Palau Siren - Trip Report

[soundfield]

I recently returned from Palau and wanted to report back since there was some concern about the quality of the diving due to the drought, tourism and other factors over the years. I saw a thread that said “Palau- It’s over”, well I wouldn’t go that far, it isn’t. Jellyfish Lake is closed until the populations recover, and they will. As far as the reefs and marine life; I found most all of it to be stunning and beautiful. Another diver who had been to Palau 15 years ago said that the big difference that he saw was the lack of larger mature fish, other than that he said it was about the same as he remembered. If a picture is worth a thousand words, than this video that I shot will speak for itself as what to expect underwater if you decide to go. To me, it was worth it and it’s definitely “not over”.

 

[darook]

I totally agree with you. We are just wrapping up our second trip here. We spent last week on the Rock Islands Aggressor and have been doing topside stuff since disembarking. I am now convinced if you can do a liveaboard, it is the best way to see the best parts of the diving. Being able to get to sites before the day boats get there and visit them again after they leave is huge. The coral looks quite good both in the lagoon and out. Fish populations look very strong including the sharks. There were mantas in German Channel which was not the case on our last trip. We did 4 dives on Peleliu, Express was OK the others were fantastic. One other thing that is still the case is that Internet access is dreadful! That is supposed to be fixed with a fiber optic link getting dropped into here in the next year or so. I will check out your video when I get back to the states and should have mine done to share then as well.

 

[NowTeelus]

Thanks for sharing your impressions and the awesome video (even if I don't like the music). Gave you a thumbs up on YouTube.
I startet the thread you mentioned and have to say that I'm very happy to hear this good news from you!
Actually, I will fly to Palau next March, but with a regular (Fish 'n Fins) day boat.