Country shortlist

Best snorkeling in Palau

The Double Fathom shortlist for Palau, ranked — 1 catalog destination. The grouping is ours; every rank and tagline is the catalog’s own.

Palau appears in our catalog as one destination: a small island country in western Micronesia whose drowned limestone Rock Islands give it its character. The water here is a mix of three things — sheltered bays with shallow coral, a marine lake you can snorkel among golden jellyfish, and current-fed channels where mantas and sharks gather at diving depth. Almost everything is reached by boat, permits and a conservation pledge are part of the trip, and the country's celebrated walls, Blue Corner among them, are dive sites we label as such rather than selling them as snorkel sites.

What we cover — and what we don’t

Where we cover Palau: one destination, five sites — Nikko Bay and German Channel in the Rock Islands, Clam City and Jellyfish Lake off Mecherchar, and the Milky Way. Palau's outer reefs and its dive-only walls, Blue Corner among them, are not presented as snorkel sites in this catalog.

The ranked Palau shortlist

In catalog rank order. Rank, taglines and “best for” notes are the catalog’s own; each destination page and guide goes deeper.

Palau

The Rock Islands

Rock Islands · Micronesia

Drowned limestone islands, a jellyfish lake and current-fed channels.

Palau packs an unusual range into a small island group: drowned limestone Rock Islands with shallow, sheltered bays inside them, a marine lake you can snorkel among golden jellyfish, and channels where the tide carries sharks and mantas past. Almost all of it is reached by boat, and Palau manages its water seriously — permits, a conservation pledge and local rules are part of the trip, not an afterthought.

Palau destination guide →Best Snorkeling in Palau →

Part of the regional shortlist

This country sits inside the Indo-Pacific — the wider grouping the ranked catalog uses.

Best snorkeling in the Indo-Pacific →

Other countries on the shortlist

Each country page groups the ranked catalog by country and states plainly what this catalog covers — and what it does not.

Planning a trip to Palau?

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