Boating with Megan

The Kregenows invited Megan and I to go out on their boat to fish and snorkel. We headed out to the edge of the reef on the east side. I am less familiar with the area, mostly because I haven't done any diving there, but it is very scenic with Babeldaob and Koror in view as well as a tiny KB Bridge in the distance. Dave navigated us out over the outer reef in order to cast on top of the reef. I cast off the bow while in the stern LB instructed Megan on how to cast. After just a few casts, I hooked a small emperor. I got him onto the boat and removed the hook. I decided he was too small to keep, so I released him back into the water.

When you first learn the cast, the trickiest thing to figure how to do well is the distance of the cast. The further you cast, the greater the chance you have at catching a fish. Megan was able to successfully cast, but not for long distance. She didn't catch anything, but neither did the rest of us as the fish were not biting. I managed to hook my lure onto the coral and couldn't extract it even with Dave moving the boat over it. That meant I had to don my snorkeling gear and jump in after the lure. The water was shallow and I easily unhooked the line, but the water was too shallow and I got several cuts on my legs from hitting the coral.

With the fish not biting while casting, we decided to try trolling. Megan and I each had a trolling line and eagerly awaited a bite, but once again we were stymied. The only excitement came when we both managed to hook our lures onto the reef. Dave maneuvered the boat and freed Megan's line, but I had to once again jump in to retrieve my lure. By that point, we decided the fish were conspiring against us and it was time to move onto something else.

Dave piloted us to Risong Bay, where the Kregenows and I had kayaked on New Year's Day. We wanted to snorkel in some of the coves we had seen from the kayaks. There was a spot to tie up the boat and we dove in. The area consisted of a few coves that was mostly shallow with a few deeper parts. I saw a few large lettuce coral and few vibrantly colored pink coral. There are a few coves and we spread out to investigate the coral and fish. While not the best snorkel spot, it was still enjoyable and Megan had a good time. We returned to the boat and cruised back to the dock.

With a few more hours of daylight, Megan and I headed out to PPR. We still had the snorkel gear with us, so Megan took it and went snorkeling at PPR. It is a nice area to snorkel and she enjoyed seeing the fish and the giant clams. The sunset was a beautiful horizon sunset and very pretty to watch. We packed up and headed home to clean up. For dinner, we went to Palm Bay Bistro, a place I had never been but was well reviewed by other expats. It is a bit classier than most spots in Palau and has a nice deck right on the water. We both had fish dishes that were very tasty. Megan was generous and treated in celebration of my birthday. Another restaurant to add to my list of Palauan dining.

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