| Nitrox for free
 
Good news for those of you that are nitrox certified or thinking about becoming so. As of January 1st 2007, Fish 'n Fins will be offering Enriched Air Nitrox 32% without extra charge to all Enriched Air certified divers.
Fish 'n Fins is getting a new membrane compressor which will enable us to provide this excellent service for no additional charge. The membrane compressor should be up and running by the end of December 2006.
What does that mean for you? Well, first of all, those of you who are nitrox qualified will be able to enjoy the wonders of Palau’s reefs for longer without getting close to your no decompression limits and this for no extra charge. Nitrox divers can stay longer at depth, which is particularly useful in Palau, as there are many areas around 18m/60ft with plenty of action and it's always sad to leave these spots just because the dive computer is saying it’s time to go up. It also means extra safety, as nitrox divers accumulate less nitrogen which again is an important factor when doing repetitive dives (specially when you are planning to dive every day of your holiday). If you're not yet nitrox certified and you don’t think you have the time to do so at home, think about doing your enriched air nitrox certification with us once you're here in Palau. The course takes only 2 days and one of those two days is a diving day!
Big Stuff
On the 30th of November, news spread to Fish 'n Fins that a dead whale had been flushed on top of the reef on Ngerchong Island. And, attracted by the smell, quite a few tiger sharks had been spotted around the area. During the following two weeks, we dived in Ngerchong and saw the tiger sharks on numerous occasions. On most dives we spotted between 1 and 3 animals, both juveniles (6ft/2m) and grown ups (12ft/4m+). The same happened last year on a different reef in Palau, around the same time of year. The best time of year in Palau to see big sharks is between February and May, when numerous sharks come close to the reef to mate.
Photography by Tomas Kotouc
New Staff
Mark Zöllner is German, from Berlin, and has been diving since 1988. He started to work as a guide for Fish 'n Fins in September 2006. Mark has a degree in communication electronics. After working for four years as an electronic engineer in Germany, he decided in 1997 to change his career and make his hobby his profession by becoming a dive instructor. Mark has previously worked as a dive instructor and dive guide in Egypt and Thailand. He loves to show other people the wonders of the sea. His favorite fish is the leopard shark, right after yellowfin tuna sashimi. His favorite dive site in Palau is Ulong Channel.
Patrick Jaletzky is 27 years old, half German and half French and grew up in Cologne, Germany. He joined our team in October 2006. Patrick dives since '96. He became a dive instructor after finishing school in '98. Since then, Patrick has taught scuba diving in 6 different countries in the Caribbean, South-East Asia, Polynesia and the Mediterranean Sea. Also, Patrick is a qualified Remotely Operated Vehicle Pilot and Technician and has worked on various construction vessels and on oil and gas rigs in the North Sea and the South China Sea. Patrick: "I love diving, both in warm and in cold water, as long as it's good. And Palau is definitely hard to beat."
Palau-Yap
with Ocean Hunter II
A special 12 day trip from Palau to Yap
The Federated States of Micronesia
consist of 607 islands extending 1,800 miles (2,900 km) across the
archipelago of the Caroline Islands east of the Philippines. The four
constituent island groups are Yap, Chuuk (called Truk until January
1990), Pohnpei (called Ponape until November 1984), and Kosrae. Yap is
the most intriguing island in Micronesia. It is a land steeped in
ancient traditions, fascinating legends, and peopled by one of the most
distinctive cultures in the Pacific.
In January 2008, Ocean Hunter II will be offering a special Best Dive trip visiting Koror, Kayangel, Velasco, Ngulu, Ulithi, Fais, Sorol and Yap. Download the itinerary (PDF/1.2Mb) and find out what you can expect to be seeing.
Feel free to contact navot@oceanhunter.com for details. The exact dates are soon to be announced.
Satellite Communication Center on
Ocean Hunter II
We are happy to announce that we have installed Sea Wave Integrator 4, a state of the art satellite communication system, onboard Ocean Hunter II, offering web mail services, limited web browsing and Iridium satellite phone connection.
Visit our website for more details, or go to www.seawave.net.
New Divers
Fish 'n Fins is proud to introduce another member of the family to the excitement of scuba diving in Palau. In November, 10-year old Gayle Bornovski, daughter of the owner of Fish 'n Fins Tova and Navot Bornovski, passed her Junior Open Water Diver certification. Shortly after, 74 year old Mr. Robert Schull from California, United States, passed his Open Water Diver certification as well.
"The age difference between both students couldn’t be bigger", says instructor Jacky (in the middle). "It was amazing to see that scuba diving really is a sport for everyone, and Gayle and Mr. Schull are the best examples to prove it."
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