Snorkeling Tour of Palau’s Rock Islands

Housing everything from untouched coral gardens to docile reef sharks and from manta rays to WWII shipwrecks, the small Micronesian nation of Palau consistently tops the list of best dive sites in the world. I’d had my heart set on visiting Palau since I first saw video footage of the country’s underwater sanctuaries and pristine seas a few years ago.

The only problem was, I’ve always been too afraid to go scuba diving.

Throughout my travels, there have been many times in which I’ve had the opportunity to strap an oxygen tank to my back and plunge into the underwater world. But each time, I’ve stopped short of taking a diving class and turned to snorkeling instead.

Palau was no exception.

Without a scuba certification or the courage to equalize my ears, I began to research things to do in Palau for non-divers.

Yet, tourism in Palau is so centered around scuba diving, that I found very little information on snorkeling or alternative activities. I remember worrying that, as a non-diver, I would be missing out on all that the country has to offer. But then I remembered thinking, if the diving is so fantastic, the snorkeling in Palau should at least be decent, right?  

 

PALAU SNORKELING TOUR

The Scuba diving in Palau is some of the best in the world. It is the reason that travelers from around the world choose to visit this tiny fleck of emerald in the vast Pacific Ocean. So after our successful day trip to Jellyfish Lake, my friend Melissa decided to take a dive trip to the German Channel in search of turtles and manta rays.

I, on the other hand (still too scared to take the plunge) joined Impac Tours on a snorkeling and beach-filled day trip to the South Rock Islands.

As I’d imagined, the snorkeling in Palau was wonderful.

In fact, not only was it wonderful, but it was also some of the best I’ve seen anywhere—as good, if not better, than And Atoll in Micronesia, Moorea in French Polynesia, and Komodo Island in Indonesia.

 

• SNORKELING AT CLAM CITY

My day tour to the South Rock Islands started with a visit to Clam City, home to some of the world’s largest mollusks. Though the reef around Clam City is relatively dead and the water clarity pales in comparison to that of the archipelago’s other snorkeling locations, the sheer size of the clams is impressive.

We swam around Clam City for about twenty minutes, before continuing toward the Big Drop Off via the German Channel.

 

• THE GERMAN CHANNEL

From 1899 until the Japanese takeover of Palau in 1914, Germany occupied the Palauan islands. During this time period, the Germans blasted a channel through the barrier reef between Ngemelis and Carp Island to facilitate their exploitation of Palau’s rich bauxite and phosphate reserves.

Today, the deep ocean trench is teeming with some of the world’s most plentiful communities of manta rays and sharks. With knowledge of the marine life below me, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret as our catamaran passed through the channel without stopping.

 

• SNORKELING AT THE BIG DROP OFF

Yet, my regret quickly washed away as soon as I set my eyes on the underwater world of the Big Drop Off. Much like the reef at Tetiaroa Atoll, the Big Drop Off’s sheer wall runs the length of the island and plunges into a dark abyss. The reef at the Big Drop Off is teeming with life. I swam around schools of brightly colored fish and even spotted a few white-tipped reef sharks darting amongst the pristine coral gardens.

I may have missed the Manta Rays at the German Channel, but snorkeling at the Big Drop Off in Palau was more incredible than I’d even imagined.

 

• LUNCH AT CARP ISLAND

After a successful snorkel, our tour of the South Rock Islands continued to the star-shaped Carp Island. Though Palau is not known for its beaches, Carp Island’s white sands and swaying palms are as idyllic as any I have ever seen. I swung in a hammock of the Carp Island Resort and watched the translucent waters lap gently against the white sand, enjoying my own little slice of paradise.

Before I knew it, I had drifted to sleep.

But it wasn’t long before a storm began to brew overhead and torrential rains jolted me out of my reverie.

Our tour had allotted two hours for Carp Island. Yet, unfortunately, the inclement weather caused me to spend most of that time under a covered shelter.

 

• LONG ISLAND, PALAU

On the way back to Koror, the rains temporarily subsided and our boat made a quick stop at Long Beach–a thin squiggle of white sand in the middle of the ocean. I walked the length of the sandbar and looked 360 degrees in every direction. It was an incredible feeling to stand on a strip of sand in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but turquoise water and emerald limestone formations on my horizon.

Though the stormy weather lasted most of the afternoon and put a literal damper on my designated ‘beach day,’ my quick trip to Palau proved that visiting the island nation as a non-diver is absolutely worthwhile.

 

***

One day, I hope to get over the the fear of popping my ears. And maybe, when that day arrives, I’ll return to Palau’s crystal waters with an oxygen tank in tow and a new bout of courage.

For this trip, however, I was perfectly content snorkeling the coral gardens and exploring the above-water attractions that Palau has to offer.