PALAU AGGRESSOR II: General Info
In early November, 1994, the newly constructed Palau Aggressor II set sail for the Republic of Palau from Nichols Brothers shipyard in Freeland, Whidbey Island, Washington. The all-aluminum, 2,100 hp, jet-driven power catamaran is capable of 11 knots, while only drawing four & one-half feet of water. This feature revolutionized diving in Palau by allowing high speed access through its outer reefs at any tide. Cruising in unparalleled luxury, the wave piercing "z" bow will transport divers to the most remote sites Palau has to offer in total comfort & state-of-the-art stability. She can accommodate any special requests or itineraries when the entire vessel is chartered for private groups. The Palau Aggressor II is a 106-foot, 18-passenger catamaran built & powered for comfort, safety & stability. She is 30 feet wide, diesel-powered & has 110-volt power on board. The Palau Aggressor II's most recent dry dock was August '99.
All 9 luxurious staterooms are air-conditioned & have individual climate controls. Each is fully carpeted & insulated for sound, equipped with queen & single berths & vanity. Storage space is generous & each room is appointed with a hot fresh-water shower & toilet. Water makers provide an abundance of fresh water. All staterooms are just a step away from the dive deck, & each room has a large window just above water level. Traveling toward the stern of the Palau Aggressor II, guests enter the large dive deck. This is the area where divers suit up & prepare their gear. Each diver has his own personal dive station complete with seat & locker. Most dives are made from the high-speed skiff. The 30-foot skiff accommodates all divers. Each diver has a tank rack & seat on the skiff. All tanks are filled in place on the skiff with either air or nitrox. Divers board the skiff at deck level then the skiff is lowered into the water by a hydraulic lift. After the dive is made, the skiff cruises into the lift & returns to deck level where guests safely disembark. Divers can rinse off with two freshwater showers on the dive deck. A dive briefing area, camera table with low-pressure air hoses, camera rinse tank, head & E-6 photo lab are all part of the roomy dive deck.
A few steps up from the dive deck on the second level is the salon, dining area & indoor/outdoor wet bar. The salon is an attractively furnished area designed for comfort & relaxation. The entertainment center features a large screen TV, CD player & a well-stocked library of books & magazines, & videos. A self-service indoor/outdoor bar is open 24 hours a day. The bar, a popular gathering place, is constructed of solid teak & has retractable windows for a fresh open air feeling. Three large dining tables are also part of this huge room. Breakfast & dinner are eaten indoors, however, lunch is often enjoyed alfresco at the bar. A soothing hot tub is located on the open deck near the bar. The third level features a "moon deck," a 30-foot wide shaded deck. Here guests may relax on a chaise lounge or nap in a hammock. This Palau diving trip is luxury all the way.
This sparkling new custom catamaran is jet-powered, & has a shallow draft that allows your skipper to skim safely, & swiftly, over the shallowest reefs en route to the choicest dive sites. These are faraway reefs that jealously guard their charms during low tide; & many larger vessels might not be able to visit them. Because the Palau Aggressor II is fast as a barracuda with supper in sight, this vessel can gobble up the long distances to the primo diving sites, so you won't need to endure any bumpy 2-plus-hour jaunts like the little Koror-resort-based speedboats often dish out. Palau diving really should be done from a live-aboard. Those skiff rides can be murder on scuba divers who may be more prone to seasickness & sunburn. Plus, who needs the hordes of foreign tourists that bustle & cluster on the main island of Koror like wasps in autumn.
The Palau Aggressor II is powered by an awesome 2,100 HP engine that can hurtle this stable craft along at about 11 knots fully loaded, while it draws only 4.5 feet of water. So the vessel can access almost any reefs in Palau, during any tide level, which gives you a lot of diving diversity. That means a lot of diving bang for the buck during your week on board. Most Palau diving will be done from a quick skiff that launches from the mother ship. And once you are away from the urban clutter of Koror Island, the real spirit of Palau diving will start to sink in immediately on the Palau Aggressor II -- the wilder islands, the furthest islands, these are the jewels of Palau that will have you wide-eyed in your mask.
All 9 luxury staterooms have A/C, plus individual climate controls, carpeting, sound insulation, a queen-sized bunk plus a single bed on the side, & a vanity. There's plenty of storage space for you to stretch out with your gear, plus your own hot water shower & head. You're also only a few feet away from the diving deck, so the convenience factor on the Palau Aggressor II is paramount. You'll spend the maximum amount of time diving, not schlepping gear across the vessel, or waiting for pile-ups of divers to get moving. Palau diving is all about serenity, crystal-clear seas, & an unhurried enjoyable pace. That's the gist of a Palau Aggressor II dive cruise: to make Palau diving as smooth as can be for you.
If you feel like you're one of those dedicated sea-going funseekers who has to anticipate a major adventure buzz before you take any trip seriously, then the Palau Aggressor II will give you some serious megaton fun. This is just about as good as diving gets on this shrinking planet. Palau diving has even more to offer, folks. As a matter of fact, Palau diving offers you alert visitors more than 2,000 brightly adorned marine species from soft & hard corals to big fish & little ones, schools one day & solitary sentinels of the deep dropoffs on another day. Plus, there's a submarine surprise every minute. You'll get to see new virgin sites, plus many of the great classics such as Shark City, Quadruple Blue Hole & Jellyfish Lake. What are you waiting for, good friend? Beautiful Blue Belau (what the natives call their magical isle) is beckoning. This is a wonderful way to see a special corner of Mother Earth -- on the uniquely designed & comfortably appointed Palau Aggressor. Palau live-aboards are a very special genre of dive cruise. The Palau Aggressor II is a worthy member of this elite cadre of Micronesia live-aboards.
All 9 luxurious staterooms are air-conditioned & have individual climate controls. Each is fully carpeted & insulated for sound, equipped with queen & single berths & vanity. Storage space is generous & each room is appointed with a hot fresh-water shower & toilet. Water makers provide an abundance of fresh water. All staterooms are just a step away from the dive deck, & each room has a large window just above water level. Traveling toward the stern of the Palau Aggressor II, guests enter the large dive deck. This is the area where divers suit up & prepare their gear. Each diver has his own personal dive station complete with seat & locker. Most dives are made from the high-speed skiff. The 30-foot skiff accommodates all divers. Each diver has a tank rack & seat on the skiff. All tanks are filled in place on the skiff with either air or nitrox. Divers board the skiff at deck level then the skiff is lowered into the water by a hydraulic lift. After the dive is made, the skiff cruises into the lift & returns to deck level where guests safely disembark. Divers can rinse off with two freshwater showers on the dive deck. A dive briefing area, camera table with low-pressure air hoses, camera rinse tank, head & E-6 photo lab are all part of the roomy dive deck.
A few steps up from the dive deck on the second level is the salon, dining area & indoor/outdoor wet bar. The salon is an attractively furnished area designed for comfort & relaxation. The entertainment center features a large screen TV, CD player & a well-stocked library of books & magazines, & videos. A self-service indoor/outdoor bar is open 24 hours a day. The bar, a popular gathering place, is constructed of solid teak & has retractable windows for a fresh open air feeling. Three large dining tables are also part of this huge room. Breakfast & dinner are eaten indoors, however, lunch is often enjoyed alfresco at the bar. A soothing hot tub is located on the open deck near the bar. The third level features a "moon deck," a 30-foot wide shaded deck. Here guests may relax on a chaise lounge or nap in a hammock. This Palau diving trip is luxury all the way.
This sparkling new custom catamaran is jet-powered, & has a shallow draft that allows your skipper to skim safely, & swiftly, over the shallowest reefs en route to the choicest dive sites. These are faraway reefs that jealously guard their charms during low tide; & many larger vessels might not be able to visit them. Because the Palau Aggressor II is fast as a barracuda with supper in sight, this vessel can gobble up the long distances to the primo diving sites, so you won't need to endure any bumpy 2-plus-hour jaunts like the little Koror-resort-based speedboats often dish out. Palau diving really should be done from a live-aboard. Those skiff rides can be murder on scuba divers who may be more prone to seasickness & sunburn. Plus, who needs the hordes of foreign tourists that bustle & cluster on the main island of Koror like wasps in autumn.
The Palau Aggressor II is powered by an awesome 2,100 HP engine that can hurtle this stable craft along at about 11 knots fully loaded, while it draws only 4.5 feet of water. So the vessel can access almost any reefs in Palau, during any tide level, which gives you a lot of diving diversity. That means a lot of diving bang for the buck during your week on board. Most Palau diving will be done from a quick skiff that launches from the mother ship. And once you are away from the urban clutter of Koror Island, the real spirit of Palau diving will start to sink in immediately on the Palau Aggressor II -- the wilder islands, the furthest islands, these are the jewels of Palau that will have you wide-eyed in your mask.
All 9 luxury staterooms have A/C, plus individual climate controls, carpeting, sound insulation, a queen-sized bunk plus a single bed on the side, & a vanity. There's plenty of storage space for you to stretch out with your gear, plus your own hot water shower & head. You're also only a few feet away from the diving deck, so the convenience factor on the Palau Aggressor II is paramount. You'll spend the maximum amount of time diving, not schlepping gear across the vessel, or waiting for pile-ups of divers to get moving. Palau diving is all about serenity, crystal-clear seas, & an unhurried enjoyable pace. That's the gist of a Palau Aggressor II dive cruise: to make Palau diving as smooth as can be for you.
If you feel like you're one of those dedicated sea-going funseekers who has to anticipate a major adventure buzz before you take any trip seriously, then the Palau Aggressor II will give you some serious megaton fun. This is just about as good as diving gets on this shrinking planet. Palau diving has even more to offer, folks. As a matter of fact, Palau diving offers you alert visitors more than 2,000 brightly adorned marine species from soft & hard corals to big fish & little ones, schools one day & solitary sentinels of the deep dropoffs on another day. Plus, there's a submarine surprise every minute. You'll get to see new virgin sites, plus many of the great classics such as Shark City, Quadruple Blue Hole & Jellyfish Lake. What are you waiting for, good friend? Beautiful Blue Belau (what the natives call their magical isle) is beckoning. This is a wonderful way to see a special corner of Mother Earth -- on the uniquely designed & comfortably appointed Palau Aggressor. Palau live-aboards are a very special genre of dive cruise. The Palau Aggressor II is a worthy member of this elite cadre of Micronesia live-aboards.
All Palau Aggressor II photos © Copyright Aggressor Fleet & WayneWorks Marine LLC.