Just under 2 hours south west from Guam, are the unique rock islands of Palau, Spread out over a lagoon more than 37 km long, the islands are covered with thick jungle growth and are rarely visited by people. The only way to reach the Rock Islands is by boat. These scenic islands have some of Micronesia's finest snorkeling and diving around their shores. Palau is the junction of three major ocean currents that merge with their abundant food supplies to support an enormous variety of tropical fish and other marine life. Every imaginable species of coral and over 1500 species of fish inhabit the rich reefs around Palau with sharks and barracudas a common sight.
Most dives are drift dives.
The best season for diving here is from January till June when visibility can be over 60 meters but dependant on weather and tides. More than 48 Japanese wrecks were sunk in Palau during air raids in 1944. Numerous American and Japanese planes joined them. These wrecks are scattered all over Palau although most of the ships were sunk near the Rock Islands. Many are still to be discovered and some are in depths not suitable for the sport diver.