Diving in West Caroline Islands
Quick Facts
- • Entry types: Mostly shore entries
- • Expect: Varies by conditions visibility
- • Highlights: Discover West Caroline Islands's dive spots
Explore the underwater wonders of West Caroline Islands, ecoregion. This region features 20 documented dive spots, each offering unique underwater experiences. Whether you're seeking calm snorkeling bays, challenging freediving depths, or exciting scuba adventures, West Caroline Islands has something for every underwater explorer. Browse detailed spot information, check current conditions from recent dive logs, and connect with the local diving community to make the most of your visit.
Regional Context
🏛️ Marine Hierarchy
🌍 Associated Countries
Countries in West Caroline Islands (2)
Popular Spots in West Caroline Islands (20)
Blue Corner Palau
Blue Corner Palau features a depth range from 8 meters to 30 meters. Divers can expect to see a wide variety of marine life, including reef sharks, bull sharks, and manta rays. This site is accessible by boat.
Cabbage Patch - Micronesia
Cabbage Patch features a sloping wall adorned with vibrant yellow lettuce coral, located along the southern reef. Divers can anticipate clear water conditions and a diverse array of hard corals. Common marine life includes schools of barracuda, reef fish, and encounters with eagle rays, reef sharks, turtles, and cuttlefish. Anemones and various macro life can also be observed in this area. The site is accessed by boat.
Chandelier Cave
Chandelier Cave is a 5-chamber cave system in Malakal Harbour, Palau. Divers can explore four underwater chambers featuring stalactite and stalagmite formations, with a maximum depth of approximately 30 feet. The fifth chamber is above water.
Clam City
Clam City is a shallow dive site located 30 minutes by boat from Koror, at a depth of 10 meters (30 feet). Divers can observe giant Tridacna clams, some weighing up to 115 kg (250 lb) and over 100 years old. Other marine life includes anthias, sergeant majors, Chromis, and Moorish idols, with the seabed featuring staghorn corals and large Porites coral heads.
Eagle’s Nest - Micronesia
Eagle's Nest is characterized by several rock and coral pinnacles that serve as cleaning stations for eagle rays. This site is best experienced as a drift dive, particularly during the summer months when currents are present, allowing divers to explore the southern Pacific reef effectively. When the current is active, marine life becomes more visible, including grey reef sharks and barracuda in the deeper waters, while sting rays can be found resting on the sandy bottom amidst a variety of reef fish.
German Channel
German Channel is a dive site known for frequent manta ray sightings. The channel's depth reaches 20 meters (66 feet) and features cleaning stations where mantas interact with wrasses. Be prepared for potential strong currents during your dive.
Helmet Wreck
Helmet Wreck is a wreck dive site featuring a 57-meter (189-foot) freighter bombed in 1944. The ship contains numerous Japanese military helmets, ammunition, rifles, and gas masks. Divers can enter through an open middle deck and the penetrable wheelhouse, but caution is advised due to instability and residual explosives.
Iro Maru
Iro Maru is a 143-meter Japanese freighter wreck located at a depth of about 40 meters. The wreck is largely intact, featuring gun turrets, three masts, and a main deck, and is covered with soft corals and marine invertebrates. Experienced divers can penetrate the wreck to explore areas such as the crew quarters.
Jake Seaplane
Jake Seaplane is a wreck dive site located at the northern tip of Arakabesan Island in Palau. The 97-meter long WWII Japanese plane rests at a depth of about 12 meters on a coral reef, surrounded by staghorn, lettuce, table, and brain corals, as well as various sea sponges. Marine life includes a range of tropical fish species that inhabit the area.
Jellyfish Lake - Ongeim’l Tketau
Jellyfish Lake, known as Ongeim’l Tketau, is a unique snorkeling site characterized by its population of non-stinging jellyfish, specifically the Golden Jellyfish and Moon Jellyfish. These jellyfish exhibit a behavior of following sunlight across the lake's surface. The ecosystem also includes anemones that attempt to capture jellyfish and various species of freshwater fish. The site is accessible from the shore, making it convenient for snorkelers to explore this delicate environment.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom features a diverse underwater environment characterized by a unique coral plateau and a sloping hard coral wall. The site includes rock overhangs and crevices that provide shelter for resting turtles and various macro marine life. Divers can observe schools of black snapper and jacks, as well as potential encounters with eagle rays and reef sharks. It is advisable to explore under the coral overhangs for cleaner shrimp, nudibranchs, and carpet anemones.
Mi'l Channel
Mi'l Channel, translating to 'strong current' in Yapese, features a prominent coral ridge that spans the main channel. The shallower regions are populated with various reef fish, including angelfish, butterflyfish, and surgeonfish, while deeper areas host larger tropical species and whitetip reef sharks. The current side of the channel is known for attracting pelagic species, providing opportunities for surprise encounters. This site is accessible from the shore.
Siaes Tunnel
Siaes Tunnel is located approximately 30-40 minutes by boat from Koror. This dive site features a large underwater cavern with an entrance at 28 meters and a depth of 45 meters. Divers can observe black coral at the top of the cavern and marine life such as whitetip reef sharks in the area.
Stammtisch
Stammtisch features a prominent coral ridge composed of finger and plate corals located at the edge of a channel. This site is known for its cleaning stations, which attract Manta Rays due to the currents present. Divers can also observe a diverse range of wrasse and other cleaner fish in the area. The entry to the site is from the shore.
Stop Sign
Stop Sign is located on the south side of the island, characterized by a sloping coral structure that descends from approximately 7 meters to several hundred meters. The site is rich in various coral types, including plate, table, boulder, and finger corals. Divers can expect to see a diverse array of marine life, with vibrant colors present throughout the ecosystem. Species such as juvenile fish, larger groupers, triggerfish, and bumphead parrotfish are commonly observed here. The currents in this area often attract pelagic species, making it an engaging dive site for those interested in marine biodiversity.
Ulong Channel
Ulong Channel, located on the western side of Ulong Island, is a drift dive site with depths ranging from 3 to 13 meters (10 to 40 feet). Divers can expect to see various marine life, including schooling snappers, barracudas, jacks, and sharks, along with coral formations and sea fans. This site is accessible by boat.
Ulong Sandbar
Ulong Sandbar is a shallow dive site with a maximum depth of 20 meters (66 feet). Divers can observe various species of staghorn and elkhorn corals, as well as soft corals. Fish life is plentiful, featuring juvenile fish, anemonefish, yellow leaf fish, chromis, and tube eels.
Ulong Wall
Ulong Wall is a wall dive in Palau with a depth of approximately 25 meters (80 feet), suitable for experienced divers. Divers can observe a variety of marine life including sharks, napoleon wrasses, groupers, and trevallies along the wall's drop-offs.
Vertigo
Vertigo is located in the Philippine Sea, approximately a 25 to 35 minute boat ride from the island south of M’il Channel. This dive site is notable for its population of grey and black tip reef sharks, providing divers with the opportunity to observe these species in their natural habitat. The site features clear blue waters year-round, making it a prime location for shark interactions. The dive experience is enhanced by the presence of a healthy school of these sharks, contributing to its reputation as one of the notable shark dive locations.
Yap Caverns
Yap Caverns, located at the southern tip of Yap Island, presents a unique underwater environment characterized by diverse marine life and intricate topography. Divers can navigate through the caverns, which are known for their rich macro life at varying depths. Notable species include porcelain crabs, moyer's dragonettes, nudibranchs, leaf fish, scorpion fish, anthias, flame angels, cleaner shrimp, ghost shrimp, and ghost pipe fish. The site is accessible from the shore, making it convenient for divers seeking to explore its fascinating features.