Scuba diving

Palau - One of The Most Bio-Diversed Dives in the World

If you say Palau, divers say Blue Corner. With its healthy, resident population of grey reef sharks and black and white tip reef sharks, Blue Corner is high on the wish list of every diver interested in sharks. But not only the top apex predator makes diving here so spectacular. The vertical reef wall, that drops down to 1,000 feet/330 metres, brings rich nutrients from the bottom of the Mariana trench, attracting barracudas, snappers, jacks, eagle rays, turtles, wrasses. What is more, all these species and much more can be seen in one single dive while drifting in a brisk current. Read on.

14. 10. 2014 Photos: 17

Geographically, Palau belongs to Micronesia and is situated north of Papua New Guinea. The main commercial centre and a home of about two-thirds of the population of the Republic of Palau is the state of Koror consisting of several islands, the most important port being Malakal Island. Right here, the Sam's Tours, an open air, spaceous area, right on the water, with magnificent views of the Rock Islands is located. Established by Sam Scott in 1990 with 5 bucks in his pocket this small tour company turned into modern, internationally recognized, 5 star PADI dive center.

Blue Corner

“I wasn’t even a certified diver at the time; heck, diving wasn’t that popular back then!” - Sam Scott -

Sam's Tours from the water

Due to Palau’s unique bio diversity and Sam's committment, he slowly built his reputation to become one of the best guides in Palau. Today, Sam's Tours offer variety of PADI courses and tours around the Rock Islands. If you want to know what makes Blue Corner such a phenomenal dive, Sam's Tours staff biologist Ron Leidich has created the PADI Palau Blue Corner Diver Specialty to teach divers why. The course consists of approximately two hours of informative lecture, and two dives at the most famous dive site regularly ranked among the top 10 dive sites in the world.

Another interesting dives Sam Tour's provide are The Unique Dive Expeditions, customized tours offering the chance to experience a different type of diving in Palau, one that is structured around the moon phases and the tides.

Full Moon Expedition

The 'Full Moon Expedition' offers three dives a day for six days taking in the best of the famous dive sites in Palau. Three days are spent at Peleliu in the South of the Rock Islands, where participants witness the aggregation of the red snapper. It is a unique experience to watch thousands and thousands of red snapper coming together with the added bonus of the larger predators that come to feed on the unsuspecting fish. Grey reef sharks are in abundance looking for an easy meal and the resident bull sharks are seen stalking the red snapper which is a jaw dropping sight.

Snapper spawning rush

New Moon Expedition

The 'New Moon Expedition' is similar in structure but this expedition offers divers the chance to witness the bumphead parrot fish come together in their thousands for a very brief period, only for a couple of hours a day, to spawn. In addition, other aggregations that the team believes to happen only once a year such as the moorish idols, the orange spine unicorn fish, the sailfin snapper and a number of different species of grouper, may also be part of the unique dive experience.

Bumpheads rising to spawn in the blue

Palau's climate is tropical with a high humidity. Average annual temperature is 27 degrees celsius and the water temperature is 28° Celsius. Palau is located 8° north of the Equator and therefore rain is fairly common to be encountered every day, so don't forget to a rain jacket!

The dive center is open year-round, offers daily excursions with 2 tank dives, accomodation, snorkel trips and even kayak trips and land tours. If you'd like to find more information on Sam's Tours, visit their website.