Photo: David Clode / Unsplash
Palau
Palau's diving runs from Koror out to the Rock Islands and the Ngemelis reefs to the south. Blue Corner is the signature dive: a current-swept plateau where divers set a reef hook at ~15–18m and watch grey reef sharks, jacks, barracuda and resident humphead wrasse work the corner. Ulong Channel is a strong drift over a large lettuce-coral formation; German Channel is a sandy manta cleaning and feeding station best on the incoming tide; Blue Holes and Chandelier Cave add cavern dives; Peleliu's reefs are advanced current dives at the archipelago's southern tip. Jellyfish Lake, on Mecherchar Island, is snorkel-only. Diving is possible year-round, with a drier, calmer season roughly November–April and a wetter, windier June–October. Entry requires a Koror State Rock Islands permit; Jellyfish Lake and Peleliu carry additional fees.
What makes it special
- Blue Corner: a grey reef shark drift dived on reef hooks
- German Channel: a documented reef manta cleaning and feeding station
- Jellyfish Lake: endemic golden jellyfish, snorkel only
- Upright WWII Japanese wrecks such as the Iro Maru and Chuyo Maru
Price range
$$–$$$
Trip length
5–7 days
Diver level
Advanced open water
Trip type
Liveaboard, Land based, Day trip
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($$ $2,000–4,000 to $$$ over $4,000).
Resort day diving: a two-tank boat dive runs roughly $126–200. A 7-night liveaboard (e.g. Palau Aggressor II) is around $4,000+ per person excluding airfare, plus gear (~$225/week), port/park fees (~$320) and a fuel surcharge (~$250). Permits stack up: Koror State Rock Islands $50 per person, Jellyfish Lake $100 (includes Rock Islands access), Peleliu State $60.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Strong
- Water temp
- 27–31°C (coldest Jan, warmest May)
- Visibility
- 15–40m — ~15–20m in the inner lagoons and wet season; 25–40m on the outer reefs on the incoming tide.
- Getting there
- Moderate — Reachable but with some friction: a 1.5h boat crossing.
- Experience
- The channel and current sites (Blue Corner, Ulong, Peleliu) need a reef hook and Advanced/drift experience. Several easy sites (Chandelier Cave, Big Drop-Off, lagoon macro) suit Open Water divers.
Nearest airports
- ROR — Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (Koror) (International flights via Asian/Pacific hubs; ~6km from Koror where dive operators are based)
Permit required
A Koror State Rock Islands permit is required for most Rock Islands and Ngemelis diving ($50 per person). Jellyfish Lake requires the $100 permit (which covers the Rock Islands) and a licensed guided tour — independent visits are not allowed. Peleliu diving needs a separate $60 Peleliu State permit. Arriving visitors also sign the "Palau Pledge" stamped in the passport.
Rock Islands (Koror State) ~$50 per person; Jellyfish Lake add-on to ~$100; Peleliu ~$60. Fees have risen over time — confirm at booking.
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident giants at Blue Corner.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | peak season |
| February | peak season |
| March | peak season |
| April | peak season |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | peak season |
| December | peak season |
Cleans and feeds at German Channel year-round, peaking with the plankton roughly November–April; feeding aggregations of dozens are possible.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
A rare pelagic passer-by, slightly more likely in the January–April dry season.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | peak season |
| March | peak season |
| April | peak season |
| May | peak season |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Resident schools on the outer reef; a mass spawning aggregation is documented in Palau around the new moon, strongest February–May.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Present year-round but drastically reduced in 2025 (a few thousand versus a historic ~5 million); best viewed mid-morning in the dry season. Snorkel-only.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident at Blue Corner, Ulong and Peleliu; numbers and activity peak March–May around the full and new moons.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
On the walls, e.g. Big Drop-Off.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
Occasional on the deep sites (Peleliu, deep Blue Corner) early in the morning, a little more likely March–April.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
At Blue Corner and Peleliu, often in schools.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
On the shallow reef flats.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Dense schools on the reefs and wrecks.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Schools in the channels, hunting in current.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
On the walls and reefs year-round.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident in the channels and caves.
Dive sites
Blue Corner
8–30m · strong current
Blue Holes
5–35m · moderate current
Chandelier Cave
4–11m · none current
German Channel
15–20m · moderate current
Iro Maru (wreck)
25–40m · moderate current
Jellyfish Lake (Ongeim’l Tketau)
0–10m · none current
Peleliu Express / Corner
9–30m · strong current
Ulong Channel
3–20m · strong current
Worth knowing before you book
- Blue Corner, Ulong and Peleliu have strong, sometimes reversing currents (and down-currents at Peleliu) — reef hooks and Advanced/drift experience are effectively required.
- Permits stack up and are pricey: $50 for the Rock Islands, $100 for Jellyfish Lake, $60 for Peleliu, plus onboard marine-park fees on liveaboards.
- Jellyfish Lake's golden jellyfish crash with drought and El Niño — from millions in good years to a few thousand in 2025 — and the lake is snorkel-only.
- Palau is remote; flights are long and expensive, and access is limited.
- The best marine action concentrates in the November–April dry season; the wet season brings wind, swell and lower visibility that can close the outer reefs.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Best Time to Dive in Palau — LiveAboard.com
- Best Dive Sites in Palau — Palau Dive Adventures
- Palau Jellyfish Lake — Palau Dive Adventures
- Sea water temperature Koror (Palau) — seatemperature.info
- Blue Corner Palau - Complete Guide — Fish 'n Fins Palau
- Diving in Palau, Micronesia — Dive The World
Note on the data: Permit fees/validity vary by source (Rock Islands validity cited as 5 or 10 days) — verify current Koror State rules. Jellyfish Lake population figures come from operator/CRRF monitoring and change seasonally. Site coordinates are approximate within the Ngemelis/Rock Islands cluster. Water temperature (~28–30°C year-round) not published per-month. Water temperature: Near-equatorial and near-flat, ~28-30C all year with the coolest surface in Feb-Mar and a mild peak May-Jun; channel sites can feel a touch cooler on strong incoming tides but no thermocline season. Bands are the published monthly min/max (Koror) rounded to the nearest half-degree. Access: Direct international arrival at Koror (ROR); dive operators are ~6km/15 min from the airport, and day boats run ~45-70 min to Blue Corner and ~60-90 min to Peleliu, so the headline sites are day-boat accessible and not liveaboard-only. Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence high).