Palau's warm tropical waters are legendary
amongst divers for their dramatic sheer walls
rising from the depths to within inches of the
surface and capped with thriving coral reefs.
Palau is home to over 1,300 species of fish
and more than 700 species of coral.
World
renowned for its' marine bio-diversity and
abundance of large pelagic animals, Palau also
offers avid wreck divers one of Micronesia's
largest collections of WWII shipwrecks.
From current swept plateaus to sheltered coral
gardens, Palau offers a wonderful range of
diving for every level of interest and skill.
The majority of diving in Palau is drift
diving along the walls, plateaus and coral
gardens of the outer reef, with the dive boat
following along from the surface to meet you
upon ascent.
Experience the sites that make
Palau one of the top dive destinations in the
world: the sharks of Blue
Comer, the manta rays of Devilfish City and
German Channel, and the coral reefs and
stunning drop offs teeming with marine life. Many liveaboard ships also operate in the waters of Palau
 Some of the more popular dive sites: -
The Ngemelis Drop-Off: The Ngemelis
Drop-Off is considered to be one of the
world's best wall dives. Starting in water
just knee deep, the wall drops off vertically
nearly 300 meters. Divers can free float past
a brilliant rainbow of sponges and soft corals
whose intense blues, reds, or pure whites form
a back drop for quivering nine foot orange and
yellow sea fans and giant black coral trees.
Blue Corner: Blue Corner is regarded as
one of the best single dives on earth! The
wall is vertical and deep and is known for
it's sheer abundance of underwater life. There
are large pelagic fish; schooling barracudas;
tropical fish in every variety; turtles;
guaranteed sharks; hard corals; soft corals;
and fan corals. Strong tidal currents nourish
this chain of life. Best diving is from 15 to
24 meters. Not a dive for beginner divers.
Blue Holes: Blue Holes is a huge cavern
on the north side of Ngemelis Island. Four big
holes on the ceiling enable a lot of ambient
light to penetrate the cave and create great
photo opportunities. Maximum depth is 30
meters
Big Drop Off: This steep wall offers an
amazing formation of soft and hard corals and
a healthy population of reef fish. The best of
Big Drop Off lies relatively shallow in 2 -
17m, which also makes it an excellent
snorkeling area.
German Channel: German Channel is a man
made shallow channel that connects the lagoon
with the outer reef. The channel was blasted
by the Germans in the early 1900s in order to
transport the excavated phosphates from the
island of Angaur to the Koror port.
Today,
many Manta Rays visit the channel and feed on
the plankton that the strong currents bring.
Few cleaning stations in the channel's mouth
allow one to view those great creatures from
such a short distance. The cleaning station is
at 18m and the beautiful coral garden at
7-13m.
Popular WWII wreck dives
Before and during WWII, Palau became
strategically important for the Japanese war
machine. On March 31, 1944, the American Navy
air raided the Palau Archipelago in an
operation named DESECRATE I ". During operation
"DESECRATE I " more than 60 ships were sunk.
The wrecks rest at depths ranging from 20m to
40m. Some of the recommended sites are:
Helmet Wreck (10 - 31m): Small supply
ship, stern gun and shells, depth charges and
radial engines for zero fighters in cargo
hold.
Buoy #6 Wreck (26m): Patrol boat, best
wreck for macro photography, excellent night
dive.
'Jake' Japanese Navy Seaplane (13m): Floatplane, intact
(bomb radios, etc. are still around)
USS Perry (82m): The only US shipwreck
in Micronesia. A 315ft (96m) long, Clemson-class destroyer. Sunk after hitting a mine on
September 14, 1944.
Chuyu Maru (35 - 23m): Freighter, stern
gun and shell, bridge intact, engine room,
many Lion Fish.
Iro (23 - 35m): Fleet oiler, large
coral encrusted bow and stem guns, open engine
room.
Amatzu Maru (30 - 14m): Tanker, largest
wreck in Micronesia, many black coral bushes.
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