Sam’s Tours Palau

Palau’s majestic manta rays glide through its crystal-clear waters all year. The prime season runs from November to May, with the best chance of close encounters at German Channel’s renowned cleaning station. Here, mantas circle gracefully as cleaner fish tend to their wingtips. Here, you can hover just above the sandy ledge and watch them swoop in, pause against the current, and offer great photo opportunities.

Palau’s underwater graveyard of shipwrecks dates back to World War II, when numerous Japanese vessels were sunk during fierce battles in 1944. Today, these relics lie encrusted with corals and teem with marine life, offering thrilling exploration for divers. Among the top wrecks are the oil tanker Iro Maru, the Teshio Maru, a former Japanese transport vessel and Jake’s Seaplane, a hauntingly beautiful aerial relic just beneath the waves – each resting between 12 and 35 metres deep. Drift through haunting engine rooms, marvel at schools of barracuda, jacks, and reef fish that now call these places of rusty metal home. Whether you’re navigating cargo holds, circling the seaplane’s wings, or peering into its cockpit, Palau’s wrecks deliver an immersive dive into both history and nature.

Each month, around the moon phases, certain fish species gather in large numbers for mass aggregations, culminating in spawning events that ensure their survival. At full moon, red snappers begin their reproductive cycle – only to be hunted by black snappers feasting on the eggs and bull sharks preying on the snappers themselves. At new moon, young bumphead parrotfish aggregate and spawn, often shadowed by grey reef sharks who seem wary of the bumpheads’ powerful teeth.
While red snappers and bumphead parrotfish spawn monthly, other species — such as Moorish idols, blue-lined sea breams and groupers — gather seasonally.
Sam’s Tours was among the first dive centres to offer expert-led expeditions to witness these unique underwater spectacles, developing deep expertise in timing and patterns to ensure the best possible guest experience.

While the aggregation and spawning of red snappers and bumphead parrotfish occur monthly, other species such as the Moorish idols, blue-lined sea breams, and groupers only gather and spawn seasonally.

The team of Sam’s Tours was one of the very first dive centres to offer expert-led expeditions to watch these unique underwater spectacles and has developed a thourough understanding of the patterns and timing to ensure the best customer experience.