Palau Dive Trip Planning

Palau dive trip planning is mostly straightforward: English is widely spoken, the currency is the US dollar and dive operators handle most of the logistics. A few things are unique to Palau, though, from the Palau Pledge to state dive permits. Here's what to sort out before you fly.

Getting to Palau

Palau's international airport is on Babeldaob, the largest island, a short drive across the bridge from Koror, where most hotels and dive shops are. There are no long-haul flights from Europe or the Americas, so most visitors connect through a regional hub in Asia or through Guam. Routes and schedules change often, so check current options with airlines before you plan your dates, and leave some slack in your connections.

Entry rules depend on your nationality. Check the current requirements with Palau's official immigration or tourism authorities and your own government's travel advice before you book. Make sure your passport has plenty of validity left and blank pages, because the Palau Pledge is stamped into it.

The Palau Pledge

Since December 2017, every visitor to Palau has signed the Palau Pledge on arrival: a promise, written to the children of Palau and stamped into your passport, to act in an ecologically and culturally responsible way. For divers and snorkellers it means:

• Never touch, chase, feed or ride marine life, including sharks, turtles and mantas.
• Never stand on, kick or hold onto coral; use a reef hook only on bare, dead rock.
• Take nothing: no shells, coral or wreck artefacts.
• Use reef-friendly sunscreen. Palau has banned many sunscreens with ingredients that harm coral; check the current list before you pack.
• Follow your guide and local rules, and leave nothing behind but bubbles.

Palau also charges an environmental fee to visitors, which helps pay for conservation. It's often included in your air ticket; check the current amount and how it's collected before you travel.

Dive permits

Palau's states manage their own waters. Koror State, which covers the Rock Islands and most of the famous dive sites, requires a permit for diving, snorkelling and kayaking there, and a separate, more expensive permit includes Jellyfish Lake. Peleliu and some other states charge their own permit or fee. Your dive operator or liveaboard usually arranges them, and some include them in their prices. Permits are valid for a set number of days; ask your operator how long yours lasts and keep it with you on the boat.

Jellyfish Lake

Jellyfish Lake, on Eil Malk island in the Rock Islands, is a marine lake where golden jellyfish follow the sun across the water each day. Their numbers rise and fall sharply with the lake's temperature, so check current conditions before you visit. Their sting is too weak for most people to feel. Scuba diving is prohibited for visitor safety: below about 13 metres the lake has no oxygen and holds high concentrations of poisonous hydrogen sulfide. Swim gently, without kicking up silt or lifting jellyfish out of the water, and use no sunscreen in the lake.

The lake has closed in the past when jellyfish numbers crashed after drought, and reopened once they recovered. Check with Koror State or your operator whether it's open before you plan around it.

Dive safety and insurance

• Insurance: buy dedicated dive accident insurance that covers hyperbaric treatment and evacuation, as well as ordinary travel insurance. Palau is remote, and serious cases may need evacuation.
• Medical care: Koror has the national hospital. Confirm with your operator what emergency and recompression arrangements are in place before you dive.
• Current diving: carry a surface marker buoy, and a whistle or other signalling device; many divers add a personal locator beacon. Follow your guide's plan for each dive.
• Flying after diving: follow the widely used guidance of waiting at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and at least 18 hours after several dives or several days of diving, longer after decompression dives. Many divers keep their last day dry.

Money, power and practicalities

• Currency: the US dollar. Cards are accepted in many hotels and dive shops, but carry cash for small businesses, tips and some permits.
• Language: Palauan and English are official languages, and English is widely spoken.
• Electricity: 120 V, 60 Hz, with US-style plugs; check the current standard before you pack chargers.
• Connectivity: mobile data and Wi-Fi are available in Koror but can be slow; don't count on a signal on the boat.

What to pack for diving

• A reef hook (or rent one), a surface marker buoy and your own dive computer.
• A 3 mm full wetsuit; see the best time to dive Palau for water temperatures.
• Reef-friendly sunscreen, a rash guard and a hat for boat days.
• Seasickness tablets if you're prone to it, especially for liveaboard crossings.
• Your certification card and logbook: operators may ask for proof of experience before current dives such as Blue Corner.

Ready to choose your dives? Start with the guide to Palau dive sites.