Sources · Destination Guide

Koror and the Rock Islands

Current-swept reefs, quiet lagoon days and a practical Koror base.

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Research Sources

Destination Guide Sources For Koror and the Rock Islands

Reference links used to build and maintain this guide.

58 sources • Updated Oct 28, 2026

Written by DiveJourney. Built from public sources and local operator knowledge. Last updated Oct 28, 2026.

Sam's Tours: Reef Diving - Undated live operator page Scuba personality, boat/daytrip model, reef/wall/drift and manta/turtle/shark facets. Do not repeat exaggerated #1 rankings or rare whale shark/tiger/bull shark possibilities as reliable goals; reviewed 2026-10-28.
Sam's Tours: Wreck Diving - Undated live operator page Supports actual offered service and known spot identity. Five-chamber cave description does not establish suitability for general divers; ordinary guide should avoid penetration; reviewed 2026-10-28.
Palau Infinity Dive: PADI Freediver - Undated live course page Freedive profile and training evidence, not evidence that any named scuba or marine-lake site is open to independent freediving. Availability, session location and exact training limits must be confirmed; avoid turning course maximum into a target; reviewed 2026-10-28.
Explorer Ventures: Palau Liveaboard Diving - Undated live operator page Hybrid trip-format evidence. Cabin availability, actual sailing and stops unconfirmed. Dive counts conflict within the page, so omit; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Research Sources

Destination Guide Sources For Koror and the Rock Islands

Reference links used to build and maintain this guide.

58 sources • Updated Oct 28, 2026

Written by DiveJourney. Built from public sources and local operator knowledge. Last updated Oct 28, 2026.

Sam's Tours: Reef Diving - Undated live operator page Scuba personality, boat/daytrip model, reef/wall/drift and manta/turtle/shark facets. Do not repeat exaggerated #1 rankings or rare whale shark/tiger/bull shark possibilities as reliable goals; reviewed 2026-10-28.
Sam's Tours: Wreck Diving - Undated live operator page Supports actual offered service and known spot identity. Five-chamber cave description does not establish suitability for general divers; ordinary guide should avoid penetration; reviewed 2026-10-28.
Palau Infinity Dive: PADI Freediver - Undated live course page Freedive profile and training evidence, not evidence that any named scuba or marine-lake site is open to independent freediving. Availability, session location and exact training limits must be confirmed; avoid turning course maximum into a target; reviewed 2026-10-28.
Explorer Ventures: Palau Liveaboard Diving - Undated live operator page Hybrid trip-format evidence. Cabin availability, actual sailing and stops unconfirmed. Dive counts conflict within the page, so omit; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Sam's Tours: Rock Island Tours - Undated live offer Mixed-group independent non-diver options. Does not prove lake access on a travel day or mobility suitability; avoid its all-ages wording as blanket assurance; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Sam's Tours: Planet Blue Kayak Tours - Undated live offer Recommend only permitted open-bay kayaking with route confirmation. Omit all marine-lake/tunnel access marketed on the page; official restrictions override marketing. Do not repeat absolute claims of no wind or waves; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Rock Island Tour Company: Signature Special Rock Island Tour returns - 2026-08-13 Current operator-program evidence, not park authorization or live booking availability. Price is conditional web advance-booking offer; better omit unless needed. Lake access remains independently unverified; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Scuba Diving Palau - Undated operator tariff reviewed 2026-10-28. Published standard two-tank day USD 209 per person, with described hotel transfers, tanks, weights and lunch; permits separate. Used as budget evidence, not a live quotation. Conflicting multi-day discounts are omitted.

Splash Dive Center: Price List - Undated operator price list reviewed 2026-10-28. Two-tank boat-day prices vary by group size, with published examples from USD 160 per person for four or more to USD 540 for one. Tax treatment and final total need a quote. Also lists a boat-rider/snorkeler option.

Splash Dive Center: PADI Courses - Undated live operator page Direct source for beginner and training facets. A beginner program does not establish Blue Corner or Ulong suitability; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Palau Royal Resort: Private Beach - Undated facility page Snorkel-focused beach option in Malakal for guests or expressly authorized visitors. Day-pass availability, guest access terms, lifeguarding and specific current conditions unverified. Do not call it public or snorkel-only; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Belau National Museum: Exhibits - Undated institution page Koror topside cultural context; plan one to two hours as editorial allowance, not official duration; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Belau National Museum: General Information - 2025-01-13 transport notice; other information undated Do not repeat outdated third-party advice to request free museum pickup. Current admission and opening hours were not accessible as text and remain unverified; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Clam City - Undated live site description Known internal slug palau-clam-city. Conditional visit only: operator must establish current permission. Omit disputed size/age/ecology explanations and absolute no-current claim. Do not imply guaranteed visibility; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Jake Seaplane - Undated live site description Known slug palau-jake-seaplane. Use approximate depth token; source's feet-to-meter figures are rough and not exactly equivalent. Never tell snorkelers to duck-dive to wreck or guarantee view from surface; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Iro Wreck - Undated live site description Known packet name Iro Maru and slug palau-iro-maru preserved despite operator using Iro. Recommend exterior survey within qualification; hull bottom is not a target depth; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Helmet Wreck - Undated live site description Known slug palau-helmet-wreck. Exterior only for general guide. Do not repeat offered penetration routes or promise short transfer; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Ulong Channel - Undated live site description Strong-current skill requirement and drift facet. Do not prescribe universal tide or autonomous turnaround instructions. Keep site unlinked; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Fish 'n Fins: Siaes Corner - Undated live site description Conservative shark/turtle wildlife facets and Siaes area character. Do not repeat close-approach or glove advice; keep unlinked and separate from Siaes Tunnel penetration; reviewed 2026-10-28.

Palau International Coral Reef Center: Palau Aquarium - Undated institution page reviewed 2026-10-28. Five habitat exhibits; published weekday 08:00-17:00 opening, weekend/holiday closure, adult USD 5.50 and child USD 1.65 admission. Confirm current operation and eligibility before visiting.

Etpison Museum: visitor information - Undated homepage reviewed 2026-10-28. Cultural collections and published USD 10 admission. Its daily 10:00-17:00 schedule conflicts with its contact page; current hours remain unresolved.

Etpison Museum: contact information - Undated contact page reviewed 2026-10-28. Lists Monday-Saturday 09:00-17:00 and Sunday closure, conflicting with the homepage. Do not assume either schedule is authoritative for a travel date.

Palau Bureau of Customs and Border Protection: Immigration - Live Immigration guidance reviewed 2026-10-28, including Executive Order 499 dated 2026-02-11. Supports ordinary entry conditions, nationality exceptions, 12-country pre-clearance list and the USD 100 inbound-airfare environmental fee. Older generic text remains on the page; pre-clearance/QR sequencing is unresolved.

Palau Entry Form - Live form landing page retrieved 2026-10-28.

Palau International Airport: Entry Requirements - Undated live page retrieved 2026-10-28.

Palau Visitors Authority: Travelers Tips - Undated PVA guidance reviewed 2026-10-28. Publishes USD 50 Rock Island and USD 100 inclusive Jellyfish Lake permits with five-day validity, USD currency, tipping and visitor practicalities. Chamber description is not proof of day-of-treatment readiness. Its older nationality summary is not used as an exhaustive entry rule.

Splash Dive Center: Important Notice - Undated current operator terms retrieved 2026-10-28.

Koror State Government: legacy Rock Islands fact sheet - Legacy Koror State fact sheet: filename 2013-02-15, protected-area/permit text revised September 2012, still linked on 2026-10-28. Its ten-day permit validity conflicts with current PVA/operator five-day guidance. Used for the conflict and conservative access exclusions; not current geometry, definitive amendments or upgrade/exemption terms.

Palau International Airport: Access - Undated live guidance retrieved 2026-10-28.

Palau International Airport: Airlines - Undated route listing retrieved 2026-10-28, not a guarantee of a dated flight.

FAA IFP gateway: Palau International Airport - Live FAA listing retrieved 2026-10-28.

Palau Visitors Authority: Getting Around - Undated live page retrieved 2026-10-28.

Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services: Contact Us - Live official contact page retrieved 2026-10-28.

Palau Government 55th Pacific Islands Forum: Health and Medical Information - Palau government 2026 Forum health information reviewed 2026-10-28. The hospital section explicitly makes the 24-hour emergency room available to anyone, with ordinary charges. Used for hospital location, ER contact and 911, not delegate-only arrangements or chamber readiness.

Divers Alert Network: Contact Us - Current DAN contact page retrieved 2026-10-28.

Divers Alert Network: Emergency Assistance - Undated current DAN guidance retrieved 2026-10-28.

Divers Alert Network: Flying After Diving - Current guidance retrieved 2026-10-28; consensus evidence based on 2002 workshop.

ITU and Palau Bureau of Communications: June 2025 workshop practical information - Document for 24-26 June 2025; retrieved 2026-10-28. Stable electrical standard, not current quoted hotel/telecom prices.

Bank of Hawaii: Koror branch - Live bank page retrieved 2026-10-28.

PNCC: Visitor Services - Provider visitor-service information retrieved 2026-10-28 through indexed primary-page text. Advertises eSIM, physical SIM and Koror/Airai mobile service. Current prices, individual device compatibility and offshore coverage are not established.

Palau National Weather Service, BOM and CSIRO: Current and future climate of Palau - Historical climate brochure, 2014-era PACCSAP publication, reviewed 2026-10-28. Pages 2-3 support February-April driest, May-October wet, northeast trades and year-to-year variability. Do not present it as a current forecast.

SPC, BOM and SPREP: Climate Change in the Pacific 2022, chapter 9 Palau - Published 2022, reviewed 2026-10-28. Palau chapter uses NOAA station observations and wave hindcast. Pages 112 and 120 distinguish rainfall season from ocean-wave season; tropical cyclones can affect Palau year-round.

CRRF: Meteorological Monitoring - Undated live research explanation with Rock Islands station data through 2020, reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports local monsoon, trade-wind and transition patterns; directly refutes no-typhoon-risk claims.

NOAA NWS: Palau Weather Service Office - Live official weather and coastal-water forecast hub, reviewed 2026-10-28. Use for pre-departure forecast checks, not durable destination claims about today's hazard status.

CRRF: Jellyfish Lake Conditions and Forecast - Monitoring 2026-10-13, reviewed 2026-10-28. Ecological observation and short forecast only; no proof of daily visitor access. Also supports the scuba prohibition and lake layering hazard.

Koror State Rangers / PVA: Other marine lakes restriction - Undated live enforcement notice for K8-207-2009 section 10, reviewed 2026-10-28. Prohibits entering or approaching other marine lakes; identifies Ongeim L' Tketau as sole visitor lake.

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group: Ngemelis Channel ISRA - Live conservation assessment, reviewed 2026-10-28, incorporating primary local observations through 2024. German Channel manta feeding season and resident reef-shark evidence; not a visitor-permission source.

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group: Ngemelis ISRA - Live conservation assessment, reviewed 2026-10-28, using observations through 2024. Reef walls, Blue Corner current/turbulence and recurring reef sharks. Avoid extrapolating ecological depth range into visitor dive limits.

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group: Ulong ISRA - Live conservation assessment, reviewed 2026-10-28, incorporating observations through 2024. Supports Ulong habitat, tidal current variability and June/July pre-new-moon grouper spawning evidence. No future event or access guarantee.

Palau Government: National sunscreen standard - Government announcement dated 2020-03-24, reviewed 2026-10-28. Explains expansion beyond initial ten prohibited sunscreen ingredients.

Palau Government: Regulations Prohibiting Reef-Toxic Sunscreens - 2020 national regulation, reviewed 2026-10-28. Official ingredient appendix; check current amendments before relying on a product label.

Palau Visitors Authority: Environmental Initiatives - Undated authority guidance reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports Palau Pledge, conservation etiquette and currently published sunscreen ingredient guidance. Offshore sanctuary percentages are not used to infer local access boundaries.

DAN World: Freediving Safety Awareness - DAN safety guidance reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports no hyperventilation and a capable buddy dedicated to watching each breath-hold dive; not proof of local safety services.

PADI: Standard Safe Diving Practices for Scuba Divers and Freedivers - Training-agency safety guidance reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports trained freedive buddies, no open-water freediving after scuba on the same day and staying within training limits.

DAN: Water-Related Injuries, Snorkeling and Scuba Diving - Current safety resource reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports assessment of currents, boat traffic, snorkeling competence and hypoxic-blackout hazards.

DAN Europe: Ten Safety Rules - Current DAN safety guidance reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports training limits, surface support, emergency oxygen and avoiding in-water recompression. Its conservative flying interval is not substituted for the separately cited DAN consensus guidance.

Koror State Government: Information for Tourists - Undated state page reviewed 2026-10-28. Supports Rock Islands setting, sole visitor marine-lake designation and scuba prohibition. Links legacy permit/zoning documents; not confirmation of daily lake access.

Destination hero photo by Timo Volz - Photographer profile: https://unsplash.com/@magict1911