Palau - First Impressions

I'd been hoping for a lot from Palau. Over the years I've heard so many great things about the place. Almost every diver I've ever spoken to who has been to Palau ranks it as some of the best diving they have ever done and Blue Corner in particular nearly always comes out top in any list of top dive sites in the world. So lets just say that I had high expectations. Yet after only four days of diving in Palau I've seen enough to realise that I don't think I had set my expectations high enough!! The diving really is that good.

This is just a first impressions write up, so I'll give you one example that has already blown my mind. We were diving along 'Ulong Wall' making our way towards the 'Channel' when we came across an enormous baitball getting harassed by some Golden Trevally. The sheer size and numbers of fish in the baitball were astounding and in addition to the Trevally it was getting pounded by twenty or so large Groupers, Napoleon Wrasse and Snappers. Then the Sharks rocked up and all hell really broke loose!

Maybe a dozen Grey Reef Sharks were darting in and out of the baitball joining the other predators and prey in a mesmerising dance. We hooked on with our Reef Hooks and spent the next 40 mins inside and on the fringes of the baitball with a front row seat to the breathtaking spectacle.

It's a fairly silent world underwater. Yes of course you hear your constant 'darth vadar' breathing and on busy dive sites you often hear an incessant banging and rattling from dive guides as they attempt to keep their groups under control, but I've never heard noise from fish before. As the frightened fish in the baitball moved into overdrive to avoid becoming prey a deep rumble could be heard, so deep and loud that you could feel it as a vibration in your chest. A most strange experience. Add that to the screams of delight from me and Zoe and you have quite a racket!!

So Palau. Well we've got another two weeks of diving here before I finally make up my mind, but what I've seen so far certainly indicates that it could be even more special than everyone told me it would be!  :)