Palau Bliss
In Palau every dive was my favourite dive. And of these favourite dives, every single one was exceptional. The question is not, why would you go to Palau, but why would you not go to Palau?
Last year, sat on a dive boat in Hong Kong I was told ‘If you love sharks you need to go to Palau.’ I jotted it down in my logbook, but didn’t give it much thought, it sounded very far away and expensive; I wasn’t entirely sure where it even was, but probably not possible to visit anytime soon. But when the Insider Divers newsletter landed in my inbox, trip info complete with pictures of sharks, WW2 wrecks & a snapper spawning I thought I might as well enquire; it looked pretty inviting. After a few emails with Simon, coupled with reviews from people who had been (some with Insider Divers), I had no doubt; I had to make this happen!
Check out more photos on our facebook.
I usually travel solo, and loved the ease of which this trip came together. Simon & Pauline made everything exceptionally stress-free, and I was also looking forward to having some ready-made dive and post-dive buddies! We were a group of 14, Expats from Hong Kong and Singapore and a few from the US. By the time we landed in Palau, I was laughing with everyone; happy to be spending the next week with them all, chilled but cheeky, as divers tend to be!
The Diving
Thanks to Simon's briefing talk we learned that the President is taking marine conservation and wildlife protection very seriously.
Palau, made up of 340 islands (of which 70 are in a fully protected marine reserve), is located in Micronesia, a 3.5 hour flight from Taiwan or Philippines. And with an average sea temp of 28°C and air temp of 27°C, it really is a tropical paradise. Palau’s underwater world is bustling with critters large and small, and no doubt due to its ‘Shark Sanctuary’, a 600,000 sq km area (the size of France) in which any shark fishing is illegal. I saw sharks on 16 of my 18 dives.
Batfish, Boxfish, Butterflyfish and Barracudas. Turtles, Triggers, Puffers and Jacks. Nudibrancs, Shrimps, Octopuses and Mandarin Fish. Lionfish, Stonefish and Scorpionfish. I could go on; Palau seemed like the Noah’s Arc of the underwater world; everyone was there.
But it’s not only the creatures that are plentiful and diverse, but also the types of diving you can do. There aren’t many places in the world where you start the day in blissful tranquility, slowly making your way through a bright blue sunlit cavern, then hook in on a reef corner before lunch - watching shark after shark swim past, whilst having your space invaded by the local Napolean Fish, Sausage! And then, finish the dive day exploring a Japanese WW2 shipwreck.
With three dives a day we were up early, and the first dive sites were approximately a 30-60 minute speedboat ride away. The scenery was spectacular; the water, sky & land a dazzling variety of bright blues & greens. Numerous birds flew overhead, and occasionally we would spot a turtle, and even saw a couple of dolphins, but rubbish was never in sight. I hugely enjoyed the boat trips themselves, either nattering away with pre/post-dive excitement or just staring out into the landscape meditatively, in awe of the raw Jurassic Park-esque islands and their incredible rock formations. A tasty packed lunch was usually eaten either out in the ocean on the boats, or tucked away in a turquoise cove, with the opportunity for snorkelling, and one day we ate on land in a beautiful beach setting. Picture a beachy paradise island; that is where we ate.
Snapper Spawning
We dived with Sam’s Tours, taking two boats, with a dive guide on each. These guides were exceptional; their knowledge of the marine life, currents, and general environment matched by their passion and friendliness. My guide