Palau March 2015

In March 2015 I organized and escorted two snorkel groups to Palau. Each group spent two nights at the lovely and luxurious Palau Pacific Resort and then we boarded the Tropic Dancer live-aboard for seven nights.

The Palau Pacific Resort is really the only place to stay in Palau. It’s on a great beach and has a terrific house reef. In my first few minutes of snorkeling I  saw two squid courting and then mating, schools of good size fish and several giant clams with psychedelic colors.

Palau delighted us with so many wondrous sights.  In Jellyfish Lake we snorkeled with a zillion sting-less jellyfish. It’s so surreal to move quietly though these silky-soft creatures that are harmless and beautiful. It’s like swimming through a bowl of pulsating Jell-o. You really have to experience it.

Our seven nights on the Dancer gave us plenty of time to explore the outer reefs of Palau. The shallow draft of the boat allowed us to cruise through German Channel where other boats had to travel all the way around the outside of the channel which took precious hours away from snorkel time!

 

The crew on the Tropic Dancer were spot on and knew just when to drop us into a huge bait ball with swirling schools of fish and mantas. I had to fight from dropping my jaw at the sheer numbers of fish but I needed to keep my snorkel in place! After a full hour with the Mantas I started to wonder who is going to give up first, the snorkelers or the Mantas?

Other highlights included stopping at the “Milky Way” for a mud beauty treatment. We may not have looked younger afterward but we sure had some laughs.

Palau was memorable in so many ways. I look forward to a future trip to this beautiful part of the world.
Wendy Simon/Snorkeling Etc.

 

GUEST ENTRY:
Carol May, marine biologist and snorkeler extraordinaire joined my Palau expedition and thoughtfully  contributed this post and her photos.

Why Palau?
The only thing I really knew about Palau was that there were lots and lots of jellyfish…in a lake…and you could swim with them! So when the wonderful snorkeling guru Wendy from SnorkelingEtc offered a trip to Palau we were so excited and quickly signed up. We are not ‘tour’ people but we continue to be amazed by how much we enjoy the company of our fellow travelers on these trips. It is rewarding to meet like-minded adventurers who enjoy being underwater for hours at a time: without all the noise, stress and fuss of dive equipment.

Where’s Palau?
The first thing you have to do if you decide to visit Palau, also known as the Rock Islands, is to be prepared to answer a lot of questions. The first will be the inevitable …where is Palau? For some to answer ‘’it’s an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean’’ will be enough. For others, the more detailed response of ‘’east of the Philippines and north of Australia” will help orientate them.
Life Onboard
Our boat for week was the 105 ft Tropic Dancer. It was perfectly designed for its job. Spacious and stable, it felt like a floating palace. Once onboard, we were faced with the difficult decision of what time you we’d like tea or coffee delivered to our stateroom. Then we had to decide if we wanted to wear the luxurious bathrobe the ship had provided to breakfast or wear our regular clothes….ahh these are the tough decisions of the adventure snorkeler!
Our days began with a filling, hot breakfast. Then we all met on the dive deck for a briefing about the upcoming site we were going to explore. Next we squished our bodies into our wetsuits, gathered our snorkels/ fins and found a seat on the tender. They had an amazing hydraulic lift system that would lower us gently onto the water. We then zoomed away from our mothership and found our dive spot for the morning. With the helpful assistance of the crew we would all slip into the water and play around for several hours.

Life Underwater
Not only was Jellyfish Lake as amazing as we had hoped, but the variety of underwater creatures completely surprised and overwhelmed us. From the elusive mandarin fish, to graceful manta rays there was so much diversity. Schooling jacks, turtles, reef sharks (Palau is the first country to become a shark sanctuary) hovered over beautiful corals. Schooling Moorish Idols, Sergeant Majors, and various damselfish swam past anemones and other colorful reef critters. Most memorable was floating in German channel just before sunset. We found ourselves in the middle of a bait ball as manta rays gracefully swam past us-again and again. It was hard to know where to look!

Life On Land
In addition to the outstanding marine life, Palau is also rich with culture and customs. We were treated to a land tour of Babeldaob Island. Sites included impressive stone monoliths and a traditional men’s meeting house (Bai) adorned with colorful storyboards. Another fieldtrip saw us touring an old World War II site on the island of Peleliu. Many artifacts remained, eluding to the long and arduous battles fought between the US and Japan. It is such a contrast to the peaceful ambiance felt now. All of these experiences above and below the water just left us wanting more.

I can’t wait to experience Palau again! Carol May

 

 I loved the trip and the energetic group of traveling companions. I was happy to be reminded how much I love the ocean and swimming in it. I fear I have been spoiled for future endeavors. Thanks again for your attention to detail!
Shery M. Palau 2015

One more big THANK YOU for all you did to make our trip such a huge success! Everyone here is totally blown away by my stories and they haven’t even seen the pictures yet. My biggest dilemma will be choosing what trip for 2017!
Linda T. Palau 2015