If you're a diver looking for new and exciting bodies of water to explore, Palau should be first on your list of places to go. Just south of the Philippines is an archipelago about 100 miles long known as Palau. Scuba diving in Palau is one of its main sources of revenue, with more than 20 locations to get you geared up and on a boat quickly and efficiently. A recent study found that over 40,000 divers make the journey to this island each year, usually to get a chance to swim with a shark.
As described above, the island is most famous for its fantastic scuba diving, and opportunities to come face to face with a shark. The Blue Corner is a world famous dive site with fast currents and many shark families. Much live aboard boats dock in Palau on a regular basis, where people park momentarily to make the island their home. As well there are tours that can take you to the remnants of World War Two battlefields, allowing you to dive down and explore sunken ships and massive debris.
The Blue Corner hosts such a complex and unique group of wildlife, that diving there twice will never yield the same experience. This advanced dive overwhelms you with the amount of variables going on; the fast currents will push and pull like a powerful wind. Once you've regained balance and are floating still, gray reef sharks will fly by, getting closer to you the more you can float without moving too much. If you find yourself too relaxed, the different fish schools and feeding frenzies will keep you on your toes and constantly looking around. This dive is full of life and exciting every time.
Beyond the Blue Corner, lakes with an overabundance of Jellyfish are world renowned. This is an excellent opportunity to take things slow, and float with a creature that usually should be avoided. Due to the lack of predators, these jellyfish have evolved not to need stingers, meaning tourists can dive and swim around these strange and unique creatures.
When is the best time to go to Palau?
If you plan to go to the Blue Corner, ensuring you pick a period with an abundance of sharks is critical for an amazing dive. The months of March and April are usually the perfect temperatures to see sharks, as their numbers are usually dependent on faster current and cool water.
Whether you're an experienced diver looking for a challenge or just want to float with jellyfish, Palau is a great island with unique sites to see no matter what you goals are. Scuba diving in Palau allows you to experience sharks, powerful currents, sunken ships, and evolving jellyfish. Happy diving!