DIVING IN SUPERLATIVES

Palau is one of the best diving destinations in the world. World-Class dive sites, some of the strongest currents in the world and one of the most beautiful landscapes – a Palau liveaboard attracts you with a lot of superlatives.

Palau is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. The country contains approximately 340 islands, and together with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia, forms the western chain of the Caroline Islands. Its area is 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi).The most populous island is Koror. 

Strong currents are the reason why the dive sites are so impressive in Palau. It attracts huge schools of fish, including fusiliers and big eye trevallies. But also the big pelagics like to swim in the currents. Sharks can be seen plentiful in Palau, especially grey reef sharks, white tips and black tips are everywhere. Other predators like tuna and sailfish joining the shark party. Manta rays crossing the German Channel.

Wreck lovers will find their spot around Koror. Here you can find a lot of wrecks, sunken in the World War II. Palau is also one of the few places in the world to see the Nautilus. So keep your eyes open.

BEST TIME TO GO TO PALAU

From July to October it is the rainy season. Apart from this Palau is a year-round diving destination with warm waters from 27 to 30 degrees. The air temperature can go up to 60 meters on good days. Only at the wreck dive sites the visibility can be quite poor with 5 to 10 meters.

BEST DIVE SPOTS IN PALAU

Blue Corner is one of the most famous dive spots in Palau. It is a coral peninsula with strong currents. So don’t forget your reef hook to hang into it and watch the underwater life. You will see sharks, schools of fish, unicorn fish and more.

Chandelier Cave is an air-filled cavern. You can swim through three chambers and ascent in the last one to have a look at the great landscape.

The German Channel is suitable for all diving levels. There´s a cleaning station for manta rays and sharks. So you can always enjoy the manta rays feeding, looping and making the manta train. 

More dive sites of Palau are Ulong Channel, Peleliu Wall and Helmet Wreck.

LIVEABOARDS IN PALAU

Although there are day trips to the dive site, the best way to explore Palau is by liveaboard. Most of them start in Koror. Enjoy a relaxing dive safari in a more relaxed way without long distance travelling on uncomfortable speed boats.

HOTSPOT FOR WRECK LOVERS

If you ever wanted to explore lots of wrecks in a short time, make your way to Truk Lagoon. A whole ghost fleet of the WWII is awaiting you. Choose your liveaboard for your special wreck diving safari.

Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific. About 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) north-east of New Guinea, it is located mid-ocean at 7 degrees North latitude and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

The reason for all the wrecks in this area is that Truk was Japan’s main naval base and the site for a major attack of the USA in the second World War. In 1969 the famous Jaques Cousteau explored this area and the wrecks. The wrecks of Truk Lagoon are also called the ghost fleet. Some of the ships are in very shallow water (around 15 meter) and can be explored even by beginner divers. In the massive ships’ holds are the remnants of fighter aircraft, tanks, bulldozers, railroad cars, motorcycles, torpedoes, mines, bombs, boxes of munitions, radios, plus thousands of other weapons, spare parts, and other artifacts. The wreck of the submarine I-169 Shinohara is one of the special wrecks. The submarine had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and got lost when diving to avoid the bombs.

BEST TIME TO EXPLORE TRUK

The best conditions are between December and April as the weather is nice and the water calm. The water temperature ranges between 28 and 29 degrees year-round.

BEST DIVE SITES IN TRUK

Depending on your level of certification you can explore the shallower wrecks as a recreation diver or the ships below 40 meters as a technical diver.

The San Francisco Maru is one of the most famous sunken ships. But recreational divers will only see the three tanks with guns right on top of the deck which starts at 100ft (30m). 

The I-169 Shinohara submarine is a special highlight. There are many shipwrecks to explore but a submarine is something very special. The submarine sitting upright in 43 meters with a severely damaged bow and conning tower. Penetration is not allowed here for respecting the lost passengers.

Other shipwrecks to explore are the Heian Maru (9-28m), Kansho Maru (12-33m), Fumizuki Destroyer (27-43m) or the Amagisan Maru (30-58m).

LIVEABOARDS IN TRUK

There are two options to explore the wrecks of Truk Lagoon. Either by a land-based dive boat or by liveaboard. The advantage of a liveaboard trip is that you can explore more wrecks with less travel time. The boats are specially prepared to host technical divers.