plane and on to the other as they closed the doors.
> Amazingly, four out of four checked bags made it too. I was impressed.

They were a bit too late when we flew to Bali. Four hours, in fact, a
mechanical issue causing a delay leaving LAX. Therefore we would have
missed our connection to GUM and the twice-weekly flight to DPS. We flew
out on CP instead, leaving at 11:30 p.m., so we had to sit in LAX's
international terminal from 9 a.m. until the new flight boarded (almost 14
hours), then 15 hours in the air, 5 hours in HK, and another 5 in the air to
Bali. Traveling is so much fun. On the way back home, CO came through and
we were able to enjoy our two-stop two-red-eye trip back home with nary a
glitch, save for the crazy half-hour connection in GUM which does not leave
one much time to clear immigration and a security check, and a very
time-consuming near-secondary-inspection for all the Bali passengers
arriving through HNL.

We're flying out that way on CO again in a couple weeks, fortunately only as
far as HNL, where we can deplane, take an island hopper to Maui, and not
miss all the scooters, burning trash piles, and over-aggressive sarong
dealers. I had enough of Indonesia to last me a lifetime, if not at least a
few years. I do want to get out to Irian Jaya someday, but it can wait
until I've recovered from the last trip.

So how was the Aggressor? That's my tentative plan for March 2008.

"bullshark" <bullshark@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1164437803.216696.177300@45g2000cws.googlegro ups.com...

> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs in the air+ a couple more
> on the ground.
> CO was late, late, late all the way.
> We walked off one plane and on to the other as they closed the doors.
> Amazingly, four out of four checked bags made it too. I was impressed.

They were a bit too late when we flew to Bali. Four hours, in fact, a
mechanical issue causing a delay leaving LAX. Therefore we would have
missed our connection to GUM and the twice-weekly flight to DPS. We flew
out on CP instead, leaving at 11:30 p.m., so we had to sit in LAX's
international terminal from 9 a.m. until the new flight boarded (almost 14
hours), then 15 hours in the air, 5 hours in HK, and another 5 in the air to
Bali. Traveling is so much fun. On the way back home, CO came through and
we were able to enjoy our two-stop two-red-eye trip back home with nary a
glitch, save for the crazy half-hour connection in GUM which does not leave
one much time to clear immigration and a security check, and a very
time-consuming near-secondary-inspection for all the Bali passengers
arriving through HNL.

We're flying out that way on CO again in a couple weeks, fortunately only as
far as HNL, where we can deplane, take an island hopper to Maui, and not
miss all the scooters, burning trash piles, and over-aggressive sarong
dealers. I had enough of Indonesia to last me a lifetime, if not at least a
few years. I do want to get out to Irian Jaya someday, but it can wait
until I've recovered from the last trip.

So how was the Aggressor? That's my tentative plan for March 2008.

"bullshark" <bullshark@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1164437803.216696.177300@45g2000cws.googlegro ups.com...

> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs in the air+ a couple more
> on the ground.
> CO was late, late, late all the way.
> We walked off one plane and on to the other as they closed the doors.
> Amazingly, four out of four checked bags made it too. I was impressed.

They were a bit too late when we flew to Bali. Four hours, in fact, a
mechanical issue causing a delay leaving LAX. Therefore we would have
missed our connection to GUM and the twice-weekly flight to DPS. We flew
out on CP instead, leaving at 11:30 p.m., so we had to sit in LAX's
international terminal from 9 a.m. until the new flight boarded (almost 14
hours), then 15 hours in the air, 5 hours in HK, and another 5 in the air to
Bali. Traveling is so much fun. On the way back home, CO came through and
we were able to enjoy our two-stop two-red-eye trip back home with nary a
glitch, save for the crazy half-hour connection in GUM which does not leave
one much time to clear immigration and a security check, and a very
time-consuming near-secondary-inspection for all the Bali passengers
arriving through HNL.

We're flying out that way on CO again in a couple weeks, fortunately only as
far as HNL, where we can deplane, take an island hopper to Maui, and not
miss all the scooters, burning trash piles, and over-aggressive sarong
dealers. I had enough of Indonesia to last me a lifetime, if not at least a
few years. I do want to get out to Irian Jaya someday, but it can wait
until I've recovered from the last trip.

So how was the Aggressor? That's my tentative plan for March 2008.

"bullshark" <bullshark@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1164437803.216696.177300@45g2000cws.googlegro ups.com...

> We went FLL-IAH-HNL-GUM, 3+8.5+7.5+2=21 hrs in the air+ a couple more
> on the ground.
> CO was late, late, late all the way.
> We walked off one plane and on to the other as they closed the doors.
> Amazingly, four out of four checked bags made it too. I was impressed.

They were a bit too late when we flew to Bali. Four hours, in fact, a
mechanical issue causing a delay leaving LAX. Therefore we would have
missed our connection to GUM and the twice-weekly flight to DPS. We flew
out on CP instead, leaving at 11:30 p.m., so we had to sit in LAX's
international terminal from 9 a.m. until the new flight boarded (almost 14
hours), then 15 hours in the air, 5 hours in HK, and another 5 in the air to
Bali. Traveling is so much fun. On the way back home, CO came through and
we were able to enjoy our two-stop two-red-eye trip back home with nary a
glitch, save for the crazy half-hour connection in GUM which does not leave
one much time to clear immigration and a security check, and a very
time-consuming near-secondary-inspection for all the Bali passengers
arriving through HNL.

We're flying out that way on CO again in a couple weeks, fortunately only as
far as HNL, where we can deplane, take an island hopper to Maui, and not
miss all the scooters, burning trash piles, and over-aggressive sarong
dealers. I had enough of Indonesia to last me a lifetime, if not at least a
few years. I do want to get out to Irian Jaya someday, but it can wait
until I've recovered from the last trip.

So how was the Aggressor? That's my tentative plan for March 2008.