Diving Palau: when to go and what it is really like

Is Palau worth diving now?

If I had to recommend one trip without asking any more questions, it would be Palau. Hook into Blue Corner for grey reef sharks, jacks and tuna; go to German Channel for mantas; finish on Ulong’s hard coral. It does big animals and good reef on the same itinerary, which is rarer than it should be.

When is the best time to dive Palau?

Go in February — March. This calendar does not reward shoulder season: those are the months I would actually spend the money on, not merely months when an operator can run a trip. 27–29°C, usually clear, and often currenty. Some of the best dives are picked by tide and moon.

What will you actually see?

Grey reef sharks, Reef mantas, Spawning dives, Current-fed reefs are the reasons to make the trip. Wild encounters vary, but the ranking assumes the best months above rather than an average week across the year.

• Grey reef sharks
• Reef mantas
• Spawning dives
• Current-fed reefs

How difficult is the diving?

Confident intermediate to advanced. 27–29°C, usually clear, and often currenty. Some of the best dives are picked by tide and moon.

Trip format: Liveaboard or land-based; a liveaboard makes the tide-dependent sites easier to sequence.

Why is Palau ranked #1?

Palau sits in the rare tier where the signature animals and the rest of the itinerary are both strong enough to build a year around.

The 9.8 score is one editorial opinion, not a visitor average. It weights sharks and other pelagics heavily, then asks whether the reef and the rest of the itinerary justify the flight.