The Ocean Hunter III liveaboard is a steel-hulled vessel engineered for serious exploration. For years, it has navigated the Rock Islands of Palau and beyond on 7- and 10-night cruises, serving dedicated photographers, technical divers, and those pursuing the simple perfection of a dive holiday with equal focus.
Accommodating up to 16 guests in 9 ensuite cabins, the 29-meter Ocean Hunter III liveaboard balances private comfort with communal space. The main deck hosts the air-conditioned saloon, a hub for dining, conversation, or reviewing the day’s images with a proper espresso in hand. When the tropical air calls, the sun deck offers a choice of shade or sun, and a Jacuzzi perfectly positioned for sunset views.
What truly defines this vessel is its purposeful dedication to the diving experience. The dive deck is a model of functionality, with ample gear storage and dedicated rinse tanks for cameras and U/W housings. Here, the Ocean Hunter III liveaboard reveals its specialist pedigree: as well as nitrox, it offers trimix and support for rebreather divers. This technical capability opens Palau’s deeper walls and channels to those qualified to explore them.
For underwater imagers, the facilities are a significant highlight. A large, dedicated camera room with individual workstations, abundant power, and storage secures valuable equipment. The Ocean Hunter further provides an enclosed media lab for film projects, supplemented by 3 camera tables on the dive deck and computers for editing. It is an environment created by divers who understand the specific needs of photographers and videographers.
This operational excellence is sustained by a seasoned crew, whose knowledge of local waters is matched by their commitment to service and safety. Guides insist on prudent practices like carrying a safety sausage, yet they afford divers the freedom to manage their bottom time within safe limits. Their site selection, informed by conditions and guest interests, aims to showcase the brilliant biodiversity of Palau’s dive sites.
The Ocean Hunter III liveaboard represents a rare convergence of capability and comfort. It is a vessel equally suited to a diver’s first liveaboard adventure and the exacting requirements of a professional expedition. It provides a stable, well-resourced liveaboard base from which to dive in Palau - with one of the world’s premier dive destinations.
There are 8 cabins on board this liveaboard. There are 2 Master double/twin bed cabins and 1 Deluxe double/twin bed cabin on the upper deck. The lower deck has 3 Deluxe double/twin bed cabins and 2 smaller Standard twin/double bed cabins. All cabins have private en-suite bathrooms with hot water shower.
The spacious Master cabins have large windows for natural light and a sofa, desk and chair.
All the cabins have:
- Air conditioning
- Desk and chair)
- Windows (main deck cabins), portholes (lower deck cabins)
- Bathroom with toilet, hot water shower and hand basin
- Bedding
- Reading lights
- Towels, toiletries and bathrobes
- Cabinet
- Hair dryer
- Life jackets
- Fire extinguisher
- Mains outlet 110, 220 & 415 volts - 24 hours
- USA 2 or 3 pin sockets
No. of bathrooms / showers - 8 / 8
Palau Islands
Trip highlights: shark action, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: From Palau: German Channel, Big Drop Off, New Drop Off, Blue Holes, German wall, Barnum wall, Blue Corner, Virgin Blue Hole, Turtle Cove, Ngedebus Coral Gardens, Ngedebus Wall, Fairyland; Peleliu: Peleliu Wall, Peleliu Corner, Peleliu Coral Garden, Orange Wall, Peleliu Expressway, White Beach, Yellow Wall, Peleliu Cut; Ngerechong Island, Jellyfish Lake (snorkelling and hiking), Ulong Channel, Siaes Tunnel, Siaes Corner, Shark City, Iro or Chuyo Maru shipwrecks, Jake Seaplane and Chandelier Cave
Day 1
You will board the MV Ocean Hunter III liveaboard to attend the safety and dive briefings and then begin your first dives in Palau today! Dinner will be arranged either before or after the night dive, depending on the group’s preference.
Core Days
During the next days, you will enjoy the full 'Best of Palau' route of the Ocean Hunter III, covering German Channel for manta cleaning stations and steady pelagic traffic, Blue Corner for powerful currents, hook-in action, large shark populations, and dense schools of barracuda and jacks, and Blue Holes, where wide shafts of light illuminate the cavern before you exit onto the reef wall.
The liveaboard itinerary also includes Big Drop Off and New Drop Off with sheer vertical walls coated in soft corals, Turtle Cove with its scenic swim-through leading to a vibrant wall, Ulong Channel for high-speed drifts over hard coral gardens and schooling reef fish, and Siaes Tunnel and Siaes Corner, known for their sweeping overhangs, resident sharks, and pristine hard corals. Additional diving highlights include Shark City, Ngedebus Coral Gardens and Ngedebus Wall with some of Palau’s healthiest reef systems, the Virgin Blue Hole with its dramatic vertical descent, and Chandelier Cave with its calm chambers and air pockets.
The Peleliu region is also featured, offering several WWII wrecks such as the Iro or Chuyo Maru, plus Jake Seaplane, plus sites like Peleliu Wall, Peleliu Corner, Peleliu Expressway, Orange Wall, and Peleliu Coral Garden, known for stronger currents, large predators, and big-school action. Expect encounters with manta rays, multiple reef shark species, eagle rays, tuna, bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse, turtles, schools of snappers and fusiliers, and rich macro life including nudibranchs, pipefish, shrimps, and other small invertebrates. A visit to Jellyfish Lake is also included for snorkelling and a short hike.
Final Day
Enjoy breakfast before disembarking from the Ocean Hunter III. Transfers to your hotel or the airport are provided.
Palau Spawning Trip
Trip highlights: shark action, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: From Palau: German Channel, Big Drop Off, New Drop Off, Blue Holes, German wall, Barnum wall, Blue Corner, Virgin Blue Hole, Turtle Cove, Ngedebus Coral Gardens, Ngedebus Wall, Fairyland; Peleliu: Peleliu Wall, Peleliu Corner, Peleliu Coral Garden, Orange Wall, Peleliu Expressway, White Beach, Yellow Wall, Peleliu Cut; Ngerechong Island, Jellyfish Lake (snorkelling and hiking), Ulong Channel, Siaes Tunnel, Siaes Corner, Shark City, Iro or Chuyo Maru shipwrecks, Jake Seaplane and Chandelier Cave
Day 1
Your adventure begins as you board the MV Ocean Hunter III liveaboard. After settling into your cabin and attending the safety and dive briefings, the crew will help you prepare your dive gear. By early afternoon, you are already in the water, diving around a World War II Japanese shipwreck. Dinner will be served either before or after the night dive, according to guest preference.
Core Days
Palau offers some of the most diverse and dynamic diving in the world. During Full and New Moon periods, fish gather in massive aggregations to spawn, including orangespine unicornfish, Moorish idols, sailfin snapper, bumphead parrotfish, and twinspot red snapper, attracting Palau’s largest predators. Grey reef, blacktip reef, and whitetip reef sharks are common on almost every dive with the Ocean Hunter, and bull sharks, silvertips, blacktip oceanics, leopard sharks, and hammerheads have all been spotted in these waters.
Dive sites include dramatic walls, swim-throughs, caverns, and coral gardens. You will encounter schools of bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse, and giant trevally, as well as smaller reef dwellers like lionfish, scorpionfish, pipefish, and frogfish. Cleaning stations are abundant, with wrasse, cleaner shrimp, and other symbiotic species creating fascinating interactions. Macro life is exceptional, featuring nudibranchs, decorator crabs, shrimps, seahorses, and octopus.
At German Channel, mantas glide elegantly through the currents, often accompanied by eagle rays and large schools of fusiliers. Blue corner sites and channels reveal dense schools of fusiliers, snappers, and anthias, while reef flats host hawksbill and green turtles.
Night dives bring out a different side of Palau, with flamboyant cuttlefish, octopus, and nocturnal shrimps emerging from the reefs, offering photographers and macro enthusiasts unforgettable experiences.
Final Day
Enjoy breakfast on board the liveaboard before disembarking the Ocean Hunter III. Transfers are arranged to your local hotel or the airport.
[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].
The meals onboard Ocean Hunter III are served in the indoor dining area, with timings planned around the daily diving schedule. Guests enjoy a variety of freshly prepared dishes, international cuisines, and light snacks throughout the trip. Each morning begins early, with up to 5 dives per day depending on your preference.
Wake-up Service (6-6:30 am):
- Hot coffee and tea served early each morning
- Sweet rolls and cakes provided before the first dive
Breakfast (8-8:30 am):
- Served after the first morning dive
- Full hot breakfast with a rotating selection of cooked dishes
- Includes fresh vegetables, fruit, and items suited for active diving days
Lunch (12 pm):
- Buffet-style lunch served daily after the second dive
- International cuisines offered throughout the week, including Palauan, Italian, Mediterranean, French, and Japanese
- Fresh sashimi and sushi prepared onboard
- Fresh vegetables and fruit provided with each meal
- Daily fresh fruit smoothies made from local ingredients such as papaya and pineapple
Dinner (around 7 pm, before or after the night dive):
- Served either before or after the night dive, depending on guest preference
- Gourmet soups prepared nightly to warm up after the dive
- Fresh salads followed by a main course featuring a mix of international dishes
- Dinner on the final night is served after returning to dock
Snacks (available throughout the day):
- Cakes, nuts, and crackers
- Fresh fruit available between meals
- Afternoon fresh fruit smoothies
Beverages:
- Coffee and tea during wake-up service
- Additional beverages available throughout the day
