Snorkeling and Kayaking the Rock Islands of Palau

Redland

New member
My wife and rented a kayak and spent a week camping, snorkeling and kayaking through the Rock Islands of Palau. It was awesome! Beautiful, pristine and incredibly varied above and below the water. These first pictures are from "Jellyfish Lake", which is a saltwater lake, cut off from the sea.
 

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LPS coral & clams

LPS coral & clams

Photos with an underwater point and shoot (no flash), LPS and clams were seen on the inner reefs.
 

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SPS coral

SPS coral

Outer reefs had amazing SPS
 

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Kayaking

Kayaking

Lots of beautiful coves and inland lakes that serve as nurseries for fish and sharks and breading grounds for dragonets, gobies ect.
 

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Campsites and WW2 wrecks

Campsites and WW2 wrecks

Great campsites, with WW2 wrecks just off shore
 

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Redland, what amazing pics! Love those corals. They are so colorful they make the stuff in the Caribbean look sick by comparison. Lets see some more and tell us something about the trip and the experiences you had. How long were you there? You camped and kayaked the entire trip? How many different campsites? Please, please, please!:beer:
 
The trip was a blast. We rented our kayak from a local outfitter "Paddling Palau" who not only suppled the gear but also great charts and a detailed itinerary. We started from the main island of Koror and were out for 6 days/5 nights. We camped at 4 different campsites, saw lots of day trippers but were the only campers at night. On the third day we arranged for a local to bring out additional water (none of the islands had a water source so we had to bring all our water with us) and ferry us around an open reef. On the last day he met us at our last campsite and took us out to some of the reefs we did not have time to paddle to for an outer reef experience. In addition to amazing corals and fish, we also saw tons of sharks, (almost all were reef sharks but also one big bull shark) sea turtles and lots of WWII wrecks.
Here are a couple more underwater picks, some land picks (WW2 forts and a sea cave that felt like a set from Tarzan) and a arial photo of the islands (taken from the web).
 

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What a crazy cool trip! Are you guys regular kayakers and campers, or was this a new experience for you?

Give me a comfortable room to sleep in and a Zodiac to get around and I could spend 6 months snorkeling there! My wife and I are going to camp out just one night at Ft Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas (70 miles west from Key West) and I think that's pushing the envelope.:fun4: But then I'm an old guy who lives young at heart.
 
that aerial shot of the island grouping with its coves and shallow reefs is spectacular with its promise of hidden adventure. Something else for the bucket list . I see this stuff and think I'd better get moving. Another old guy here. Count the wife out. Her vision of roughing it is a deep massage at a Four Seasons or Broadmoor Hotel here in Colorado
 
Thanks, the Rock Islands are an easy day trip from Karor, the main city in Palau. Most people who visit stay in a hotel and spend their days in the islands. There are lots of locals who love taking visitors out for snorkeling, fishing, diving, hiking ect.
My wife and I try go on a kayak trip every year, in the past we have gone to British Columbia, this was our first warm water trip.
 
Well, I've lead a pretty wonderful life and I've done some cool and crazy things over the years. So my Bucket List hasn't been all that big, but you just got me to add one more trip to the list! Thanks so much for sharing!
 
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