The Palau Siren liveaboard moves between Palau’s dive sites with distinctive character. This 40 meter long Phinisi schooner, built from ironwood and teak, brings a classic silhouette to the modern exploration of Palau’s reefs and channels. Its 7- and 10-night diving tours are designed to engage with the archipelago’s rhythms, accommodating just 16 divers with a dedicated crew of 12. This ratio establishes an immediate sense of space and attentive service from the moment you step aboard.
The design of the Palau Siren liveaboard encourages a natural connection to the environment. While an air-conditioned saloon offers a retreat with entertainment systems and a library, life often centers on the open-air dining area. Here, meals are enjoyed against a backdrop of the Rock Islands' emerald peaks. The wooden deck underfoot and the schooner's graceful lines foster an atmosphere distinct from conventional vessels, blending expedition capability with traditional charm.
Below decks, 8 well-appointed cabins feature ensuite bathrooms and individual entertainment units. The amenities extend to practical services like laundry and the option for a massage, acknowledging the physical nature of a diving safari. For surface intervals, guests can take to the water in the available sea kayaks, offering a different perspective on Palau’s iconic landscapes.
For photographers, the Palau Siren liveaboard is prepared. Multiple dedicated camera workstations, both indoors and on the dive deck, are equipped with large storage drawers and individual charging points. Spacious rinse tanks are designated specifically for camera equipment, protecting delicate housings. This infrastructure allows underwater photographers to focus on their craft, supported by a crew familiar with their needs.
Operationally, the vessel is backed by the established Siren Fleet, whose experience across Southeast Asia lends a consistent approach to safety and guest service. The crew’s knowledge of local sites helps in planning dives that consider conditions and guest interests, aiming for a fulfilling daily schedule beneath the surface.
Overall, the Palau Siren liveaboard provides diving cruises marked by traditional craftsmanship, generous space, and a focus on the diving experience. For those seeking to explore Palau’s wonders from a vessel with unique character and proven capability, this schooner presents a elegant choice.
The SY Palau Siren has 8 Standard cabins: 4 twin bed cabins, 2 with double beds and 2 with a double bed and a single bed. All cabins are on the lower deck and have en-suite private bathrooms. Guests are advised to bring their own adaptors.
All the liveaboard cabins have:
- Air-conditioning
- Portholes
- Toilet, hot water shower and hand basin
- Toiletries, towels & bathrobes
- Personal TV, DVD & music player
- Bedside reading lights
- Safety box
- Cabinet and shelves
- Bedding
- Space for luggage
- Round 2-pin mains outlet 110 & 220 Volts - 24 hours per day
- Fire warning and fire extinguishers
No. of toilets / showers - 8 / 8 - hot water
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: Chandelier Caves, German Channel, Iro Maru, Jake Sea Plane, Peleliu, Big Drop-off, Blue Corner, Ulong Channel, Siaes Tunnel, Devil's Playground, West Passage and Devilfish City; Jellyfish Lake snorkelling tour
Day 1
Board the Palau Siren liveaboard at Malakal Harbor, meet the cruise director and crew, settle into your cabin and prepare your equipment for the first dive the following morning. Dinner is served on board as you get familiar with the vessel.
Core Days
Dive sites in Palau are selected based on tides and currents to ensure ideal conditions. Expect a wide range of underwater environments with the Palau Siren: high-energy drifts along vertical walls, large coral plateaus, caverns with beams of natural light, and swim-throughs carved into the limestone. Palau’s signature channels often deliver fast-moving currents filled with life, while quieter reefs offer rich coral coverage and macro opportunities.
Marine life is a major highlight throughout the liveaboard tour. You may encounter grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks, black-tip sharks, mantas at cleaning stations, eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, turtles, and schooling barracuda, jacks and snappers. Sites with strong currents often attract large predators and pelagics, while sheltered areas reveal cuttlefish, leaf scorpionfish, nudibranchs, mandarinfish and other macro species. Several Japanese WWII wrecks are included, each covered in coral growth and home to lionfish, glassfish and schooling fusiliers. Dolphins are often seen around the Palau Siren during transits.
On the final diving day, the number of dives is adjusted to respect the no-fly interval. The yacht returns to port in the evening, and the crew will rinse and dry your equipment for packing.
Final Day
After a light breakfast, disembark from the liveaboard and conclude your Palau Siren dive adventure.
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: Chandelier Caves, German Channel, Iro Maru, Jake Sea Plane, Peleliu, Big Drop-off, Blue Corner, Ulong Channel, Siaes Tunnel, Devil's Playground, West Passage and Devilfish City; Jellyfish Lake snorkelling tour
Day 1
Once you board the Palau Siren liveaboard, the cruise director will greet you and provide a short welcome briefing. You will check in, receive a brief orientation and settle into your cabin. After preparing your gear for the next morning’s dive, you can relax on deck as the crew finalizes departure arrangements and dinner will be served.
Core Days
This is when the diving takes center stage on this special Palau Siren spawning trip. Expect rich marine life throughout the tour. Palau’s currents attract sharks, mantas, eagle rays, large schools of fish and pelagic species. You will explore walls, channels, caverns, WWII wrecks and vibrant reefs.At well known sites such as Blue Corner, divers often experience fast moving action with grey reef sharks, blacktips and whitetips cruising confidently along the wall, sometimes so close you can see every detail. In German Channel, manta rays frequently glide through the cleaning stations, looping back in slow, elegant passes that create unforgettable encounters.
You may also witness vast schools of barracuda and bigeye jacks spiralling in the blue, forming tight tornado shapes that surround divers in mesmerising motion. If your cruise aligns with the new moon, you may witness the bumphead parrotfish spawning aggregation. Hundreds gather in an energetic display, with males head butting, shifting colours and rising through the water column as they spawn. Full moon trips feature the red snapper spawning event. Tens of thousands of snappers form a massive school, changing from red to white as they rise to spawn. These events attract predators such as bull sharks, oceanic blacktips and hammerheads, creating a rare and powerful natural spectacle.
Across the liveaboard trip you may encounter turtles, Napoleon wrasse, reef sharks, dolphins and many reef fish species. Macro lovers will also find plenty to enjoy, with sightings of pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, octopuses and decorator crabs on calmer reefs and during night dives, adding fine detail to the region’s heavy marine action. Visibility is often high, showcasing Palau’s clear water and impressive reef systems.
On the final full dive day, the number of dives will follow the no flight safety window.
Final Day
After a light breakfast, you will disembark and say goodbye to the crew. Your Palau liveaboard diving adventure with the Palau Siren comes to an end with unforgettable sites, strong marine action and spectacular reef experiences.
[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 menu onboard offers guests of the Palau Siren liveaboard a selection of international and locally inspired dishes, served buffet style and arranged to fit the daily diving schedule. All meals are enjoyed in the open-air dining area on the main deck, providing a relaxed atmosphere between dives.
Light Breakfast (before the first dive):
- Served ahead of the first dive
- Includes simple items such as coffee and light bites to start the morning
Full Breakfast (after the first dive):
- Served after the first dive and the initial relaxation period
- Includes hot options with eggs cooked to order
- Features a mix of international and local flavors before the second dive briefing
Lunch (after the second dive):
- Served after the second dive
- Buffet style with a rotation of chicken, fish or red meat along with fresh salad and vegetables
- Followed by a relaxation period and briefing for the third dive
Snacks (between afternoon dives):
- Served between the afternoon activities
- Includes free snacks such as cookies, biscuits or other items available during stocking
Dinner (after the final dive):
- Served after the last dive of the day, including sunset or night dive days
- Presented as a 3 course meal starting with hot soup, followed by a main dish and a freshly prepared dessert
- Features Asian and international dishes, with themed evenings such as Indonesian or Italian night
- A beach BBQ is also arranged once during the trip
Complimentary beverages:
- Unlimited drinking water, tea, regular and decaf coffee, fruit juices and soft drinks
Alcoholic beverages:
- Wine, beer and spirits available for purchase
Dietary requirements:
- All dietary needs can be catered for with advance notice
"
Pros: Lovely spacious rooms. Nice to sit outside for all meals. Nice vegetarian food (nice but not amazing). Good space on dive boat. Dive gear stays on the dive boat so we're not carrying it around.
Cons: Was made to share a room even though there were spare rooms available (boat only had 7 guests). I expected a single room where possible given increased risk of covid. We were lucky no one had covid but had I got it from my roommate whilst other rooms were empty I would have been very upset. Vegetarian side dish was always tofu. The tofu was always delicious (I happen to love tofu) but it would have been nice for there to be more variety with the vegetarian protein option, eg beans, chickpeas, quinoa." -
Kelda Bindel, New Zealand, 4 September 2022 ...
