Solitude One Palau

At 52m in length, Solitude One is a huge and spacious steel-hulled liveaboard which cuts an imposing figure moving around the islands of Palau. Up to 22 divers can be easily accommodated in 10 cabins on cruises of 6 or 9 nights.

The huge dimensions of this Palau liveaboard mean that you will never feel cramped and everything has a bright and roomy air. The cabins and ensuite bathrooms are larger than most liveaboards and the saloon, outdoor shaded areas and sun deck also enjoy an impressive amount of space. If you want to be sociable you can but equally if you want to find a quiet spot for a bit of ... er ... solitude, then that is always possible too.

Solitude One has a number of excellent features that very few other liveaboards can boast. The cabins all have a flat screen TV with USB media support (so you can enjoy your own entertainment) and a networked system so you can access the library of movies and TV shows. The electrical sockets are universal and have USB charging ports. Taller guests, for whom liveaboard boats can sometimes be (quite literally) a headache, literally, will appreciate the added headroom throughout and the extra long mattresses. Features that photographers will love include 2 camera rinse tanks, air gun and special towels for cameras, plus of course the digital studio with computer stations and power surge protection.

Diving is conducted from 2 tenders which come equipped with medical oxygen, first aid, GPS navigation and VHF radios. Equipment rental includes a dive computer and lost diver device. All of this adds to the sense that you are in good hands with the crew of Solitude One.

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Dive experience: On all of the Solitude One Palau liveabord cruises, a minimum of advanced certification and experience of diving in currents is highly recommended.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, land tours (Rock Island and Jellyfish Lake), airport transfer to and from the boat, dives, experienced English-speaking divemaster, safety sausage and reef hook, Nautilus Lifeline, tanks, weights and weightbelts, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental including computer - US$ 285 per week, Palau cabin/room tax (US$ 10 per night), Koror Permit US$ 50 (valid for 5 days), Peleliu Permit US$ 60 (valid for 10 days), Jellyfish Lake Permit US$ 50 (valid for 10 days), Helen Reef Permit US$ 50 (valid for 7 days), Hatohobei Island visit US$ 10 (valid for 7 days). There will be fuel surcharge of US$ 30 per night imposed 30+ days in advance (advised on booking or charter) if the International crude barrel oil price is equal to US$ 75 or more. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, nitrox (EAN 30%) fills for enriched air divers - USD 158, torch, 15 litre tank (US$ 8 per day), dive insurance, hotel transfers. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: You board the boat on the evening of departure and dinner is served on the first evening. Embarkation and airport or hotel pick up transfers will begin from 18:00 hrs. If you arrive after midnight you will still be picked up and transferred to the boat. The boat departs the harbour at 10:00 hrs the following day.
After a late lunch on the final day you will disembark at around 15:00 hrs and be transferred to the airport. The last dive of the cruise will be at around 11:00 hrs on the second last day. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. For more details, including airlines, see our Palau travel information section.

Non-diver rate: 10% off the published price.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 80% of the normal published price for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: A group of 3 persons can occupy a 4-share room as full by paying 110% of the quad-share cabin price.
Pay for 10 guests and 2 extra persons can join the cruise in a Stateroom cabin free of charge (total 12 guests or more). Pay for 19 guests and 3 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge (total 22 guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Assuming 20 guests: 6 nights - US$ 9,654, 9 nights - US$ 9,194.

Palau Islands (8 Days / 7 Nights - 23 Dives)

Trip highlights: shark action, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Helmet Wreck, Chandelier Cave, Jake Seaplane, Teshio Maru, German Channel, Blue Corner, Big Drop Off, Blue Holes, Peleliu Wall/Cut/Express/Corner, Turtle Cove, Ulong Channel, Iro Maru, Sandy Paradise, Siaes Corner, Siaes Tunnel, New Drop-Off, Orange Beach, Ngedbus Corner

Day 1
Embarkation and airport or hotel pick up transfers will begin early evening. If you arrive after midnight you will still be picked up and transferred to the boat which is only 20 minutes away from the airport. The Solitude One crew will welcome you and give you a boat orientation and briefing as well as ask you to sign the liability release forms. Dinner will then follow, depending on the time you board. The boat leaves port at 10:00 hrs on the following day and divers will make 2 or 3 dives around Palau.

Days 2-7
The diving safari on Solitude One has scheduled 4 dives per day: wake up with a light breakfast of hot drinks (they have a fully automatic (self-service) pressed coffee machine that delivers great latte, cappuccino, espresso or 'long black') and cookies, do the 1st morning dive followed by a full breakfast. A 2nd morning dive will be followed by lunch. Relax for a couple of hours in the indoor lounge, on the partially shaded sun deck which is also great for watching playful dolphins or mantas near the sea surface, or in the digital darkroom for safe stowing of camera and video equipment, and charging batteries. The afternoon dive is followed by homemade snacks, while dinner is scheduled after the 4th (night) dive. Main meals are carefully planned by the chef in order to meet the tastes of everyone on board with buffet style Asian and Western entrees.
Diving in Palau will be incredible, as it is home to over 1,500 fish species and 700 species of coral and sea anemones, thanks to the nutrients brought by rushing currents. One of the dives you will want to make more than once is German Channel which is visited by manta rays at the cleaning stations attended by wrasses, grey reef and blacktip reef sharks, and also huge schools of trevallies, runners and tuna. You will also dive inside a large cavern with an entrance patrolled by barracuda and snappers. Once inside, you will be in awe of the incredible sight of sunlight filtering through the holes and how they refract against the stunning azure waters.

Day 8
After a big breakfast, join one of the optional complimentary speedboat tours of Jellfish Lake or Milky Way Lagoon. Check out after a late lunch and be transferred to the airport.

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Palau Deep South (15 Days / 14 Nights - 51 Dives)

Trip highlights: shark action, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Helen’s Reef 165 km Reserve, Palau Anna, Merir, Sonsorol, Ngeaur: Airport Wall, Santa Maria, Turtle Reef; Peleliu: Peleliu Wall/Cut/Express/Corner, Yellow Wall, Orange Beach

Day 1
Embarkation and airport or hotel pick up transfers will begin from 18:00 hrs. If you arrive after midnight you will still be picked up and transferred to the boat which is only 20 minutes away from the airport. The Solitude One crew will welcome you and give you a boat orientation and briefing as well as ask you to sign the liability release forms. Dinner will then follow, depending on the time you board. The boat leaves port at 10:00 hrs on the following day and divers will make 2 or 3 dives around Palau.

Days 2-14
This diving safari on Solitude One is an exploration tour of the remote and remarkable Helen’s Reef. This little known but vast marine reserve is over one day transit from Koror. After the long journey out, 4 dives per diving day are scheduled: wake up with a light breakfast of hot drinks (they have a fully automatic (self-service) pressed coffee machine that delivers great latte, cappuccino, espresso or 'long black') and cookies, do the 1st morning dive followed by a full breakfast. A 2nd morning dive will be followed by lunch. Relax for a couple of hours in the indoor lounge, on the partially shaded sun deck which is also great for watching playful dolphins or mantas near the sea surface, or in the digital darkroom for safe stowing of camera and video equipment, and charging batteries. The afternoon dive is followed by homemade snacks, while dinner is scheduled after the 4th (night) dive. Main meals are carefully planned by the chef in order to meet the tastes of everyone on board with buffet style Asian and Western entrees.
Diving in Palau´s Helen’s Reef Reserve will be incredible. Previous research tours estimate it to be the most species-rich reef in the whole Pacific! The remoteness of the area and its reserve status means that the atoll is buzzing with life - dense and vast shoals of reef fish, plenty of grey and blacktip reef sharks, and reef mantas cruising past here and there; just as nature intended. The area is visited by huge schools of trevallies, rainbow runners, tuna as well as oceanic sharks.
The journey back to Koror will be broken up with stops at various islands, including the famous Peleliu and its famous World War II wrecks.

Day 15
After a big breakfast, join one of the optional complimentary speedboat tours of Jellyfish Lake or Milky Way Lagoon. Check out after a late lunch at around 15:00 hrs and be transferred to the airport.

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[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

There are 10 cabins on board. 3 Stateroom cabins (2 on the main deck - 1 with double bed and 1 with twin beds, and 1 double bed cabin on the lower deck), 6 Deluxe double/twin bed cabins on the lower deck and 1 Standard 4-share (2 single beds and 2 bunk beds) cabin on the lower deck. All cabins have private en-suite bathrooms with hot water shower and many of them have a day bed which may be converted to an extra bed.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 11 / 16

Customer reviews:

"Nice comfortable boat, delicious food, and excellent crew. The dive guide were very knowledgeable about the dive sites in Palau.
Dive The World provided excellent dive destination recommendations." - Timothy Chae, USA, 10 February 2023 ...