Palau

Palau is a beautiful string of some two hundred small islands, only a handful of which are populated. The islands have a distinctive mushroom shape due to being limestone: ancient reefs. The seas have undercut the cliffs resulting in many distinct an interesting shapes including arches and caves.






The island nation of Palau has set aside huge areas of the sea encompassing seventy islands as a marine sanctuary that is completely off limits for people. No boat traffic, snorkeling, diving, or visits of any type. Palau is considered to be the home of the most pristine coral system remaining. One unique feature in Palau's Rock Islands is Jellyfish Lake, a saltwater lake in the center of a small island full of non-stinging jellyfish. The lake is small, about two or three acres and thirty to forty feet deep. It holds an estimated thirteen million jellyfish. As we slowly snorkeled through the swarms of golden jellyfish they slid along our bodies and brushed our arms as we moved, bumping off our face masks. Incredible. The porous limestone allows for saltwater to refresh the lake but not the transfer of jellyfish out or predators in. The jellyfish have evolved over the past twenty thousand years. They lost the need to sting because of the lack of predators and their symbiotic relationship with an algae that grows inside them providing all the nutrients required to sustain them. Swimming through the mass is truly surreal.

We explored the Rock Islands by boat, stopping for lunch in one of the many protected lagoons. After a quick sandwich, I visited with one of the boat captains about snorkeling in the lagoon. He said there wasn't much to see and then made an off hand comment about a World War II fighter about fifty meters from us just below a cliff face. The wing and fuselage were in shallow water, ten feet or less. It was strange imagining the violence sixty plus years ago in this now beautiful, calm place. I wondered about the pilot, what was his fate? Were the holes along the leading edge of the wing the result of the air battle or just the effects of the decades under water?


We snorkeled for two days. The water was clear even though the skies remained overcast with the occasional rain squall during our stay. We saw more species of fish then I can describe along with sea turtles and giant clams.

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Location:Vientiane, Laos