The Rock Islands rock

We’ve just spent two of the best days we’ve ever had on a trip. On Thursday, we booked a Planet Blue kayak trip with Sam’s Tours. On Friday, we got together with a German couple we’d met on the beach at the Palau Pacific Resort last week and, along with their friends who arrived on Wednesday night, we chartered a boat to take us to some snorkel spots. Both trips were expensive (by our standards) but it was money well spent. Today we need a down day to rest up from sensory overload. Tomorrow we’re booked with Sam’s for another snorkel tour.
Wednesday morning we checked out Riptide, a small beach from which you could snorkel. We walked there from Sam’s where we had booked our tour for Thursday. We were the only ones in the water. The snorkeling wasn’t very good because the water was murky (probably from all the rain on Tuesday), there was a noticeable lop on the water and there weren’t a lot of fish. It wasn’t a total loss as there was some nice coral and we did spot an octopus. We watched him for a while but he wouldn’t move out of the rocks for us. We ate lunch at the Riptide Restaurant where the food was so-so and the service was very slow.
Sam’s picked us up at 7:45 on Thursday morning but the tour didn’t leave until about 9. They did a good job of explaining the plan for the day and showing us the map of the area we’d be exploring. There were only five of us along with two guides (Sheft and Sean), a boat driver and a boat driver’s assistant. The boat took us to the Risong Bay area of the Rock Islands, where we unloaded the kayaks and set out on our trek. Our first destination was Shark Bay, an area where baby sharks hang out and develop their survival skills until they’re ready for the open ocean. Then it was on to check out the sunken Japanese boat (one of many remnants of WW2 in this area).
We took our first break at Lee Marvin Beach where we parked the kayaks and snorkeled an area known as Blue Devil Gardens. It was mostly sea grass with little coral but there were tons of the blue damsel fish. We had a chance to explore the island before it was back to the kayaks. We followed the shoreline and marveled at the colors and the clarity of the water. We met up with the boat in a small cove, linked the kayaks together and had lunch on shore. After lunch we explored the area which had been a big cave until the roof had collapsed and snorkeled for a little while.
The afternoon’s paddling culminated in our arrival at Mandarin Fish Lake, where we jettisoned the kayaks and had our final snorkel. Sheft showed us where the mandarin fish were hiding (they’re so small they’re easy to miss) and Doreen got some great pictures. That made the trip for her. We spent an hour snorkeling the lake and saw some great coral and lots of other fish, including several that we hadn’t seen before. All too soon it was time to head back to the boat and back to the dock. What a great day!!!
As good as Thursday was, Friday was even better. We took a taxi to the Landmark Hotel and met up with Jo and Monika and their friends, Margit and Manny. The trip didn’t start out well as it began to rain just as we pulled away from the dock. Between the rain and the waves splashing, it didn’t take long for everything to get soaking wet. Our first stop was the Milky Way, a lake when the limestone deposits on the bottom provide for a mud bath. We then settled in for a long boat ride out to the Ngemelis Wall where we would snorkel an area known as ‘the big drop off’. It’s one of the world’s premier dive spots with the wall going down hundreds of feet.
We got our gear on and jumped into the water. And were instantly transported. We were over some beautiful coral, there was more everywhere you looked and the place was teeming with fish of all colors and sizes. And off to the left was this yawning blue abyss. Oh my gawd! It’s a wonder I didn’t drown with my jaw having dropped so much and my mouth hanging open. Where to look next. There’s a strong current so it was to be a drift snorkel with the boat picking us up at the end. We drifted along taking pictures galore (including some passing sharks). It was the most amazing snorkel we’ve ever done. Two more sharks at the end just as we headed for the boat were the icing on the cake.
We had lunch at Ngermeaus Island. After lunch we did a little beach combing before jumping in the water to watch some sharks. Then it was off to Jellyfish Lake, the wonder that had first sparked our interest in Palau. It’s a bit of a hike into the lake, up hill and then down hill, but, with the help of the installed ropes, we managed. The jellyfish in the lake follow the sun so we had to hunt for them. First you see the odd one (no tentacles), then several at a time, then groups, then you’re surrounded by hundreds of jellyfish. It’s surreal. They’re surprisingly soft and surprisingly heavy. Our guide, Veronica, even managed to find a large moon jellyfish. Jellyfish Lake more than lived up to our expectations.
We did a quick snorkel at Clam City but it wasn’t very exciting (pales by comparison??) and the seas were rough so we moved on. Our final destination was a spot called ‘Cemetery Reef’. This is another great area with beautiful coral and lots of fish. We even saw a Napoleon wrasse. I finally called it a day when I’d exhausted the batteries in my camera. Lots to see but no more pictures. We took the scenic route back through the Rock Islands to the marina (I don’t think there is anything other than a scenic route no matter which way you go).
If we win the lottery, we’re coming back here to do this again.