Scuba Diving Palau Travel Guide w/ ‪@AggressorAdventures‬

Hi all of you awesome scuba divers out there. Welcome to Scuba Diver Magazine and welcome to the channel. Please take a moment to see if you're subscribed or not. Today we are scuba diving in Palau with Aggressor Adventures Liverboards. So Palau is one of those idyllic island nations that you always see online and in adverts with nice warm crystal clear waters. And when we say crystal clear waters, crystal clear waters even on bad days. So let's learn a little bit about Palau and what it's like to actually dive there. Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands. You get some big islands and you get lots of little islands and it's part of the Micronesia region in the Western Pacific Ocean, a little bit east and south, maybe a bit from the Philippines. The weather in Palau can be quite unpredictable. So it's important to be prepared for anything really. It's not uncommon to have just short rain showers even during the dry season. So if you are planning a visit on Palau, it's good to pack a variety of clothing, including sunscreen, a hat and some sunglasses, but also maybe a waterproof coat. Palau has a tropical rainforest climate with an annual mean temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. So it's nice and warm, but the temperature only fluctuates by a few degrees during the year. Rainfall is quite heavy throughout the year, but the wet season, where it's particularly wet, runs from May to October. The driest months are going to be in the dry season between February and April. The average humidity is about 82%, so it's quite a humid place. And although rain falls more frequently between June and October, there is still a lot of sunshine in those wet months. So don't let the rain put you off. I know I've spoken a lot about rain, but it's still quite sunny. In 2009, Palau announced that it would create the world's first shark sanctuary. Palau banned all commercial shark fishing within the waters of its exclusive economic zone, and the sanctuary protects about 600,000 square kilometres of ocean. Put that into perspective, that's about the size of France. So Palau is a nice refuge for sharks. Many of the locals speak English, and Palau is a safe and friendly country with a strong commitment to environmental protection. The official currency used in Palau is the United States dollar, and most major credit cards are accepted in larger locations, especially those popular with tourists, but it is always worth bringing a little bit of cash with you. Palau is a relatively expensive destination because they're quite out there, so be prepared to spend a bit more than you might on other islands. Palau is consistently ranked as one of the world's most thrilling diving destinations. Palau can be dived all year round, but the best time is going to be in the dry season, which runs from October to May. Water temperature is usually warm at a range of about 27 to 30 degrees Celsius, and that's three mil wetsuit. That's the most that you'll want, and that's what's recommended. Unusually for a destination with nutrient-rich water and current, the visibility is often endless and can easily reach 50 meters of visibility. Those nutrients feed hundreds of species of healthy coral and thousands of coral reef fish. Whale sharks, eagle rays, turtles, reef sharks, and the occasional hammerhead sharks are just a few examples of the astonishing spectrum of marine life that this Micronesian archipelago has to offer. During mating season, which is December through March, guests can see as many as 20 to 30 manta rays all in one dive. February and March offers large schools of Moorish idols, unicorn fish, and many species of butterfly fish, so lots of colors. All year round, guests can encounter massive bait balls of scad at Oolong German Channel and on the reefs of Blue Corner. Palau is also home to some of the most dramatic underwater topography in the world. There are sheer drop-offs, underwater cave systems, and blue holes for you to explore. The Nemeles Wall is one of the most popular dive sites in Palau, and it offers stunning views of the vertical wall that drops down to over 100 meters. It's worth bringing a good quality rain jacket, as I mentioned when you visit Palau, since sometimes it can get a little bit chilly in the evenings and on the dive boat as well, so something just to cover yourself up. For the best experience, advanced open water diver certification kind of level, ideally combined with nitrox as well. You don't want to be depth limited here, and you want to be able to spend as much time in the water as possible so that you don't miss out on anything. There can be some strong currents on some dives, so reef hooks are important. There are rumors that reef hooks originated here in Palau, so it's important that you're confident in a bit of current, which may include some negative entries and you need to maintain good buddy contact whilst you're in the water so you don't get separated. And of course, remember your DSMB. Palau also has over 60 World War II shipwrecks. There's a good mix of wreck dive sites for both recreational divers and technical divers. Whilst live munitions and deteriorated conditions of some of the wrecks make penetration dives unsafe on a lot of them, some wrecks are available for penetration by trained divers. A smaller skiff from the liveaboard will get you close to the best diving spots and bring you back to the bigger motherboat where you can wash and store your gear. There are a pair of liveaboards that dive the waters around Palau, the Palau Aggressor 2 and Rock Islands Aggressor. They run scuba diving packages and vacations that include seven-day charters, which are Sunday to Sunday with five and a half days of diving. Diving begins on the Monday morning and then ends on the Saturday before lunch when the Aggressor returns to port. Palau and Rock Islands are sister ships and they're basically identical. They have accommodation for 18 guests. Each cabin has its own toilet and shower. There's plenty of space on board to relax and plenty of food also. There are some hammocks on the sundeck as well if you want to chill out. There's a barbecue up there as well, so lots of places to just chill out and relax. For more information and to book your next liveaboard, remember to head over to aggressor.com and check out their fleet of vessels. Aggressor runs diving trips all over the world in the best diving locations. You can always head over to our website scubadivermag.com as well for the latest scuba diving news and subscribe to us here on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button if you haven't already. Thank you for watching everybody and, of course, safe diving!