Experience Palau
Palau is part of the Micronesia Island chain and is beautifully located just seven degrees north of the equator in the western Pacific Ocean. It lies 1000km (600 miles) east of the Philippines. The Palau islands include more than 200 islands, of which only eight are inhabited. With three exceptions, all of the islands are located within a single barrier reef and represent two geological formations. The largest are volcanic and rugged with interior jungle and large areas of grassed terraces. The Rock Islands are of limestone formation, while Kayangel, at the northenmost tip, is a classical coral atoll. This gives Palau some of the most favorable tropical weather on earth. Palau beckons to you with some of the world's most awesome natural wonders.
Micronesia has always been hailed as one of the premier dive destinations of the world. From large manta rays to tiny cleaner shrimp, the underwater world truly blossoms and comes alive in Palau. With 5 dive guides and two 30ft tenders Big Blue will show you the time of your life where each day brings new dive sites to explore. Dive days on Big Blue consist of four to five dives, each starting with a short dive briefing and equipment check before heading out into the sea for some underwater exploration.
Dive Boats / Liveaboards
The Big Blue Explorer
Saturday to Saturday package (Six full days on unlimited diving)
7 nights acccommodation in air-conditioned cabins with transfers in Koror (airport/boat/airport),
full board meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with unlimited no-decompression diving with use of
tanks, weights, belts, boat and services of Dive Masters with free use of kayaks.
Rates (per week):
US $2149 Standard Cabin
US $2349 Deluxe Cabin
US $2449 Honeymoon Suite
Includes:
7 Nights Private Cabin Accommodations
6 Days Unlimited Guided Diving
All Meals, Snacks and Soft Drinks, Airport Transfers
Free Use of Kayaks
The Eco Explorer
Customize your liveaboard vacation for 2 days to 7 days or more.
Inclusive of fullboard based on double occupancy, unlimited no deco dives and airport to boat
transfers. Minimum of 2 Dive Day Booking. No minimum number of person to run the boat.
Rates (per day/night):
US $360 Standard Cabin
US $380 Deluxe Cabin
US $400 Suite
All rates are based on double ocupancy
Fuel surcharge $100/ week or $20/day, cabin tax $10/ night
Resorts / Land Based Operations
Palau Pacific Resort
Palau Pacific Resort is surrounded by the pristine, crystal blue waters of the western Pacific Ocean, combining the true spirit and culture of the islands with a tranquil ambience and beauty, in a world-famous resort destination for both scuba-divers and non-divers alike.
Palau Pacific Resort is the only luxury international resort in Palau featuring a private 1000-feet blanket of white sand beach with excellent snorkeling right off the hotel’s beach front, a freshwater outdoor beachside swimming pool and Jacuzzi overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
This superb hotel has two outdoor tennis courts, a saltwater fish pond with over 200 fish, clams and stingrays, the hotel’s all-day alfresco restaurant and a fine dining restaurant offer the finest seafood and international cuisine.
West Plaza by the Sea
Features 36 rooms overlooking the ocean lagoon and nearby islands.
Rooms range from standard class to deluxe rooms with kitchenettes, and a penthouse suite on the roof deck with a large private veranda, whirpool bath, kitchenette, and plenty of spacious living area.
West Plaza By the Sea also features the Red Rooster Cafe.
The cafe offers a wide selection of Japanese Cruisine, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The nightly happy hour features Palau's only locally brewed beer on tap, Red Rooster Draft.
West Plaza By the Sea also offer rental car service, Toyota Rent a Car, located at the lobby of the hotel.
Dive Sites
TURTLE COVE
Location: North of Peleliu
Attractions: Wall, Blue Hole
This is a popular rest stop for the day boats, but is also a very pretty wall dive. Access to the
wall is gained by descending down a shaft, which opens out into an overhang. The wall itself
normally has schooling jacks and sharks. From the liveaboard it can be done as a night dive and
normally offers pleuribranchs.
NEW DROP-OFF
Location: West Ngemlis Wall
Attractions: Great shark and 'cuda action
This site is located right around the corner from Ngemelis or Big Drop-Off, on the way to Blue
Corner. It offers a combination of underwater sights; huge fans, colorful soft corals, sheer drops
and of course sharks and the occasional eagle ray.
BIG DROP-OFF
Location: Ngemelis West Channel
Attractions: Sheer wall of life
Perhaps the most fabled wall dive of sport diving lore is the Ngemelis Wall in Southern Palau.
Located just south of the historic German Channel, the drop-off starts in extremely shallow water and
falls to depths greater than 900 feet. This site is truly world class in the myriad of colors the
soft corals have to offer.
BLUE CORNER
Location: Ngemelis Island
Attractions: Sensory overlord
Blue Corner is one of those dives that is consistently electric, providing fish action in every
imaginable shape and size. Large sharks are common, as are small ones, sea turtles, groupers, schools
of barracudas, snappers and small tropical napoleon wrasse and bump-head parrotfish. The amazing thing
about Blue Corner is about 90 percent of all of the animals are spotted on every dive.
ORANGE BEACH
Location: Peleliu Island
Attrations: Colorful coral garden
This beach was the invasion beach on September 15, 1944. Japanese bunkers can still be found here.
Now, some artifacts can still be seen here, but it is also an excellent spot for macro photographers.
GERMAN CHANNEL
Location: North of Ngemelis Wall
Attrations: Giant clams, corals and mantan rays
The German Channel is named after the cut the Germans blasted through the reef to ease boat passage during
the occupation of Palau from 1899 to 1914. This vast expanse had not been dived for sport until a few
years ago. German Channel offers the diver a range of marine life from rays to sharks to even leaf
scorpian fish.
BLUE HOLE
Location: Ngemelis Island
Attrations: Large light filled caverns
The Blue Holes are holes in the top of the reef flat that lead to four vertical shafts that open on the
outer reef wall. The diver can descend here and then drift down the shafts, watching the sunlight play
with the hues of blue as the refracted rays dance through the water. The walls of the holes have tubastrea
and wire corals.
SIAES TUNNEL
Location: Ulong Island
Attrations: large swim through cave
Siaes Tunnel is more of a swim through than a cave, with multiple exits and entrances. The exits offer
outstanding fans and soft corals and the in the tunnel can be seen black coral and sleeping white tip
sharks.
PELELIU WALL
Location: South of Koror
Peleliu Wall is covered with a lush assortment of fans and other soft corals, while the upwelling of
the currents attracts schools of snapper, jacks, barracuda and sharks.
CHANDELIER CAVE
Location: Rock Island near Koror
Attrations: freshwater caves
Chandelier Cave is a real departure from reef diving. This shallow cave is made up of many chambers
and a high ceiling that rises above the water level, allowing divers to surface, converse and even take off
diving gear and walk around in some of the chambers.
IRO WRECK
Location: Urukthapel Bay
Attrations: large, upright oiler
The Iro is perhaps the best known and most popular shipwreck in Palau. It is located just a short
distance from Koror and is in an area that is normally protected from winds and rough seas. It is
basically a living wreck and is beautifully overgrown with many forms of marine life.
CHUYO MARU
Location: near Malakal Anchorage, Rock Islands
Attrations: heavy coral growth, fish
The discovery of this wreck came when Francis Toribiong and Klaus Lindemann had been looking, searching,
identifying and exploring and were at the end of thier safe diving time. The wreck is a 280-foot standard
D frieghter with its mascot covered in coral and the wooden planking in some places rotting. This ship is
still in fine shape and is laden with coral and is home for fish.
HELMET WRECK
Location: Malakal Harbor
Attrations: munitions, war artifects
The Helmet Wreck, a sunken World War II Japanese ship is the latest discovery in Palau. The ship has been
untouched and unseen by humans since the war. The ship sits on a sloping bank with the stern in 50 feet of
water and the bow in about 100 feet. It is a new ship, as an inspection of its engine room shows a triple
expansion, single shaft steam engine. The ship may not have been in use at the time it went down and may
not even be Japaense built, but rather a captured vessel.
