Fun dives

The team on the dive boat

Every trip to Palau must include at least one day for fun diving - it's basically the law. Our team had one more day off this week before things get busy, so we reserved spots on a dive charter headed out to Palau's barrier reef. It was a great chance for all of us to enjoy being in the water together. 

Diving on Palau's barrier reef is actually pretty challenging because the currents are incredibly strong. Most dives are drift dives, which means you drift with the current and then the boat picks you up wherever you end. 

Our first dive site had an incredibly strong current. We drifted along a vertical wall covered in corals and then rode the current to the top, where we anchored. That's right - we anchored ourselves into the reef. There are these things called "reef hooks" that are metal hooks attached to long fabric lines that clip to your dive gear. You find a dead coral on the reef (never hook into live coral), place your hook around it, and let out the line. The feeling is kind of like being a kite. 

The view from my anchor spot

I have two comments on the spot we anchored on our first dive. First, I had a hard time finding a spot to anchor because the reef was covered in live corals! Palau has such healthy reefs that I couldn't even find a dead spot big enough for my hook! Second, being a human kite underwater is an absolutely amazing feeling. I looked over at Matt at one point, and he had his arms out like he was flying. He figured out how to steer and was having the time of his life swaying this way and that in the current. 

On our second dive, we went to my favorite spot in Palau: Ulong Channel. You start the dive anchored at the entrance to the channel and then drift with the current past all of the amazing corals. It's like Mario Kart in slow motion, except that instead of passing by turtle shells, bananas, and extra lives, you pass coral after coral, each more beautiful than the next. I absolutely love it. 

For our third dive, we went to a place called Ulong Garden and explored in the nooks and crannies of the reef. We found multiple nudibranchs (two of them were mating!), baby corals, a moray eel, and countless other amazing critters. 

I am so glad the team got to experience fun dives on Palau's barrier reef!