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I'm now about two weeks back home again.

What shell I say, it was to short, I ran out of money and all the stress relaxation is already gone!

All in all it was a great experience and the right decision doing this. Worse every penny and even more ;)

I thought about writing a résumé and starting with the biggest disappointment, which was Vava'u in Tonga

Probably because of a couple of reasons.

1. It was not allowed leaving Vava'u by sailingboat as we planed. So no chance going to places, from which I already
knew, that there is still big fish. (Vava'u is pretty much empty when it comes to big fish)
Like some Islands around Hapaii and some volcano islands as well.
2. Because of 1., three weeks only staying in Vava'u was to long.
3. The local people. You did not feel very welcome at all. Tourist they really like are the ones who disembark,
walk to the check-in desk, put all their tourist-money on the desk and start boarding again. Sure there are some
exceptions, but that's how you mostly feel
4. Chartering the Sailingboat was to expensive for only staying in Vava'u and what I've experianced there.
Specially for being far away and only seeing in total about 7+ sharks

But there are other places which surprised me more then I expected.

In the first place Niue! That was definitely not my last trip to Niue.

Pacific Harbour and Beqa Lagoon on Fiji were also better then I expected. Maybe because I was

so focused on the bull sharks that I did not thought about the fact, that there will be also

something else ;). The people been very friendly over there and they are interested in you and aren't dealing superficially with you. 

Tanna Island in Vanuatu, was also better then I expected and because of what? The breathtaking

volcano experience and of course again, the people ;)

Do I need people around me? Not all the time, but I think being far remote from anyone and anything

will be very challenging for me. Maybe less if there is a perfect reef where I can go for

diving every day and there is something to see ;). But still, if there is no one with which I

can share this, it will get boring and because of that, insufferable

Anyhow, here are some statistics and impressions combined ;)

Some flight statistics

- Over 73000 km or 45000 miles flown
- 28 flights in total
- longest flight 11,7h
- 9 different Airlines
- 14 different kinds of aircrafts
- 21 different airports
- checked out 9 different business lounges
- estimatet 5.5 hours of departure delay
- estimated 3 hours of arrival delay

Misc statistics

- 25 scuba dives
- estimated over 700 freedives deeper that -10 meters
- sailed over 300 Nautical Miles
- encountered 8 different kind of shark species ( blacktip reef shark, bull shark, twany nurse shark, grey reef shark, whitetip reef shark, silvertip Shark, zebra shark, galapagos shark (not 100% sure)
- 31 diffrent Hostels/Guesthouses/Hotels
- lost over 7kg of weight
- visited 12 countrys

What's missing from my bucket list for this trip?

I'm not writing here what was all on my bucket list for that trip, but 

their are a couple of things which I sadly can not put off my list.

- Mahi Mahi Harpouning from boat on Rarotonga
- Tigershark encounter (will not count the shadow I saw far away which possibly could have been one)
- Hammerheadshark encounter
- Dogtooth Tuna 25kg+
- climbing a coconut tree to the top (half the tree, on Falalop, but did not managed climbing into the treetop)
- Freediving the wrecks on Santo, Vanuatu (bad cold)
- Whatching Orcas's in NewZealand

My personal highlights:

- Niue! (specially the hardcore freediving with Stifu, thanks!) 
- My first "big" fish I shoot, the barracuda
- My first Sailingtrip
- Fiji & the Fiji bull shark dives (Thanks again Mike)
- Volcano on Tanna in Vanuatu
- Hector Dolphin encounter and riding/sharing waves with them
- Tokyo, best Metropolitan city I've ever been to
- Yap and Yap Day, this guys know how to celebrate ;)
- Getting surprised by Mantas during spearfishing
- My first Dogtooth Tuna
- Ulithi Atoll
- ... If I think again, there will be probably many many more ;)

Best towns/city's/metropolis I visited.

- Wellington
- Queenstown
- Tokio
- Seoul

Worst parts of my trip

- Manila, never ever again (And I was not even visiting the districts of the poor people)
- having a cold on Santo with the result of not having a chance going wrack freediving there
- Bad weather on Yap! (no mating Manta Rays for me and no freediving outside the reef)

Would I do it again? YES!!! But probably try to go to some more remote places,

where the underwater world is still as it should be. For example?

Some well known spots I will list here, the rest I will keep for myself.

Maybe I will get the chance going there by boat one day.

- Malpelo
- Cocos
- Galapagos
- Island of Sacorro
- Kiribati (some places)
- Micronesia (some places)
- Marshall Islands (some places)
- and so on....

On my way

Departure from Palau 28.03.14 05:00 am local time and arriving 29.03.14 13:35 pm local time 

- Asiana & Qatar Airways
- Enough time to see Seoul
- Meeting a friend from Falalop and having lunch together in Seoul
- Access to all Business Class Lounges at one of the best Airports in the world.

Sounds good to me... here we go

Diving Palau part 3

Third day and last day

Blue Corner and New-Drop-Off

The first dive today was the only one I would consider as worth it, I had so far in Palau.

Nothing really special, but a lot of fish. At no time you've been searching to see something.

Highlight (note the "" are missing ;-)): Melon-Headed Whales before Blue Corner and plenty of

Dogtooth Tuna.

So three days of diving Palau. 

They don't wanted to go with me and three other clients to Shark City. They told us, its only good 

on special times for example full-moon and exept that time, you only see a couple of sharks and the current is "super strong"

Mhh I only saw a "couple" of sharks (Grey's & Whitetip Reef), nothing special. Maybe for shark lovers, I was 

at the wrong place, wrong time of the year or been diving with the wrong company, I don't know. They also called 

Blue Coner "super strong" current. Compared to other pass dives I had, this was not even a quarter! Sissy's!!!

A older couple told me, 30 years ago they've been here and all the dives 

been at least 10m deeper and with more current. So whats that about? Making it more easy for the dive guides?

All the time I spotted bigger shadowws in the deep, and also spotted much more then the dive guide it self.

May I add "wrong dive guide" to the list above as well?

Anyway, definetely nice dive sites, but for me, not worth it going here again for diving!

For nearly the same money I can go to better places for diving and diving is cheaper over there too ;-)

I regret that I did not went there doing my travel, but i thought I try something else to find other nice places.

Some places are outstanding, some are not. I thought Palau is one of the outstanding onces, but not for me.

That's the bad thing when you already had one of the best diving at the beginning of your dive carier

Diving Palau part 2

Second day of diving Palau

Sandy Beaches & Ulong Channel

"Highlights": Nesting Triggerfish who chased us ;-), one huge Coral patch and giant calms and

on out way back, over the surface, a sunbathing banded sea snake in some of the rocks.

Diving Palau part 1

First day of diving in Palau.

Two tank dive, German Channel, Blue Hole (including Blue Corner at the end) and Jellyfish Lake

expectations:

reality:

Highlights: Very Big Spanish makrel between Blue Hole and Corner, the Jellyfish Lake, for sure 

Still alive

After spending three weeks in the Outer Islands of Yap, I'm back again in Yap and 

waiting for my flight to Palau. Internet connection is very slow and sometimes not available.

So I try to work up my backlog before I'm home again. Only seven days from now :( !!!

That's the Route for today. Again United...shit Airline!

At the moment I' running out of luck, no great diving in Micronesia because of the weather and

it seems that te same will happen in Palau. Typhoon!

UPDATE: Added some posts from the past ;)

Coconut crab

A couple of times I had this now, but the size of that whopper is outstanding for me.

Even the locals say its a big one. Normally the crabs I had reminded me on the Mud crab I had in Fiji.

More work than food and at the end you are still hungry. But this one was enough for two people. ;)

yummy!!!

Doggy style ;-)

One of a couple of Dogtooth Tuna I was able to shoot. Not very big, but still strong fighters.

Missed only one and a real big one (reminded me on the Fiji record) we spotted far away.

The reef is pretty much overfished. They shoot and eat everything they can, without an exeption.

Half the island of Falalop is protected, means spearfishing is banned. This banned area includes 

also a nice Doogtooth Tuna spot ;) But it is definetely nesseceary or they will run out of fish fast.

I'm pretty sure the blue is full of fish and if you come with a buddy who you can trust, fell

safe with and can share the boat/gasoline its a nice place, but for reef fishing, nearly empty.

If you are staying long enough in the water, you've been lucky that some Rainbow Runners are passing by

Exept the fishing it is really nice here. The people are very friendly and helpfull with everything

Some impressions

Some mixed pictures from the Outer islands of Yap