The island nation of Palau is made up of 343 islands, with a total land area of 180 square miles. On the southwestern edge of the Palau reef, the Blue Corner is generally considered the country's aquatic mainstay: it's part drift dive, part wall dive and part big animal encounter. Clip a reef hook to your gear and to the coral, and you won't have to fight the "liquid wind" that consumes you (or risk damaging the reef if you decide that you prefer to flail). Then devote your underwater energies to watching black-tip reef sharks and the rest of the marine world float by. To see stationary creatures, visit the soft coral at Ngmelis Wall , where barrel and rope sponges rise like chimneys, and intricately laced sea fans measure a full ten feet. Indeed, in these western Pacific waters, the Japanese ships that succumbed to the US Navy in World War II are succumbing
anew to encroaching corals making Palau a modern-day wreck-diver's paradise. Before you leave, stop by the island of Babeldaob for a manta encounter. And, hey, if you get bored with Palau, there are always nearby Yap and Chuuk.
DIVE TRAVELER FACTS LEVELS: Intermediate to advanced, with plenty of currents. No shore diving. WATER CONDITIONS: From the high 70s to mid-80s year-round, with visibility well past 100 feet. LIFE ON LAND: Kayak around the Rock Islands, or go trekking. The on ly land mammals native to Palau are bats. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Passport. ENTRY POINT: Koror, Palau. CONTACTS: Sam's Dive Tours, 011-680-488-1062, www.samstours.com.
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