About the country
Palau, is an archipelago of 400 islands and islets between the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The young republic has bet on respecting the environment and protecting its islands : a pledge that starts right at the customs stamp, along with nature reserves and a shark sanctuary (created in 2009).
This gem, a victim of its own success (diving, kayaking and other ocean-focused activities), encourages all-inclusive tours and fairly upscale tourism, state and park fees are very high. There’s still far too much plastic sold in shops, water bottles, and little waste sorting, …
The islands of Palau are reachable by direct flight from Taipei, Seoul or Tokyo.
Every dive is a drift dive, very varied and rich : sharks, oceanic manta rays, but also hard and soft corals in abundance. Most sites are 45 minutes to 1 hour by speedboat from Koror. The clubs all offer the highlights to see the big stuff. They try to vary the sites as much as possible depending on conditions and divers. Some dives, like the cave or the wrecks, are only offered as a third dive (as an extra). The sites are fairly small, and there are sometimes several dive boats at the same spots.
Here’s a description of the dive sites, the best of : Blue Corner, Siaes Corner, Shark City, Peleliu Wall : .
Our opinion
Difficulty
Visibility
Diversity
Atmosphere
Practical
In February 2020.
Sam’s Tours is a very large club with a fleet of 6 big, fast boats. PADI system, 10 divers with 2 dive masters, dives are no-deco and last around sixty minutes, preferably on nitrox.
The club mixes group levels a bit, and you can’t really dive à la carte.
Despite that somewhat rigid side, the dive masters, Jeremy, Eve and Matt in particular, are excellent and passionate.
In February 2020.
DW Motel, a 15-minute walk from downtown Koror, is a family-run hotel with large rooms and a lobby/terrace overlooking the garden. The clientele is mostly Japanese : divers and surfers. The atmosphere is calm and really pleasant. There’s a kitchen available.
There are several apartment rentals at all price points, which is handy for feeling a bit more “at home” if you’re staying more than a week, we really liked the Coconut House @ Koror.
In February 2020.
The Jellyfish Lake is one of Palau’s star attractions, one of the 5 jellyfish lakes is open to the public (reopened 2 years ago). The experience of swimming among these jellyfish, which have lost their ability to sting, is pretty magical.
A Cessna tour with Smile Air to see the beauty of Palau’s islands from above, a really beautiful experience.