Listed are the questions frequently made by the customers.In case of a question that there is no answer in the list, you can easily send us the question through the inquiry form.
Almost all diving points are drop-off in the open sea in Palau. Depending on a point,he current is fast according to the time, it is possible to see big fishes and school of fish at a high probability.
The diving style is the drift diving from a boat. Entry style differs from a kind of boat.It is a giant stride entry in case of a big boat, and a back roll entry in case of a speed boat. After entering into the sea, we slowly dive holding a rope of buoy and gather at the top of the rope.
After all the members gather, we start. The guide dives ahead and the members follow team by team. The members also surface team by team basically.
On surfacing, all the members practice safety stop.After the guide signs to surface, the members start to surface.As the guide shoots up a float at the 5 meters deep and practices safety stop for about 3 minutes, the members also practice safety stop gathering around him. At that time, the members need not to shoot up a float. After practicing safety stop, as the guide signs surfacing again, the members come up to the surface.
After coming up to the surface,all the members keep floating and wait until the boat comes to pick up. As the boat cannot approach before confirming that all the members come up to the surface. Therefore, all the members are requested to come up to the surface without fail and look up. After the boat approach and stops engine, the members exit from the sea by using rope or ladder in turn according to leading by the guide.
A guide of the day sees the current and wave actually in the sea and talks with a boat operator, and finally they select the best diving point where the customers of the day can enjoy the most.
Basically, if there is any problem, the diving points are the major ones, such as Blue Corner, Blue Hall, and German Channel that are the most frequently requested.
The criteria for selecting a diving point are weather, the age of the moon, current, condition of the sea, the customerfs skill level, a point that the customer dived on a previous day, the customerfs request and the recent information (where and what kind of fish could be seen recently), and after taking those criteria into consideration, the best point is selected.
We, of course, receive the requests from the customers, but please understand in advance that we cannot always satisfy such requests because of the other reasons. Blue Marlin has not caused fatal accident since we opened. An accident is caused as a result of various unreasonable deeds conspired. We sincerely hope that we always put the safety of our customers before everything else and introduce Palau to our customers.
It belongs to the species of the biggest ray in the world and it is called ga manta rayh or sometimes called gDevil Rayh because of its fearful appearance. The species name is Manta Birostris. The size is from about 3 to 5 meters.
The diving points where we can see Manta are German Channel and Iwekakou Channel. n those points, there is a cleaning station where Manta comes to be cleaned by the other fish. A diver waits beside it until Manta comes.
When Manta comes to a cleaning station fortunately, please keep the following warnings.
As long as you keep the above four points,Manta hovers around the station for a while. If even one of the members does not keep the above warning, Manta fears and goes away immediately, and then all the members become to be disappointed. Manta dislikes bubbles blown by a diver. When Manta comes toward you, you control timing of blowing bubbles and not to blow to Manta, and then Manta may passes nearly overhead. At that time, never touch Manta. It also dislikes it and goes away immediately.
Beside the above, there is another way to watch Manta. In a few days before and after the spring tide, at the time when the tide comes from the open sea to the inland sea, you dive into German Channel. If you are lucky, you can see Manta preying upon plankton. It is very exciting to see that several Mantas keep opening big mouth and prey upon plankton innocently while turning back around. Please keep carefully the following warnings when you watch Manta preying upon.
If you want to see Manta preying upon, we recommend you to draw up your schedule inserting the full moon or the new moon. Please note it is based on the condition that you can perfectly keep peak performance buoyancy. Please refer the tide in Palau here. (Whether you can watch Manta or not depends on the condition. What we can say is that there is a chance to watch it.)
When a big wave occurs in a diving point, Manta dislikes it and disappears from the sight. Manta can be watched all the year round,but the time when there is a high probability to watch Manta is the term between Autumn and Spring when the east wind blows, the sea condition of German and Iwekakou Channel is under the lee side and becomes to be calm. Even in Summer time, when the sea condition is calm, Manta sometimes appears in the point of German and Iwekakou Channel.
The sea of Palau is distinguished for the leading diving area in the world where almost all big fishes longed by divers can be watched.
The fishes that can be watched regardless the season are Napoleon, Manta, Grey reef shark, Whitetip reef shark, Spotted eagle ray, Fantail stingray, Zebra shark, a school of Blackfin barracuda, a school of Bigeye trevally, a school of Blackspot barracuda, a school of Circular spadefish, Green sea turtle, Hawksbill turtle and the like.
The art to watch a school of fish and a fish at close range is not to chase them from your side. As a fish is wild, it always watches for the items approaching to it. It is rare, but there is a diver who plunges into a school in order to take a photo with force. But, it not only causes to scatter a school, but also troubles to the other divers a lot. Furthermore, even if you plunge into a school, they escape keeping the same distance and therefore, you cannot approach them as you expect. In the water, a diverfs swimming speed cannot compete with that of fished definitely.
The art to near most is different from a kind of fish. The basic art is to grasp the moving pattern of a school or a fish, anticipate its direction and wait still until it approaches you, which is the best way to near a school or a fish most. But, even if it is a school of the same fish, for example a school of Bigeye trevally, its habit is different depending on a point and its moving pattern and the nearing method are different. The guide who dives in the sea of Palau and watches fishes everyday knows the best way to near to fished. Please donft jump the gun and plunge into a school of fish.
Beside the above, the big fishes that are very rare to be watched are big sharks, such as Blue Marlin, Pacific Sailfish, Great Hammer Head Shark, Bull Shark, Tawny Nurse Shark and Silvertip Shark. It is also very rare, there is a chance to watch big Dogtooth Tuna. If you are very much lucky, you can watch Sperm Whale, Killer Whale, Sunfish and Whale Shark. We cannot know what happens in the sea and especially in Palau, you can always expect to encounter a big fish.
Palau is famous for watching big fishes, but a wide range of small fishes from the surprisingly beautiful ones to very rare ones can be watched, too. Among the small fishes that can be watched in Palau, the followings can be typified.
We can enumerate the names. Beside the above, there are many beautiful or interesting small fishes that we want to introduce.
The art to approach a small fish is to go up to it in a low position taking time not to frighten with observing its looks. While you carefully watch the looks of the fish, you can find that it becomes to be nervous before it escapes. You carefully pay attention not to overlook its sign, and when you can find that it begins to watch, you stop to approach. When the fish begins to relax again, you try to approach it. Then you can watch the fish at close range. When you watch close to a fish, even if a fish that looks ordinary in the distance is surprisingly colorful delicately. You can also watch unique face of a fish and moreover enjoy fish watching.
If you approach a fish overhead or keep approaching without noticing that the fish is nervous, it immediately escapes into a hole in the sand or opening in coral.
A beautiful fish and a rare fish are in every point. If you change your viewpoint and watch a small creature in the interval of watching a big fish or while waiting it, you can enjoy watching it and donft realize time passing. But please be careful not to be absorbed in watching it and go away from your team. When you realize it enjoyable to watch a small fish, your every diving will be more fruitful. If you have interest in small fishes, please feel free to apply your request to the guide without hesitate.
In Palau, there are many diving points going down to the deep sea and it is the magnificent physiognomy. Among them, the following are especially attractive points whose physiognomy is unique.
It is the familiar point frequently introduced in the magazines. There are 4 wells on the shelf and you dive into one of the wells to reach at a big hall where the 4 wells become together. The big cave in the hall opens to the outside, and when you see the outside through the opening of the cave from the back, it looks in the dark blue color that heals your mind. When the weather is fine and the sun is just above the wells, sunlight pours into the hall like shower and the hall instantly becomes to be solemn. If you want to take a picture of sunlight in the hall, you can take a beautiful picture if you donft use a flashlight. When you take a picture without using a flashlight, the picture easily becomes to be blurred. Therefore, please try to take a picture after you fix your camera firmly. When the sea is rough and there is a swell, if it is at ebb tide, muddy water flows into the hall from the wells and visibility immediately becomes bad, and Blue Hall becomes Gray Hall. Usually, we dive at flood tide when clean water flow up from the open sea.
At the back of Blue Hall, there is a tunnel-like entrance leading to the further deep that is called gthe fifth holeh. The inside is the world of the perfect darkness and it is very wide leading to the further back. As it is too dangerous to dive usually, but when you go into it, you can find the creatures that are rare to be found, such as paddle fin cardinalfish and shrimps
This is a point where you can enjoy not only the physiognomy but also small fishes and fishes that form a school. You dive into a long and narrow well, go through a tunnel and out from the cave leading to the drop-off. Then, you keep diving along the drop-off and there is a small alcove where a few divers go in. You can enjoy watching small fishes there, such as Randallfs Shrimpgoby. Finally, we take a course of rising to the surface with watching Twinspot Snapper, Blacksnapper, Bigeye Travelly and Grey Reef Shark gathering around the edge of the shelf.
The cave yawns at a depth of 25 meters. The physiognomy is like a tunnel whose depth are about 40 meters and the width about 15 meters. There is another cave in the cave and it is gloomy, but the mysterious sight lies before you. The bottom of the tunnel is just under the entrance and the depth is about 70 meters. The depth around the entrance is about 30 meters. At the sand there live several kinds of goby, such as Decorated Dartfish and Helfrichfs Dartfish, and also a rare goby of Volcano Shrimp Goby lives there. You can also watch Colinfs Angel Fish and Burgessf Butterflyfish that are rare in Palau.
This is a diving point near to the shop of Blue Marlin and it is the limestone cave in the sea. When we receive the request for the 3rd diving, we dive there frequently. The limestone cave in the sea itself is rare, and furthermore, the limestone cave in the sea that is located shallow and that we can dive easily is very rare in the world. When we go into through the entrance 3 meter deep under the surface, it is the cave whose width is about 15 meters and the depth about 40 meters. As the stalactites droop into the sea from the ceiling like icicles, we can see the fascinating sight at the surface. As there are air pockets here and there, we can exit on the surface, take off the regulator and talk each other. In front of the cave, you can watch Mandanrinfish, Pajama Cardinalfish and Signal Goby that are creatures living only in the bay.
Basic is the 2 boat diving, but request for the 3rd diving is freely acceptable. You can request it through a travel agency, and we can accept it here.
If the request for the 3rd diving is applied by several customers, we can arrange a boat only for the customers and dive at the points in the open sea for 3 times. Basically a customer requesting the 3 dives is asked to ride on a boat with the other customers. In case that customers for 2 dives and 3 dives ride on the boat together, both of them dive at the points in the open sea for 2 times. After diving for 2 times, the boat returns to the shop once, and then a boat is arranged only for the customers requesting the 3rd dive to dive at a point near to the shop. The typical diving points near to the shop are:
It is the point of the limestone cave in the sea.
You can watch Mandarinfish that is a rare fish you cannot see in the open sea.
Coral in the shallow sea is very beautiful and you can fully watch small fishes.
There are ships and seaplanes sunken during the 2nd world war around the Koror Island and they have become to be diving points.
We keep watching small fishes along the drop off slowly. As there is a case that a big fish appears, it is interesting.
In Palau, diving is performed at drop off in almost all cases, but carefree fish watching in the inside of the bay makes you relaxed and it is enjoyable.
In order to select the point for the 3rd dive, it is necessary to take the other customers into consideration. Because the boat schedule is fixed only after 5 PM on the previous day, we receive requests from the customers and can arrange them as much as possible here. But, please understand that we cannot always satisfy them and that we cannot give you a definite promise to satisfy your request in advance.
We can receive request for diving point, but we would like you to understand that we treat it as request.
We go diving by a riding together boat with other customers, which is the basic style. Each customer has his or her own request. Furthermore, in order to decide a diving point of the day, it is necessary to take weather, the sea condition, the tide and the skill level of the customers. After a guide takes him or her totally into consideration and actually watches the sea condition of the day, he selects the best diving point where every customer can enjoy.
We always try to arrange it to satisfy customersf requests as much as possible, but we would like you to understand that there is a case that we cannot always satisfy you. If there is no problem on the conditions, Blur Corner, Blue Hall and German Channel are the basic major diving points and we select the best diving point based on them.
In case of only one day diving, taking the other customersf requests into consideration, it may be difficult to satisfy such a customerfs request. For a customer who wants to do diving as per request, the course of chartered boat diving is prepared. Though it depends on a kind of boat available, the price is the price for the usual diving plus US. $200.00 or more. If you charter a boat, it is unnecessary to take the other customers into consideration. Therefore, if there is no problem on weather, the condition of the sea, safety and other conditions, we can arrange a diving tour according to the request. But, as the chartered boat diving is limited to only when there is a room for our staff and boat, please talk to us of it earlier.
For the customers requesting gWe charter a boat and want to dive into points that we like by ourselvesh, we set a diving tour using a chartered boat. Please refer to here.
The price differs from a kind of boat chartered and it is the price for usual diving plus the charter price of US.$200.00 or more. It includes the charge of a boat operator and diving guide.
As it is the tour using a chartered boat, the pick up time at the hotel is set according to the customerfs request. The customer can freely decide times of diving a day and select diving points basically, except when a guide judges that there is problem on safety.
As the charter of a boat is limited to the term when there is for boat and staff, if you have a request for it, we recommend you to request it to us by using the inquiry form.
If there is a request to drop in on the return trip from diving tour, you can enjoy face pack with white mud in the milk white milkyway that is located in the Rock Islands. They are optional courses.
It costs US. $15.00 each for a course, and their courses can be done only when all the members riding on the boat request them. We always try to receive a request from you in advance and arrange to meet with it as possible as we can, but please understand that we cannot always meet with the request.
Recently the many customers who have just begun diving are enjoying diving in Palau. When a guide judges to secure safety, even a beginner can dive in such major points as Blue Corner and Blue Hall that are yearned by divers. But, when there is anxiety on safety, there is a case that diving in Blue Corner cannot be accepted regardless of the condition of the sea.
n almost all the points in Palau, as a buoy connecting with a boat is set, you can dive hanging a rope and do ear omission slowly in your own good time.
Blue Marlin always makes it a rule that if it is the first day for a diver to dive in Palau, we select a point where the sea is relatively quiet for the purpose of checking the diving condition, and dive there while accustoming your body to the sea. Then, gradually we select a point where there is flow and there are many fishes. Beside the above, we limit the number of customer to 6 persons as maximum to one guide and keep a few member systems thoroughly. When the number exceeds 6 persons, we arrange an assistant to be accompanied. Even when the number is under 6 persons, if it is necessary for securing safety, we arrange an assistant or to divide a team into two. Therefore, we always try to secure safety according to the situation. For a person who consumes air soon, we prepare a big air tank of 12 litters. So, we take every possible way for even a beginner to enjoy fully and safely.
Even a beginner can dive safely in Palau, you can come to Palau and enjoy yourself.
In Palau, the current sometimes becomes to be fast, there is a case that you swim in the middle along the bottomless drop off, or you have frequently to do safe stop at the middle. Therefore, if you have such enough skills as peak performance buoyancy and others, you will be able to enjoy more the sea in Palau.
It is the tropical marine climate in Palau, and as the minimum temperature is 27.2 and the maximum 27.9,the temperature is steady throughout a year. (The sensory temperature is a little higher.) Season is divided into the rainy season (July to September), the dry season (December to March) and the transition (October to November and April to June). But, as even in the dry season we are sometimes caught in a shower and fine days continue even in the rainy season, the division of the season is not always clear.
It is said that the best for diving is the dry season because of the wind. As the southwestern wind frequently blows in the rainy season, the sea of Ngemelis where the major diving points such as Blue Corner and the others gather easily become to be too rough to dive. In the dry season, the northeastern wind frequently blows and as the sea around Blue Corner is under the lee, it is quiet suitable for diving.
However, probably because of extraordinary weather nowadays, there increase the fine days even in the rainy season and when there is no problem on the sea condition, we actively dive in Blue Corner. Typhoon does not hit Palau directly, but sometimes a tropical depression comes over Palau. At that time, the strong wind blows and the sea becomes to be rough.
In the transition between the dry and the rainy season, the southwestern and northeastern wind blows alternately for a fixed period. During this periodAas the weather is calm in many times, the surface of the sea becomes to be calm perfectly like glass and the weather is so fine that we can see the reflection of clouds and rock islands in the surface of the sea many times.
The temperature of the sea is about 28 throughout a year. In the dry season, cold water mass sometimes can get out of the deep sea in shallows and though it is rare, the thermo cline is clearly made during diving and the temperature under it can be below 25.
As the transparency is related with such several factors as the current, wash, wave and weather, it cannot be necessary said, but as cold-water mass coming up in the dry season contains rich nutrient, the transparency becomes to be worse. Therefore, the transparency seems to be better in the rainy season.
You can spend it with T-shirts and shorts throughout a year on the ground in Palau. But, as the air conditioner in some shops and restaurants is too strong that you may feel cold, it is convenient if you bring clothes with you that you can wear easily.
Though the temperature is about 28, while staying in the sea for a long time, body temperature is taken and you can feel cold. It may be more enjoyable and not feel stress under water if you wear warm wetsuits as possible as you can. Especially when cold mass water comes up in the dry season, the extreme was that the temperature over the thermo cline was about 26 and 18 under it. Though it is rare, when cold water mass comes in, you feel very cold and we recommend you to wear a warm suits as possible as you can.
When the current in the water is fast, you dive to reach at the ground and sometimes grasp a rock. When you wear a half-sleeved or short (up to the knee) suits, it often happens that you make a cut on hands or feet and therefore, we recommend you to wear a full suits for your safety.
The wind blows on the boat and especially when it rains, you can feel very cold after diving. The boat coat such as windbreaker and the like is absolutely necessary.
We drive you to and from between your hotel and our dive-shop, and the pick-up time differs from your hotel.
We have arranged that the guidebook of Blue Marlin will be handed you at the front desk of a hotel. Please confirm the meeting time and place written in the guidebook and wait us in the morning of a day when you dive.
| COCORO HOTEL | Lobby | WFPO |
|---|---|---|
| W.P.CORAL REEF | Lobby | WFPO |
| W.P.BY THE SEA | Lobby | WFPO |
| PALASIA HOTEL | Lobby | WFPT |
| PALAU HOTEL | Lobby | WFQO |
| PENTHOUSE HOTEL | Lobby | WFQO |
| W.P.DOWNTOWN HOTEL | Lobby | WFQO |
| V.I.P HOTEL | Lobby | WFQT |
| W.P.DESEKEL HOTEL | Lobby | WFQT |
| LAND MARK MARINA HOTEL | Lobby | WFQT |
| W.P.MALAKAL HOTEL | Lobby | WFRO |
| MALAKAL BEACH SIDE HOTEL | Lobby | WFRO |
| P.P.R | Lobby | W:PT |
The basic schedule is that you are picked up at the hotel and taken to our shop and that after preparing the necessary tools, you will start from the pier in front of the shop. The necessary time to a point differs from a diving point or depends on a kind of boat, and it takes from 45 minutes to one hour.
The diving is made at around the 20 meters depth of sea and it takes about 40 minutes in general. n case of a speedboat, after you finish one diving, you take a rest for about one hour and make the second diving in the morning. hen, you take a lunch at a near calm place or a beach.
After diving, we come back to the shop between 3:30 and 4:30 PM. In case of 3 dives, it is between 4:30 and 5:30 PM.
Then, after the tools are washed and the log is recorded at the shop, you are driven to the hotel. The diving tools of the customer who will spend several days for diving are kept at the tools shed of the shop until the last day.
The following table is the general charges. Besides it, you can see several campaigns on our home page. We are offering them at the special charges; you can use them at the lower charges. Furthermore, we are offering services at the discount rate for the students, a group such as a club and a customer who stays for long time and enjoy diving. You can inquire them through inquiry form.
| Qboat dive | Including 2 tanks,weight,lunch,drink | $110 |
|---|---|---|
| Peleliu dive | Including 2 tanks,weight,lunch,drink | $160 |
| Kayangel dive | Including 2 tanks,weight,lunch,drink | $200 |
| Additional 1 dive | For the 3rd dive | $50 |
| Night dive | $70 | |
| Pboat dive | $65 | |
| Rental instruments | BC,Regulator,Wet Suit | $10 each per day |
| Mask,Fin,Boot,Underwaterlight | $5 each per day | |
| Signal float | $5 during your stay |
Current hook is a diving tool developed Palau that makes diving in the fast current easy.
At the point where the current is fast like Blue Corner, fishes gathers at the edge of drop off. Then, while a diver takes hold of a rock or others and surrenders himself to the current, he watches fishes.
If you have a hook at that time, you tie one end of the current hook with BC and the other end is hooked at a hole. Then, you can hold your body with rope. If you use a current hook, you can easily keep your body easier and as your hands are free, you can use your camera with both hands. Furthermore, it is very meaningful for preserving corals and ecology.
Blue Marlin rents a current hook at free of charge. If you like it, you can buy it at $15. Letfs use a current hook.
Every diver is bound to carry a signal float in Palau. When a diver happens to drift about (if you keep an instruction of a guide or donft act rashly, you will never drift about), a signal float is used in order for a search party to easily find him. In the diving points in Palau, there happens to be a case that the current becomes to be fast. As diving is recreation against nature, it cannot be said that there never happens an accident. We make it a rule for every customer to carry a signal float as safety goods in case of an emergency.
Furthermore, as diving in Palau is the drift style, many boats are sailing on the surface of the diving points. Therefore, in order for a boat to acknowledge our existence when we come to the surface, a guide launches a signal float with rope to the surface while stopping safely in the water. As it is very dangerous to come to the surface without a signal float, when you come to the surface, please do it with a guide. It is only a guide that launches a signal float at that time and a customer need not to do it. As it is very rare for a customer to use it generally, it is kept in a pocket of BC.
Blue Marlin also rents a signal float to a customer at $5 per pce. during stay. If you donft have it, please carry it without fail.
