Snorkeling & divingLocated between Guam, The Philippines and Papua New Guinea, Palau is an archipelago which is more than 640km (400 miles) long and harbors one of the world’s greatest concentrations of corals, fish and other marine life. As such, Palau has some of the world’s most spectacular snorkeling and diving locations and a well-developed diving infrastructure, with numerous operators offering a wide choice of facilities, including live-aboard dive tours to more remote sites. Palau’s coral reefs are home to more than 1500 species of fish and 700 species of
corals and sea anemones. Plunging walls, coral gardens and World War II wrecks are all part of the range of diving available. The local marine life is abundant and varies from schools of triggerfish, snappers, butterflyfish, spadefish and barracudas to grouper, Napoleon wrasse and a variety of reef sharks. Manta and eagle rays, cuttlefish, hawksbill and green turtles are also frequently sighted. Palau’s most popular dive sites include
Blue Corner, where Dogtooth tuna, resident Napoleon wrasses, wahoo and other large fish float on the rapid current;
Ngemelis Wall, commonly referred to as the Big Drop-off, and praised by Jacques Cousteau; the
German Channel, known for its regular sightings of manta rays;
Siaes Tunnel, an enormous underwater cavern where white-tip reef sharks can almost always be seen;
Chandelier Cave, a series of underwater chambers filled with ancient stalactites; and the
Rock Islands, which are dotted with sunken remains of over 75 World War II ships and seaplanes, which have developed their own ecosystem where fish, corals and other invertebrates not commonly seen along the outer reef systems thrive. Millions of jellyfish inhabit
Jellyfish Lake, cut off from the rest of the ocean; snorkelers can get up close as they no longer have their stings.
Sea kayakingGuided tours can be tailored to meet the abilities of an experienced or beginner kayaker. The Rock Islands are one of the most popular kayaking destinations.
FishingPalau offers both light-tackle and deep-water fishing, with gamefish such as blue marlin, tuna, snapper, giant trevallies, wahoo and mahi-mahi being among the species that can be caught here.
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