PALAU ISLANDS 10 NIGHTS PALAU

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1 PALAU ISLANDS 10 NIGHTS PALAU The following is a sample itinerary of where you might dive during your holiday with us. We wish to show you the very best diving but a number of factors can determine where we visit. Weather, tides, how busy a site is with other dive vessels all play a part in the Cruise Director s decision of which route the yacht takes. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations. The Cruise Director is happy to listen to requests from guests to visit or remain at certain sites and providing it is possible and the schedule allows, then guest s requests are respected. Palau Islands- 10 Nights - Koror to Koror 33 Dives including up to 5 night dives Day 1 - Arrive Sam s Tours, Koror A representative of Worldwide Dive and Sail will pick you up at your hotel and bring you to Sam s Tours dive centre to board the S/Y Palau Siren at approximately 4pm. After boarding settle into your cabin and assemble your equipment with help of our friendly crew. Following a briefing on the boat you may spend the rest of the evening at your leisure and enjoy a freshly prepared 3 course dinner from our chefs. Day 2 - Koror - 3 dives Dive 1 Short Drop Off a steep reef wall gradually transforms into a plateau at the corner where grey reef, white tips and black tip reef sharks can all be seen. Schools of batfish, butterfly fish & jacks are a common sight whilst between September and November the area is a nursery for juvenile grey reef sharks. Dive 2 Lighthouse Channel drops to 25m (80ft) and is best dived during the slack tide to avoid the sometimes strong currents. A small fishing vessel, overgrown with soft coral, lies in the channel and provides shelter for divers and numerous fish species alike! The reef slopes upwards to a hard coral garden where huge gorgonian fans are seen twinkling in the light. Dive 3 Chandelier Cave is our final dive of the day. This fantastic cave system made up of five separate chambers with stalactites and stalagmites creating a chandelier effect. The caves take some careful navigation so stay close to your dive guide! Day 3- Ngaremlengui & Ngeruktabel 4 dives Departing our safe overnight anchorage at around 5am we journey northwards to make 4 dives. Dive 1- West Passage is a channel with a reef top sloping to vertical walls that run through the barrier reef. The drift along this wall is amazing due to the large amounts of nutrients flowing through the channel. It is filled with large gorgonian, corals, sea whips, crinoids and anemones. Grey and white tip reef sharks move through the channel along with grouper, snappers and sweetlips. Dive 2 Devilfish City the steep drop off provides a place to hang in the blue to watch for manta rays, which are abundant in the area between January & April. Large pelagic sharks and schools

2 of barracuda are also seen here whilst the reef wall provides stunning colour and a wide variety of smaller fish species including hawkfish, unicorn fish, leafy scorpionfish & anemone fish. Dive 3 Sunken Bridge is an impressive coral formation where large pelagic species can be seen. From mantas to silvertips this dive always has some surprises. Dive 4 Night dive at Devilfish City Inside. Day 4 - Ngaremlengui Island & Malakal Harbour 4 dives Dive 1 Devil s Playground a sloping wall with a drop off. The wall is filled with beautiful soft corals, sea whips and sea fans. Nurse sharks often are found under the coral boulders above the drop off while crocodile fish, turtles and eagle rays are also common. Reef fish dot the landscape to complement this dive. After the dive the S/Y Palau Siren cruises southwards to Malakal harbour to dive a selection of wrecks that rest within the bay. Dive 2 Teshio Maru was sunk north of the harbour as it tried to escape the inner lagoon on March 30, 1944 during Operation Desecrate. The Teshio - a Japanese army cargo ship now lays in 25m (80ft) of water on her starboard side. She is 100m (330ft) in length and one of the best wreck dives in Palau. Dive 3 Iro Maru. This Japanese oil supply ship, sunk during Operation Desecrate, lays upright in 20m (75ft) of clear blue water. Descend the mooring line to the bow and gun mount then explore this coral encrusted wreckage. Schools of batfish hover above the wreckage and large groupers are also to be seen. Dive 4 Night dive near our anchorage site within the harbour looking for the smaller critters such as ghost pipefish, anemone fish and a wide variety of crustaceans. Day 5 - Ulong Island - 4 dives Dive 1 Ulong Channel is often considered the best dive in Palau! This exhilarating drift dive has it all! Coral encrusted walls filled with hard and soft corals, schools of sharks and other pelagic action, a beautiful stand of lettuce coral as you drift through the channel, giant clams and plenty of grouper just to name a few. Keep your eyes open, seeing just about anything is possible on this dive! Dive 2 - Siaes Corner, we dive into the Philippine Sea to cruise along the wall and hook in at Siaes Corner. Schools of grey reef sharks, jacks and barracuda can be seen off the corner s edge while butterfly fish, Moorish idols, anthias and fusiliers are abundant throughout the reef. Hawksbill and green sea turtles are also found feeding here. Dive 3 Siaes Tunnel offers divers an awesome experience as they dive through a large naturally lit tunnel. Cup corals, soft corals, reef fish and invertebrates inhabit the walls and ceilings of the tunnel. Near the bottom dart fish, longnose hawk fish, gobies and frog fish are found. White tip reef sharks sleep on the bottom near the tunnel s exit, while big eye trevally circle around. During our third day dive the S/Y Palau Siren cruises to Mercherchar for our night anchorage. The dive tenders will remain at the site collecting divers to rejoin the liveaboard yacht. Dive 4 Cement Wreck night dive.

3 Day 6 - Mecherchar Island & Ngerchong Island 3 dives We awake early in the morning for a snorkelling excursion to the famed Jellyfish Lake, one of approximately 70 inland marine lakes found throughout Palau. Here the golden jellyfish (Mastigias) have adapted over time to shed their stinging cells allowing for this one-of-a-kind experience with them. The jellyfish follow the sun each day using the sunlight to help algae produce sugars which it in turn shares with the host. The trail leading to the lake is not too long but is a little steep so make sure to wear your booties. Dive 1 Ngerchong Outside, the outer wall of Ngerchong Island has a steep drop-off covered with hard and soft corals. Grey reef sharks, white tip and black tip sharks are amongst the common sightings. During the months of Sept-Nov the area is a nursery for juvenile grey reef sharks. On occasion migrating whale sharks can be seen out in the blue. Dive 2 Ngerchong Inside a shallow u-shaped bay where some sharks come in for a clean at the numerous stations. Sting rays can also be seen here along with a variety of macro species and moray eels. However the area is most famed as a breeding and hatching ground for cuttlefish. Dive 3 We return to Ngurong Inside to experience this delightful site at sunset, when cuttlefish can be seen laying their eggs. Nudibranchs, flatworms, scorpion fish and crocodile fish are also common. Day 7 Ngemelis Island & the German Channel 4 dives Dive 1 Big Drop Off is one of Palau s most famous wall dives. This vertical wall is covered with colourful soft corals, sponges, smaller reef fish and sea fans. Sharks patrol along the reef edge but this is also a fantastic site to see filefish, longnose hawk fish, fairy basslets and schools of surgeon fish, parrot fish and angel fish. Turtles are often found feeding along the wall as well. Dive 2 Turtle Cove begins by plunging into a small blue hole on top of the shallow reef. Upon exiting at the bottom divers drift through schools of surgeonfish, butterfly fish and red-tooth triggerfish. Large schools of black snapper enjoy coming right up to divers along the wall. The plateau at near the end of the dive is filled with beautiful anemones, reef fish, sharks and turtles to finish off the dive. On occasion a leopard shark or ray will cruise by for all to see. Dive 3 German Channel was created during the German occupation ( ) to enable easier transportation of the phosphates they were mining. Today the mouth of the channel is best known for encounters with mantas, schooling sharks and plenty of reef fish. Dive 4 Night dive. During days 7 and 9 of your trip the hard-bottomed dive tenders will head in different directions with one dive group diving at Ngemelis Island & German Channel whilst the other group dives at the sites of Peleliu Island (as per the day 9 outline provided below). Each group will visit the same dive sites, except on different days. By allowing for few divers at the sites each day, we hope to ensure you greater enjoyment with the marine life. We will make an early start each day to spend as much time as we are able on each site. The evening meal will be the same time for each group however breakfast and lunch times will vary.

4 Day 8 Ngercheu Island 4 dives Dive 1 Virgin Blue Holes just south of Blue Corner, offers divers more holes and caverns to explore. Dive 2 Ngebus Corner features dense populations of sea fans, soft corals and sea whips. Grey reef sharks patrol the corner while butterfly fish and fusiliers congregate near the wall s cuts. The shallow coral garden is where turtles and scorpion fish are commonly seen. Dive 3 Dexter s Wall is a wonderful wall dive filled with soft corals, sea fans, nudibranchs, anemones and sea turtles. The area is well known for leopard shark sightings but also teeming with groupers, snappers, sweetlips and other reef fish. Dive 4 Night Dive at Barnum s Wall a favourite haven for leopard sharks. Turtles, groupers, sweetlips and a variety of sharks can all be seen here as well as a myriad of nudibranchs, flatworms, sea whips and crinoids. Day 9 - Peleliu Island 3 dives Dive 1 Peleliu Cut is where we can experience some of the strongest currents of our trip due to converging ocean currents that flow around the archipelago. The cut is full of life; we will see plenty of pelagics, sharks, jacks, barracuda, rainbow runners, snappers, tuna and sweetlips. Reef hooks are a must for this dive! Dive 2 Yellow Wall on the south eastern tip of Peleliu Island, is covered in small yellow soft corals giving it its name. Beautiful lettuce coral and sea whips line walls surrounded by basslets, groupers, angelfish and butterfly fish. Numerous sightings of great hammerheads coming up from the depths also happen here. After lunch the tenders take us to Peleliu Island where we have the opportunity to take an historical land excursion to visit the WWII sites. Dive 3 German Wall dropping to 18m (60ft) where sharks, eels and turtles can all be observed by divers. Day 10 - Ngerchong Island 4 dives Dive 1 Blue Corner is the most famous dive site in Palau, known for its strong currents and consistent and abundant shark and pelagic action. World class diving does not get much better than Blue Corner! Every day on Blue Corner is action packed where anything can happen! Reef hooks are needed for this dive. Dive 2 Blue Holes is a large cavern with four blue holes at the top allowing natural light in from above. These rays of light make diving in the cavern a unique and amazing experience. White tips can be seen on the sandy bottom and there are numerous critters including dart fish and the flaming scallop lining the cavern walls. Dive 3 New Drop Off is located south of Blue Corner on a shallow plateau. The walls are filled with a medley of colourful reef fish including butterfly fish, angel fish, wrasse and triggers. Soft corals, large anemones and sea fans cover the wall while grey reef sharks cruise the blue water. Large Spanish mackerel commonly cruise on by with the sharks. Dive 4 Night Dive Spend a final evening relaxing on board the S/Y Palau Siren whilst enjoying a bbq dinner & cocktails prepared by our crew. It s a great time to begin planning your next adventure with Worldwide Dive & Sail & the Siren Fleet.

5 Day 11- Disembark Sam s Tours, Koror The yacht cruises from our mooring to the Milky Way where guest will have the option for snorkelling before enjoying a final big breakfast. We say our farewells and disembark the S/Y Palau Siren at 11am; you can spend your last day shopping in Koror or taking one of the kayaking or land tours Sam s Tours Palau has to offer. We will be sure to get you to the airport in time for your flight or drop you at your hotel if you decide to stay a bit longer.