Safety · Destination Guide
Current-swept reefs, quiet lagoon days and a practical Koror base.
Choose the operator and itinerary for your actual skills, insist on a workable boat emergency plan, and respect site-specific access. Strong currents, remote water time, overhead environments and protected areas all matter here. A tour offer, a permit and a current medical capability are separate things to verify.
Check the route, diver and snorkeler supervision, oxygen supply, trained responders, communications, missing-person procedure and evacuation arrangement. Tell the team about rusty skills or limitations before entry. Carry a surface signal and follow the agreed drift and pickup procedure. Do not chase an animal, descend beyond your training or enter a wreck/cave overhead. Divers Alert Network: Emergency Assistance; Fish 'n Fins: Ulong Channel
Use a trained, attentive freediving buddy, avoid hyperventilation and keep scuba and freediving on appropriately separated days. Surface swimmers need an assessed route and active supervision; a scuba guide underwater is not automatically their surface safety person. DAN World: Freediving Safety Awareness; PADI: Standard Safe Diving Practices for Scuba Divers and Freedivers; DAN: Water-Related Injuries, Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
DAN advises asymptomatic recreational divers to wait at least 12 hours after one no-stop dive and at least 18 hours after repetitive or multi-day diving; dives requiring decompression need substantially longer. Longer intervals reduce risk but do not guarantee safety. A full final day ashore is a useful planning buffer, and stricter computer, operator or medical advice takes precedence. Do not fly with symptoms suggesting a dive injury. Sources checked 2026-10-28: Divers Alert Network: Flying After Diving.
Belau National Hospital is in Meyuns, Koror. MHHS publishes the emergency-room number +680 488-2558; Palau government health information says the ER is open 24 hours and gives 911 for emergency access. PVA describes an operational hyperbaric chamber, but immediate readiness, staffing and case acceptance were not independently confirmed. No separate current chamber hotline was verified. For a suspected serious dive injury, stop diving, alert the crew, activate local emergency services and obtain urgent medical assessment; trained responders should follow their oxygen protocol. Contact DAN for diving-medical coordination after activating local care. Do not travel unannounced to a chamber or attempt in-water recompression. Sources checked 2026-10-28: Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services: Contact Us; Palau Government 55th Pacific Islands Forum: Health and Medical Information; Palau Visitors Authority: Travelers Tips; Divers Alert Network: Emergency Assistance; DAN Europe: Ten Safety Rules.
Current can change the plan
Ulong's published site guidance warns of strong and reversing currents. Do not extrapolate a calm departure or a favorable season into a safe entry. The guide must assess the site and the group. Fish 'n Fins: Ulong Channel
Air pockets do not remove an overhead
Chandelier Cave, Blue Holes and Siaes Tunnel involve overhead environments. This guide does not recommend cave or cavern penetration to ordinary visitors without the relevant training, equipment and specific plan. Wreck recommendations are exterior-only. Sam's Tours: Wreck Diving; Fish 'n Fins: Helmet Wreck
Jellyfish Lake is surface snorkeling only here
Scuba is prohibited, and the deep lake contains oxygen-free water and toxic hydrogen sulfide. Do not use it for depth training or follow a quoted scientific depth as a visitor limit. Admission must be checked independently. Koror State Government: Information for Tourists
Plan for heat, wet steps and boats
Carry drinking water and sun protection, use suitable footwear on approved land approaches and confirm a marked, supervised snorkeling area. Surface swimmers can be hard for boat operators to see. DAN: Water-Related Injuries, Snorkeling and Scuba Diving; Sam's Tours: Rock Island Tours
The published Koror State Rangers notice identifies Ongeim L' Tketau as the sole visitor marine lake and prohibits approaching other marine lakes within 61 m. It does not certify daily admission to Jellyfish Lake. Do not substitute another lake or ask a guide to take you into one. Scuba is prohibited in Jellyfish Lake; this guide recommends surface snorkeling only when access is confirmed. Sources checked 2026-10-28: Koror State Rangers / PVA: Other marine lakes restriction; Koror State Government: Information for Tourists.
The state-linked legacy fact sheet identifies Ngerukewid/Seventy Islands and Ngederrak as no-entry areas and restricts visitor landings to designated locations. Ngkisaol's timing language is inconsistent, so it is excluded from recommendations. Current amendments and precise visitor-use limits need authoritative confirmation. No-fishing protection at Ulong or Ngemelis must not be misread as either universal permission or a blanket tourism closure. Koror State Government: legacy Rock Islands fact sheet was reviewed 2026-10-28; it is historical evidence, not a current boundary determination.
Keep fins and equipment clear of coral, leave wildlife space and take nothing from wrecks or beaches. Do not touch clams, collect artifacts or disturb ammunition. Follow the guide's current reef-hook rules and never attach to living coral. Carry reusable drinking-water and food containers and remove your litter. Fish 'n Fins: Helmet Wreck; Palau Visitors Authority: Environmental Initiatives
Palau's March 2020 regulations expanded restrictions beyond the original ten ingredients. Current PVA guidance allows mineral products using zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as actives and excludes specified preservatives. A reef-safe marketing label alone is not proof of compliance. Use protective clothing and check the official ingredient rules before packing; locally sold compliant sunscreen is another option. Sources checked 2026-10-28: Palau Government: National sunscreen standard; Palau Government: Regulations Prohibiting Reef-Toxic Sunscreens; Palau Visitors Authority: Environmental Initiatives.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when current can change the plan. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palau emergency services | Police, fire and ambulance within Palau | 911 | Officially listed emergency short code. Overseas dialing and universal access from every visitor SIM were not established. Sources: https://55piflm.gov.pw/health and ITU/Palau practical information, checked 2026-10-28. |
| Belau National Hospital emergency room | Emergency medical assessment in Meyuns, Koror | +680 488-2558 | ER open 24 hours according to Palau government health guidance; MHHS confirms the number. Chamber readiness is separate. Sources: https://healthypalau.pw/?page_id=1509 and https://55piflm.gov.pw/health, checked 2026-10-28. |
| Divers Alert Network emergency hotline | Diving emergency advice and coordination after activating local emergency services | +1 919-684-9111 | 24 hours, 365 days according to DAN. Source: https://dan.org/about-dan/contact/, checked 2026-10-28. |