Blue Heaven for Big Fish

PALAU, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 500 miles east of the Philippines, is a diver’s dream, nowhere more so than at a piece of coral reef called Blue Corner. It’s a slope followed by a sharp drop-off, and it’s one of the most famous dive sites on the planet, the Via Veneto of the underwater world.

Palau's profuse, unspoiled reefs offer a wealth of marine life, coral formations and wrecks. Dives begin in knee deep water and plunge straight down to depths of 1000 feet and more.

Blue holes, huge caverns and an immense variety of rare and exotic marine species are easily accessible in clear water with visibility exceeding 200 feet. Vast numbers, not found anywhere else in the world, of large pelagic predators, sharks, turtles, dolphins and many species of migratory fish gather here at a unique crossroads of three of the world's major ocean currents. Land locked marine lakes, accessible from the sea through tunnels beneath the island's steep shorelines, are home to rare jelly fish, anemones and soft corals.

Palau's famed "Rock Islands" are a collection of rounded, foliage-covered isles which seem to float above the surface of the water. A boat trip through them will reveal a number of magnificent white sand beach hideaways perfect for a secluded picnic or adventurous overnight stay. Below the water's surface, divers and snorkelers are treated to a diverse technicolor paradise of fabulous drop-offs, blue holes, breathtaking reefs, crystal caves and World War II wrecks.

Palau, Paradise of Pacific