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Coral Triangle · Palau
Palau
Sharks, jellyfish, and the world's first shark sanctuary.
5.0Salty Reef rating
Destination snapshot
Best time
November to April
Why visit
Wall dives dropping into abyssal blue, drift dives with reef shark walls, and the surreal Jellyfish Lake — Palau earns its reputation.
Palau declared its waters a shark sanctuary in 2009, and the sharks noticed. Blue Corner and German Channel deliver reliable big-animal encounters: grey reef sharks stacked into the current, manta rays cruising cleaning stations, schooling barracuda tornadoes.
Above water, the Rock Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage site — a maze of mushroom-shaped karst islands with hidden lagoons. Save an afternoon for Jellyfish Lake, where millions of golden jellies have evolved without predators and drift harmlessly around you.
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