Palau
Best overall months to dive: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Dec
Palau is a western Pacific archipelago in Micronesia whose Rock Islands Southern Lagoon is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Diving centres on the reefs and channels southwest of Koror, where strong tidal currents draw grey reef sharks, humphead wrasse and schooling jacks to reef-hook sites like Blue Corner. German Channel is a manta cleaning and feeding station; Jellyfish Lake holds an endemic golden jellyfish (snorkel only); and Malakal Harbor and Peleliu hold upright WWII wrecks.