Palau
After a week of diving in the Philippines, I was able to take a non-stop flight directly from Manila to Palau for another week of spectacular diving. Palau is everything you may have heard about, and more. For scuba divers, Palau has just about everything you might be interested in: sheer walls, colorful reefs, drift diving, wrecks, caves and blue holes, big animals, macro life during blackwater diving, and jellyfish lake.
There are so many different dive experiences, it's hard to choose a favorite. A few of the best wall dives are Peleliu Wall, New Drop Off, and Big Drop Off. These are full of life, including giant sea fans and pelagics are often seen. German Channel is considered one of the world’s best drift dives where mantas are frequently spotted. Peleliu Express is another exciting drift dive. There are many wrecks to explore including the Helmet Wreck and the Zeke fighter plane and other World War ll wrecks. There are several blue holes at the surface that lead to a large cavern with an exit onto the wall. Chandelier Cave is an easy dive where you are able to see stalactites and stalagmites and surface in air pockets inside the cave.
Some of the big animals that can be seen while diving in Palau are: several species of sharks, mantas, dugongs, Napoleon wrasse, and giant clams. For macro diving, black water night dives are offered, where macro creatures are the main attraction. Jellyfish Lake is a unique snorkel dive where you share the water with thousands of non-stinging jellyfish. It was closed in 2017 due to a drastic population decline, but was reopened in 2019. Palau’s signature dive, and one that appears on every list of the world's best dives, is Blue Corner. There is a very strong current here, requiring a Reef hook, where you hook in and watch the parade of large numbers of Gray Reef Sharks and White Tip Reef Sharks. This is a must-dive site for experienced divers. On the boat rides to many of the dive locations, you will weave your way through the Rock Islands, a beautiful trip among mushroom-shaped limestone outcroppings. There are many dive operators to choose from that dive all the best spots.
There are plenty of things to do when not diving. World War ll history in on display during a land tour of Peleliu, where there are still many relics left on the island after one of the fiercest battles of the war. Palau has a rich culture, which can be explored at the local cultural center. A wonderful souvenir is a storyboard, which is a hand-carved wood plank that tells the story of one of many legends unique to Palau. Some of the local islanders also chew betel nut, which gives them an energy boost. It turns their teeth red after chewing. Everyone here is super friendly and warmly welcomes visitors.
There are lots of resorts and hotels to choose from and many restaurants, some of which serve a local favorite, fruit bat soup, prepared using a whole bat which is served in the soup. It can be washed down with one of the local beers, Red Rooster.
Bottom line: Palau is a destination with world class diving, a rich culture, restaurants offering many different cuisines, and a warm and friendly population. Add Palau to your bucket list, you won't regret it.
