Blue Corner

Palau is consistently ranked as one of the best dive destinations in the world. It is known for advanced diving due to its strong currents and depth. When speaking among avid divers three names will always come up as the best in the world: Galapagos, Indonesia, and Palau. The Blue Corner dive site is what puts Palau on the map as far as world class diving.

Many dive magazines rank Blue Corner as the premier dive site in the world. The quality of the dive at this site is due to the vertical reef wall along a promontory, or corner, that juts into the current causing it to hit the wall and flow up and over the flat top of the reef. This change in direction brings deep currents up to the shallows carrying colder water and plankton to within 60 feet of the surface. During an incoming tide this also brings clear offshore water, increasing the visibility to over 100 feet.

Blue Corner features very large aggregations of schooling fish such as Bigeye Trevallies, Blackbar Barracudas, Midnight Snappers, Unicornfish, Pyramid Butterflyfish, and Bicolor Damsels, to name a few. All of the action attracts reef sharks. During a strong current it is not uncommon to see well over 20 Gray Reef Sharks and White-tip Reef Sharks cruising just at the edge of the reef and beyond. The tidal exchange and currents bring many nutrients to the area which promotes the growth of corals, esp. soft corals which can be found in abundance along the wall. More than likely you will see several Humphead or Napoleon Wrasses, including one large photogenic green male. Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles are also common at Blue Corner.

The strong currents make this an advanced dive. Palauan dive shops have invented a "reef hook" which allows divers to hook a small line under a dead rock and attach it to their BCD. With a little added buoyancy the diver can safely and comfortably "float" just above the reef without worrying about damaging any corals. Because this is such a popular dive site, there is a high amount of pressure exerted by dive tourism, and the reef hook is helping to manage that pressure so that we may all enjoy the site without detrimentally affecting it.

AS if all of that wasn't enough, as you ascend for your safety stop, keep your eyes out for nudibranchs, Leaf Scorpionfish, flatworms, and other tiny little creatures that can be found on the top of the reef towards the shallows.

Blue Corner, Palau. No serious diver should go without.