Scuba-Diving-Palau.com: an independent guide to Blue Corner, German Channel, the WWII wrecks and the Rock Islands of Palau.

Scuba diving Palau: two divers swim along a coral wall of sea fans and soft corals as a grey reef shark passes in the blue

The independent guide to diving Palau

Scuba Diving Palau

Dive into Palau's wild blue: legendary currents, manta encounters, Second World War wrecks and the mushroom-shaped Rock Islands, explained by divers for divers.

Explore Palau dive sites

Featured dive sites

Palau's world-class dives

Scuba diving in Palau is famous for one thing above all: big animals on strong, clear currents. Three sites show why divers fly halfway around the world for it.

Grey reef sharks patrol the edge of the reef plateau at Blue Corner while divers hook in behind them Blue Corner Divers drift over the giant lettuce coral field of Ulong Channel with snappers schooling below Ulong Channel A diver beside giant sea fans on the sheer drop-off of Peleliu Wall in southern Palau Peleliu Wall

Why Palau is on every diver's list

Palau is a small island nation in Micronesia, in the western Pacific about 800 kilometres east of the Philippines. It sits where deep ocean water, strong tidal currents and a huge lagoon meet, and that mix feeds some of the richest reefs in the world. On a single dive you can watch grey reef sharks hang in the current, a Napoleon wrasse cruise past and schools of barracuda and jacks wheel overhead.

The country has also protected its sea more firmly than almost anywhere else. Palau declared the world's first national shark sanctuary in 2009, the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, and the Palau National Marine Sanctuary closes most of its waters to commercial fishing. Every visitor signs the Palau Pledge on arrival, a promise to the children of Palau to tread lightly.

This site is an independent travel guide, not a dive shop. It explains the best Palau dive sites, how to dive Blue Corner safely with a reef hook, where to see manta rays at German Channel, which Second World War wrecks to visit, and how to choose between a liveaboard and a land-based trip.

A reef manta ray hovers over a cleaning station in German Channel while a diver watches from the sand

Manta encounters

German Channel

A channel dug across the reef in the early 1900s has become one of Palau's best places to meet reef manta rays. They glide in to cleaning stations on the channel floor, where small wrasse pick them clean, and divers wait quietly on the sand to watch.

Read the German Channel guide
A liveaboard dive yacht anchored in calm water among the jungle-covered Rock Islands

Plan your trip

Liveaboard or land-based?

There are two good ways to dive Palau. A liveaboard keeps you close to the outer reefs, with more dives a day and early starts before the day boats arrive. A land-based trip from Koror gives you a hotel bed, free afternoons and the chance to explore the islands, with day boats running out to the same famous sites.

Compare the two Plan the trip
A Koror day dive boat crossing calm turquoise water between the Rock Islands

When is the best time to dive Palau?

Palau is a year-round dive destination with warm water every month. The drier months, roughly November or December through April, usually bring calmer seas and the most settled weather. The wetter months bring more rain and wind but far fewer divers.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Drier, usually calmest
  • Changeover months
  • Wetter, still good diving

Read the month-by-month guide to the best time to dive Palau

A snorkeller floats among golden jellyfish in the sunlit green water of Jellyfish Lake Jellyfish Lake A snorkel-only marine lake full of golden jellyfish, when it's open. A diver with a torch beside the coral-covered hull of a Second World War Japanese shipwreck WWII wrecks Japanese ships and aircraft sunk in 1944, now covered in coral. Aerial view of the mushroom-shaped Rock Islands and turquoise lagoons of Palau Rock Islands Hundreds of jungle-topped limestone islands and hidden lagoons.
A green sea turtle swims over a healthy coral reef while a diver keeps a respectful distance

Dive responsibly

Take the Palau Pledge

Every visitor to Palau signs a pledge, stamped into their passport, to protect the islands for future generations. For divers that means no touching or chasing marine life, no standing on coral, hooking in only to bare rock and leaving nothing but bubbles.

What the Palau Pledge means for divers

Palau diving questions

Is Palau good for beginner divers?

Yes, with care. Palau has calm lagoon dives, shallow reefs and wrecks that suit new divers, but its most famous sites, such as Blue Corner and Peleliu, have strong currents that are better after you've logged some experience. Many divers complete an advanced course or a few drift dives first.

What can you see diving in Palau?

Grey reef and whitetip reef sharks, reef manta rays, Napoleon wrasse, schools of barracuda, jacks and snappers, turtles, giant clams and huge fields of soft and hard coral, plus Second World War wrecks in the lagoon.

How many days do you need to dive Palau?

A week is the usual minimum: it gives you time to dive Blue Corner, German Channel, Ulong Channel and a wreck or two, with a day free before you fly home. Many divers stay ten days or longer.

Do you need a permit to dive in Palau?

Yes. Koror State requires a Rock Islands permit for diving and snorkelling in its waters, and other states such as Peleliu have their own. Dive operators usually arrange them; see the Palau dive trip planning guide.