Diving in Palau

This site is the best known of Micronesia and probably the most beautiful on the planet thanks to the presence of amazing and impressive fauna. The plateau extends outside the reef and is surrounded by 2 steep drop offs constantly exposed to the currents. This configuration attracts a large amount of grey sharks who constantly patrol above the reef. Napoleons and turtles usually join the divers hanging on their "Reef Hook" while schools of tunas, eagle and manta rays, barracudas and bannerfishes create the show. With some luck, during March and April, we may see hammerheads and silver tip sharks.

This site is a series of 4 cavities on the top part of the exterior reef. They communicate through an immense cave where entry faces the deep blue. The dive entry is majestic and gives a feeling of entering a natural cathedral. Along the walls the spectacle is lead by "Disco Clams", crayfishes and nudibranches while the lightshow emphasises the magical atmosphere. Once we dive along the wall, grey sharks usually escort us in our drift, together with large schools of bannerfishes, tunas, groupers and turtles. Fantastic show!

This dive spot is a maze of vertical walls sinking to the abyss. The size and variety of colour of the corals in the dive spots are impressive: gorgonians, black coral, grooved brain coral. Soft corals dominate the area with giant sponges, red, yellow, purple and white alcyoniums. Pepeliu is renowned for omnipresent pelagic fauna, particularly grey shark.

This geological formation, 5 minutes from Koror, consists of a cave easily accessible through a small passage whose entry is located 10 meters down. The cave is made of 3 rooms where ceilings are covered of majestic stalactites that can be seen on the surface. When exiting the cave, do not miss the small coral rose garden on the left: several mandarin fishes hide there.

This channel is entirely artificial and situated on the South-West part of the coral reef. It links together 2 dive sites. The first one, "Manta Rock", is a cleaning station visited by manta rays to clean themselves from any parasites. Grey sharks like the spot as well and are regularly accompanied by barracudas, snappers or titan triggerfishes. Not far away a large coral garden shelters nudibranches, crocodile fishes, anemones, gobies, scorpion fishes, leaf and clown fishes. A shallow dive which allows us to spend more time in this beautiful spot.

This is a drift dive on a vertical drop off plunging to about 200 meters in depth. The walls are covered in magnificent hard corals, multicoloured sponges and giant gorgonians. A large quantity of reef fishes cruise along it, such as butterfly, parrot fishes or banner fishes. In the deep blue, eagle rays, barracudas and jack fishes patrol constantly.

The Iro Maru is a 45 meter long Japanese merchant ship converted to carry battle material and sank during the Second World War. She lays in 35 meters of water only 10 minutes away from Koror. The 3 masts, the bow cannon, the back deck and cabin are a sanctuary for nudibranches and hard corals. Visibility is sometimes a little bit blurred.