Palau Scuba Diving

What is where?

This part of the Micronesian Paradise traditionally referred to as Belau, and lies to the west of the Island grouping (north of New Guinea.) The chain is divided into the lower lying islands of Kayangel, Ngeruangel and the raised Rock Islands, with Babeldoab, Koror, Peliliu and Anguar.

Babeldoab is the second largest island in Micronesia (Guam being the first.) The entire 260 square kilometers is covered in very dense vegetation mainly consisting of tropical pandanus, ironwood, broadleaf hardwood trees, banyan and coconut palm, which in turn support extraordinarily rich and unique biodiversity. The capital of Palau, Koror, supports a population of 17,000. It's the tourist hub of the area sporting as many as 20 resorts.

Carbon dating traces its historical roots back to somewhere between 1000 BC and 2500 BC. Unlike their exploited sister islets in the Bikini Atoll, Palau withstood Micronesia's century of being besieged by foreigners rather well, despite a temporary loss of independence and sharp drop in demographics due to disease. They voted for the world's first nuclear free constitution in 1981, however the US only conceded their independence on condition that the clause was retracted.

Palau Scuba Diving

Nestled between Koror and Peleliu in the southern lagoon are the famous Rock Islands (Chelbacheb.) They comprise a collection of strange dome-shaped limestone outcroppings located in a protected coral lagoon that stretches for 90miles.

The Rock Islands are responsible for one hundred of Palau's most popular dive sites. Consisting of roughly 300 Islands spanning 125 miles, the area forms the meeting point for three of the world's main currents. Here, the forces of nature bring together a plethora of marine life such as sharks, turtles and dolphins which, needless to say, make for astounding drift dives.

It gets even more exciting with a few wrecks thrown into the mix. For 'pirate divers' there's even the lost treasure legend of a Japanese hospital ship loaded up with gold and silver in anticipation of the fall of Palau, that has never been found!

As if Palau isn't already a 'blessed child', it happens to be situated comfortably outside of the typhoon zone and it's the only place in the world with more than one type of jellyfish that don't sting! These amazing creatures can be seen at the popular snorkeling spot, Jellyfish Lake.

Conserving Eden

Palau has over 1500 types of fish and 700 coral and anemone species. Most of the dive sites share sure-fire sightings of one or more of the 6 different kinds of sharks or five different kinds of turtles.

The striking rare Mandarin Fish and virtually extinct Dugong (sea mammal) are presently on the protection list, as well as Giant Clams (Tridacna) which are also endangered with only seven of the nine species remaining.

Fortunately the Island's biodiversity lay in the hands of the Palauan people, whose strong traditions regarding nature even sometimes blur the boundaries between humans and animals, forging a just respect for the environment that sustains their existence.

Don't be fooled by all the aerial photos you see of Palau - these are not an accurate representation of what to expect from all the islands. The shots are typically of the 70 Islands Wildlife Preserve where NO humans are allowed.