Viewed from up above, Palau’s glorious islands fascinated us passengers aboard Continental Airlines’ Boeing aircraft. (Continental is the only aviation company that flies to Palau and it has done so for over two decades.)
When we finally landed on Palau soil, the air calmed our soul and the azure waters serenaded our spirits. Under the sea, an enchanting adventure with marine life awaited us.
We checked in at the fabulous Palau Pacific Resort, the only five-star hotel on the island. (It was where John F. Kennedy took Daryl Hannah before.) What’s On and Expat GM Butch Bonsol (who was my roommate) and I certainly agreed that it is a luxurious exotic hideaway. It features 14 two-story cottages clustered around a central lobby, which opens directly to the pristine beach, 160 guest rooms and eight suites with all the amenities. Chef James Lim whipped up for us the most delightful green chicken curry, steamed grouper jasmine rice and mango yogurt cake. Here, the freshest catch from the sea can be cooked to your liking.
The divers familiarization tour hosted by Continental Air Micronesia and Palau Pacific Resort (of the Pan Pacific Hotel Group) allowed us to explore what must have been the way things were when Adam and Eve roamed the Garden of Eden. Now known as the Republic of Palau, and locally called Belau, these islands were named and known by explorers in previous centuries as the West Caroline Islands, the Palaos, Panlog, Pelew Islands, and even the New Philippines. The total land area of Palau is 363 square kilometers and has a population of only 19,000. Some 5,000 Filipinos work here mostly in the diving industry. Independent and self-governing, Palau is under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. US dollar is Palau’s currency, and there is no need for a US visa to enter. Palau children can easily study in the US, which explains partially its small population today.
Named one of the world’s last "Edens" by National Geographic, Palau is truly blessed with an abundance of natural wonders. At our orientation at the West Plaza Hotel, photographer Kevin Davidson gave a marvelous slide presentation of what we would see the next morning. He shared with me his awesome photos of Palau’s marine sanctuary – from the sublime Rock Islands to Micronesia’s largest undisturbed forest. Adventure seekers from around the world come to Palau to engage in world-class diving and snorkeling. Palau’s magnificent reefs and coral gardens provide the water enthusiast with an unparalleled underwater experience, where encounters with sharks, manta rays, sea turtles and a kaleidoscope of reef fishes are common.
Tommy Remengesau Jr., president of the Republic of Palau, enthused that Palauans have understood that the sea’s bounty must be preserved for future generations.
"The role of stewards over the precious heritage is integral to our rich culture. Traditional conservation methods – such as the ‘Bul’ banning fishing in certain areas during spawning season – are very much practiced by our ancestors," said Remengesau. Today, the president added, Palauan fishermen still practice "Bul" and through the power of education their conservation practices will continue and preserve their most precious treasure – their natural resources that continue to attract millions of tourists today. It is hoped that with Palau’s regard for nature, the international community will learn how to preserve the natural surroundings.
In fact, according to Mark Orruken of the Palau Visitors Authority, the lowest fine for littering is $300. They even have marine enforcement police who patrol their waters daily from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. With this philosophy of stewardship, Palauans are assured of the preservation of their paradise. This kind of responsible tourism is infectious: When we witnessed how they collect trash and care for their surroundings, we immediately followed.
To ensure their thrust, the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) was incorporated in June 16, 1994 in order to encourage and facilitate community participation in decisions that affect Palau’s environment. The mission of PCS is to work with the community to preserve the nation’s unique natural environment and perpetuate its conservation ethic for the economic and social benefit of present and future generations of Palauans.
Our group was divided into four sub-groups. While we were having the time of our lives in Palau, four of the archipelago’s best dive operators namely Splash, NECO Marine, Fish N Fins and Sam’s Tours took care of our fantastic dives and snorkeling activities.
One famous sanctuary is the Blue Hole, a cavern composed of four holes, which open to the surface above. From the surface, I spotted one huge hole at 90 feet that opens onto a steep vertical wall. Blue Hole is commonly the entrance point for drift dives to Blue Corner during an outgoing tide. Butch Bonsol and her dive buddy Carlos Webb of Barcelo Eagle Point experienced a wonderful sensation as they slowly descended into these large caverns with the sunlight beaming overhead. Blue Corner always has sharks especially the gray reef, leopard, white-tipped sharks as well as large stingrays. The whale shark, the scalloped hammerhead, tiger sharks, barracuda, dogtooth tuna and marlin make occasional appearances. Several Napolean wrasses, Cheilinus undulatus came very close to master divers Solomon Young of Nautilus Dive and Tomas Morato III of Diver’s Net. Solomon said, " Some wrasses weighed over one hundred pounds. Popularly called mameng, these fish are delicious when cooked! The Napolean wrasse is usually a very wary fish and difficult to approach. At Blue Corner you can see hundreds of fusiliers (Caesio spp), small blue grey triggerfish (Odonus niger) and pyramid butterfly fish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis). The wall of Blue Corner has a variety of sea fans and soft corals."
The Germans built a channel through the reef by Ngemelis, which is known locally as "German Channel." The channel is famous for its cleaning station, which attracts the large Manta Ray, Manta alfredi (oklemedaol) and sharks. Divers descend to a sandy bottom at about 45 feet and wait behind large corals colonies near the cleaning station. Small bleu streaked fish called cleaner wrasse swim overhead advertising their services. The 15- to 20-minute wait is well worth it. It is a thrill when a giant manta swims within a few feet and remains there momentarily while being cleaned. Continental Airlines’ Marissa Torres, Pan Pacific Hotel’s Jocelyn de Guzman and Maryann Reyes of Dive Republic explored Turtle Cove, where turtles breed and rest. An oval shaped hole on top of the shallow reef is the diving entrance. During a slow descent through the hole, a colorful display of soft corals and white sponges hangs from the ceiling. Grey reef sharks and blacktip sharks may pass by at shallower depths. In Devilfish city, dive instructor Lance Velez and Eureka Dive’s Bel Cruzet had the most extraordinary encounter with eight glorious manta rays gracefully hovering above them.
A scintillating contrast of heavenly blues and greens outlined the over 300 islands and lagoons of Palau. In three of its unique lagoons, there were millions of sting-less jellyfish (Mastigias papua), which you could swim and frolic with. Perhaps because they feel safe and secure with humans, after having been isolated from their ancestral population for a long time, these creatures have lost their instinct to sting.
Other attractions include the Etpison Museum where one will find artifacts, tools, paintings and photographs of the culture and tradition of Palau, the Palau aquarium which gives visitors an interactive overview of the rich marine life and Dolphin’s Pacific which is the world’s largest dolphin research facility.
Few places on earth can match the astonishing natural beauty of Palau. And what is the use of all this beauty if it cannot be preserved for the generations to come? In Palau, responsible tourism is the key to preservation. A visit to Palau is even more meaningful when you learn from it.
The Philippines is the closest country to Palau. In fact, Palau is even referred to as the "New Philippines" in some books. Palau is like the Philippines but the former is better preserved. Palau has 19,000 people and 300 islands. Of these islands, only eight have been populated. But they are effectively preserved. The Philippines has 75 million people dwelling on more than 7,000 islands. I’m sure there are more than 300 virginal ones. Let’s preserve what is worth preserving.
After all, we could always call them the New Philippines.