Your Going To Need Light For this One / Chandelier Cave Palau 2018

Jelly Fish Lake - Palau

    Last month we had some guest that wanted to go to Jelly Fish Lake... I was reluctant because I feel that if there were any jellies in the lake, they would need some time to repopulate and the amount of jellies in the lake wouldn't be as mind blowing as before.
    We made our way to the lake and we found a few jellies with clubs... (the long things hanging down, looks like legs). I was confused for a bit because the jellies that I was looking at int the lake were the jellies that i saw outside the lake... Hmmmm..👀 

    Golden and spotted jellyfish comparison. Note the loss of spots, color and greatly reduced clubs in the golden jellyfish from Jellyfish Lake.

    So..., I spoke with Francis about this and he told me to go see Pat Collins. Pat is the founder of the Coral Reef Foundation and they are the ones who monitor all the lakes, Reefs, and other areas of Palau. He explained the cycle of the jellies in the lakes.. The data goes back as far as 1999, where there were nearly no jellies in the lake. Through the years slight changes in water temp and weather made a significant change to the lake. Jelly growth flourished. Then 2016 hit Palau with El-Nino with La-Nina right be hind it... The decline of the jellies started to decline. So 2017 nothing in the lake.. 2018 we are starting to see a comeback of jellies but, with clubs... according to Pat, this is the jellies natural state and with time, and the birth of new jellies the clubs with be gone... 
    All in all, this is a cycle of life for the jellies of Jelly Fish Lake. 
the jellies didn't die because of tourism, peeing in the water, sunblock, fin kicks,... and many other reasons I've heard... 

Have you seen this in Palau?

SPORTS FISHING!! Kayangel, Palau

| PALAU + TAIWAN + KOREA | Missing Flight in Heathrow, trying weird food...

Awesome!! Palau Blue Corner Diving

The Discovery of Blue Corner to the "WORLD"

BLUE CORNER Palau
In 1979 Francis Toribiong my partner, had a group of Italian underwater photographers for several magazines from Milan that have been regular customers for a few years. On one of the dive days, the group was asking Francis that they wanted to see more. So Francis decided to dive over this corner that looked very promising from the surface. Palau fishermen have always had luck at this spot, so this area was well known to the locals.
They entered the water on the northwest end and drifted along with the current and to much of their surprise... WHALA!.. some of the largest schools of fish in the world were found. The marine life was so abundant and not just that, up close.. really close.. Sharks everywhere, Jacks, Snappers, Barracudas, Green & Hawks Bill Turtles, Eagle Rays, Tuna, and Palau's famous friendly Napoleon Wrasse just to name a few.
After the dive, the group of divers were getting back on the boat and were speaking in Italian " Mama-Mia, Mama-Mia" and through their cameras on the deck telling Francis that this is it.. they do not need to dive any longer... Francis was stumped for a moment and asked them why... They told him that this dive site was the best dive they ever had in their entire life and after diving here, they do not need to dive any longer. 
So now we come to the reason it was called "Blue Corner". Francis had a dive guide named Matthew Elbelau. When he would describe it to customers he would say the corner of the reef... and because the water was so blue.. so he was the one who named it Blue Corner and the name stuck ever since. 
This is one of the most famous dive sites in the world and can be dangerous as well. Diver levels should be from advanced and up.

Diver Fun Facts:
Do you know where and who invented the reef hook?

leave your comments below and whoever gets it right you will receive a 10% discount on your next dive trip with Palau Escape with a minimum of 3 customers.

The "IRO" WWII Wreck Palau

History

The IRO was built in 1922 and is 470 feet long; she was a fleet oilier and supplier. On 22 March 1944 on her way from Truck Lagoon to Palau, a torpedo from the USS Tunny hit her. The IRO's bow section was damaged and she limped to Palau for repairs. On 30 March 1944 IRO was attacked from the air during operation Desecrate One. A blow  to her engine room finally brought IRO to her demise and she sank upright in 120 feet / 40 meters of water. This wreck was rediscovered by Palau's Francis Toribiong and his very good friend Klaus Lindemann from Germany.

               

               

PalauEscape IRO BlueHoles BlueCorner24MAY2018