Palau, Micronesia, SAM'S TOURS.

Survivor 16 or Survivor Palau as it has been generally referred to up until now, is officially announced as Survivor Micronesia. Big Fish Inc., the production company who shot the show in Palau from September through December this year has already packed up and left town. The town is markedly quieter now that the production crews are gone and the beaches in the rock islands that have been off-limits during the shoot are once again open for access.

It was good to see some old friends that we met during the last Survivor Palau shoot a few years ago. Chances are that TV viewers here in Palau may not even get to see the show when it airs unless that local cable company can work out a deal.

With Survivor: China concluded, CBS announced the new season of Survivor will be called Survivor: Micronesia - Fans versus Favorites and will feature a tribe of long-time Survivor fans up against fan-favorites from previous seasons.

For more information check out:
http://coldleftovers.com/survivor-micronesia-cast-revealed
http://www.unofficialsurvivorguide.com/

While Survivor Micronesia is getting top billing on the Internet, it is Palau's awesome scubadiving that continues to wow our visitors. Just yesterday one of our guests Chris saw a Whaleshark while participating in an Intro Dive! I've been diving here for 10 years and haven't seen a Whaleshark yet! The mantas have been plentiful and very playfull in the late afternoons near German Channel and there have been a few tiger sharks seen in the area too. Visibility has been spectacular and all in all, the diving has been spectacular these past few months. How can you tell? Just take one look at the divers faces as they get off the boats or listen up at the bar as friends sit around and relive their dives. So, turn off the TV, pack your bags and come on down to Palau and see for yourself what all the fuss is about!

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I understand from reliable sources that the LIVE REEF FISH operation recently reported on in this blog and based in Kayangel State continues to fish unabated and were last seen fishing on the Kossol Reef areas south of Kayangel and north of Ngerchelong. Reports confirm the presence of the two large support boats and quite a number of the small individual fishing skiffs spread out and fishing over a fairly wide area of Kossol Reef.

I am not informed as to what action if any is being or can be taken against this fishing operation which I am told was approved by Kayangel State officials as is therefore supposedly operating within the law. I have no official confirmation of these reports but the ISLAND TIMES newspaper recently reported that the Governor of Kayangel has launched an investigation in to the issue.

Sometime in the last few days some individual(s) in Kayangel unfortunately took the law in to their own hands and set a large fishing boat on fire, burning it to complete destruction. This vessel was reportedly owned by a local community in Babeldaob and was chartered out to the operators of the Live Reef Fish company operating in Kayangel to transport fish and or supplies. The matter is under investigation by authorities.

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The SHARKS played two games this week, one on Tuesday night and one last night, Wednesday. On Tuesday we played against the Palau Pacific Resort team PPR Shark Attack for an opportunity to play against Surangels for the business division championship. Unfortunately we suffered only our second loss of the season (our first was in the opening game against Surangel) in a toughly fought battle against PPR who went on to the defeat the SHARKS in the final minutes of the game by 5 points. It was a bitter loss for the Sam's SHARKS who have played so tremendously all season however, on the "fun-meter" it was a very exciting and intense game.

Sam's SHARKS are well known for their big band of loyal SHARK FANS that attend every game and make their presence known with noisy cheers, creative props and friendly banter. One could stand outside the national gym all season long when other teams were playing and all that would be heard is the squeak of sneakers on the floor and the refs whistles. Otherwise not a sound. Not so when the SHARKS were playing!

SHARK FANS show up in force, dressed in SHARK shirts, drums, horns, boom boxes, pom-poms, and all sorts of other creative props in hand to rally our team. When the SHARKS are playing, everyone in town knows! Well, I'm happy to report that Palau Pacific Resort and the PPR Shark Attack Fans got in to the spirit of things too and likewise showed up with a stand full of noisy and vocal supporters led by Resident Manager, Ms. Lucy Sugiyama, who cheered their team on to victory.

In the spirit of healthy and friendly rivalries, Sam Scott of Sam's Tours SHARKS and Lucy Sugiyama of PPR Shark Attack shared a friendly pre-game hug to loud cheers and whistles from the PPR and Sam's fans. Throughout the game fans on both sides kept up a lively and fun-filled banter accompanied by lots of noisy cheers that added even more excitement, enthusiasm and fun to an already great game. Following PPR's victory Dermot Keane, General Manager of Sam's Tours presented PPR's Sugiyama with an official Sam's SHARK FAN tee shirt as a gesture of goodwill and congratulations!

Sam's Tours and Palau Pacific Resort work very closely with one another to offer visitors to Palau the very best in resort accommodations and diving services! For more information on PPR, visit their home page at: www.palau.panpacific.com Visit Sam's Tours at www.samstours.com or contact our Reservations Desk at: reservations@samstours.com

First and foremost, the SHARKS joined this league to have fun and by all standards they are certainly winners in that regard and Sam and all the SHARK FANS are very very proud of them. The crowded gym, noisy fans and lot of other onlookers who attended the game against PPR is testament to the positive impact the SHARKS and SHARK FANS have had on this league. GO SHARKS!

The SHARKS extend their Best Wishes and Good Luck to PPR in their upcoming championship game against the team from Surangels.

Meanwhile, the SHARKS still have a fighting chance at the over all league championship when the top teams from each of the two divisions, Business and Government, enter the final play-off series. Stay tuned here for the latest updates and season finale on the Government-Business Basketball League.

Check out this site for current information on news and events in Palau.

This site generously picked up our recent post and generated quite a number of comments on the issue of Live Reef Fishing n Kayangel as reported in Sam's Tours blog at: http://samstours.com/blog

Link to OKEDYULABELUU site:
http://okedyulabeluu.typepad.com

Link to comments:
http://okedyulabeluu.typepad.com/okedyulabeluu/2007/11/no-kayangel-pho.html

Sam's SHARKS continue to hold on to their winning streak by recently beating archrival GROUPERS by one point (71-70) in a very toughly contested game late last week in the ongoing GOVERNMENT-BUSINESS BASKETBALL LEAGUE. The SHARKS came from behind in the last four minutes of the game and managed to fend off a strong rally by the GROUPERS, thereby eliminating them from the series.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday Dec 4, the SHARKS meet Palau Pacific Resort (PPR) in a "Do or Die" elimination game at the Palau National Gymnasium in downtown Koror. The winner of that game will go on to play for the Championship spot against who ever comes out on top in the other scheduled game this week between NECO and Surangels.

Sam's SHARKS lost their opening game of the season against top rated Surangels and since then have maintained an unbeaten track record, including wins over PPR and NECO.

SHARK FANS will be out in full force as usual including our good friend and self-appointed assistant coach BRIAN RICHARDSON of DAEWOO Corporation, builders of Palau's recently opened Compact Road. LES and ANN of the sailboat SURRENDER, founders of the SHARK FANS and Honorary Sharks themselves, will beam their good energy from wherever they happen to be on their round the world sailing trip. By now they should be proudly sporting the official SHARK FAN shirts we sent to them.

SHARKS FANS, Official Logo

SHARKS cheerleaders Martul, Tmong, Letti, Cyndi and Fawn will make up the DRUMS section; Beverly heads up the "Intimidation and Distraction" section with her often less than PG-Rated challenges and invitations to opponents. We never know what Kaud will do, but were sure PPR will know she's there! Jane, Lanni, Cheryl, Novie, Russ, Aireen, Adela and the rest of the gang will help provide side line cheers, pom-poms and lots of noise! We'll tap in to Rhea's creative talents for props!

It's getting down to the wire now and SHOWDOWN TIME for the SHARKS! No matter what, "we're all very proud of the SHARKS accomplishments to date and wish them the very best of luck tomorrow night" said Sam. After the last "heart stopper" game, Sam has asked our unofficial team doctor Wendi to make sure we have Oxygen and a Defibrillator on the side lines for the fans!

Meanwhile, Coach Patric "Pato" Martin encourages us all to remember that the SHARKS play One-Game-At-A-Time game. GO SHARKS!
Dermot

Comment posted in response to: LIVE REEF FISHING - ISLAND TIMES INFORMS THE COMMUNITY!

Dear folks
Alii. Many years ago I did one of the first articles (for OCEAN REALM magazine) on the Raja Ampat islands of West Papua. There I personally witnessed the devastation that live reef fishing can cause. Many significant species...grouper, coral cod, bumphead parrotfish...all had largely disappeared (and are gone to this day) from the islands because of the destructive practice of live reef fishing.

Mother ships would sneak down from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other ports to pick up the largely illegal pen-held fish, then dash back north before Indonesian fisheries authorities could catch them. It was the local people who went to jail. At most, they were paid a pittance compared to what the fish they penned eventually sold for in fancy restaurants in China. To this day, the reefs have not recovered.

What happens is that the largest and most productive fish are removed from the reef community. Not only does this severely damage the populations of penned fish by removing the best breeders, but the ecology of the entire reef system is thrown out of whack, often to devastating effect. Furthermore, those engaged in the trade invariably catch more than they are supposed to. The overall effects can be even more damaging than shark finning.

I will be in Palau in January, to go with an expedition to northern Palau and onward to Ngulu, Fais, Ulithi, and Sorol. We will also be diving Kayangel, and I will have the opportunity to personally survey any damage caused by this practice.

Regards,
Alan Dean Foster
Prescott, Arizona USA
http://www.alandeanfoster.com

(P.S: I am the editor of the book, SHORT STORIES FROM SMALL ISLANDS - TALES FROM PALAU, which you may find in your local library and at the museum bookstores).