SAILING

Since most visitors travel to Palau for the best diving in the world, they miss much else that makes Palau unique. Contained within Palau's immense barrier reef and huge lagoon are hundreds of uninhabited islands commonly referred to as the "Rock Islands." Truly like emeralds set in a turquoise sea, the "Rock Islands" are the crowning jewels of Palau, separated by serpentine waterways and covered with dense tropical forest. More than dramatically scenic, this pristine environment is unique, because within this maze of limestone islands, the remnants of ancient reefs, riddled with caves and secluded anchorages, there are more than sixty beautiful and tranquil saltwater lakes. These lakes have been separated from the surrounding lagoon so long that many have developed their own eco-systems and endemic species. Palau's multitude of environments, reef walls, coral gardens, islands within lagoon, and thousands of acres of mangrove swamp have insured the greatest diversity of coral and reef dwellers found outside Indonesia. Fortunately, Palau's historically small population and lack of any industrial development has preserved this marine wonderland just as it has been for millennia.

Now it is Possible to Really Explore Palau

Until recently, only SCUBA diving has been offered to interested visitors, with most divers returning nightly to hotels clustered in Koror, the only town in the 80-mile long archipelago. But now, SAM'S DIVE TOURS really highlights the environment by offering multiple day live aboard wilderness expeditions equipped to fully explore this magnificent wonderland, both above and below the water.