Join the PALAU picture competition - participate and win !

And this is how it works:

Send us your best picture of Palau and win one of three prices for your next dive vacation.

You think you took the best picture of Palau? Send us your most extraordinary photography you took in Palau until 31st January 2011. Whether underwater or countryside, animals or landscape – the best shot counts and we need to see it! Entitle the picture and tell us the story behind it.
 Send us one picture per participant up to a size of 10MB with your contact details to the following e-mail address: foto@visitpalau.eu  

The prizes will be drawn among all European participants. The best pictures will be published on our website http://www.visitpalau.eu/ with each author’s name. There is no right of appeal.

Vote for Palau | Jetzt für Palau abstimmen

The German magazine "diving" will publish a book called "my dive spot". Palau has now the chance to be included in this book as one of the hottest dive spots around the world. Therefore, we need YOUR VOTE. Please help us and check the website www.mein-tauchspot.de. Continue to the article "Ulong Channel - Palau" and give us your vote by clicking "Hot Spot". All you need to do is decide on a username, which would appear in the book, write down your e-mail and then confirm the link in your e-mail account. With your vote, we can manage to appear in the book! Thank you for your help.

Die Zeitschrift "Tauchen" wird demnächst ein Buch mit Titel "Mein Tauchspot" herausbringen. Hierzu werden Taucher aufgefordert, ihren Lieblingstauchplatz zu nennen. Natürlich ist Palau ganz vorne mit dabei. Um auch in das Buch aufgenommen zu werden brauchen wir aber EURE STIMME.
Geht auch www.mein-tauchspot.de und klickt euch durch zu dem Artikel "Ulong Channel - Palau". Alles was ihr tun müsst, ist "Hot Spot" anklicken, euch einen Nicknamen aussuchen der dann im Buch veröffentlicht werden würde, und eure e-mail Adresse eintragen. Den Link solltet ihr dann in eurem E-mail Postfach kurz bestätigen und fertig.
Mit eurer Stimme können wir es bis ins Buch schaffen! Tausend Dank für eure Unterstützung.

http://www.mein-tauchspot.de/

Copyright Tim Rocks

Palau Declares South Pacific Sanctuary for Whales & Dolphins

The South Pacific island nation of Palau has declared all the waters within its Exclusive Economic Zone to be a marine mammal sanctuary for the protection of whales, dolphins and dugongs.

Palau's minister of the environment, natural resources and tourism announced the new 600,000 square kilometer sanctuary at a news conference Saturday during Oceans Day at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Nagoya, Japan.

"Biodiversity has always been integral to the Palauan culture," he said. "Our traditional identity, values, legends and practices are intimately linked to our surroundings and to our relationships with living creatures. Conservation of biodiversity is ingrained in our daily approach to life and inherent in the meaning of our words."

A close group of islands, Palau has at least 11 species of cetaceans in its waters, including a breeding population of sperm whales and as many as 30 other species of whales and dolphins. Palau's dugongs are the most isolated and endangered population in the world, said Fritz.

Much of Palau's economy comes from tourism and the country hosts Dolphins Pacific, the world's largest dolphin research facility and the Palau International Coral Reef Center, a modern aquarium and research facility specializing in tropical coral reefs. The region's spectacular underwater biodiversity includes over 1,500 species of fish and 700 species of coral and anemone.

Establishment of the sanctuary is intended to prohibit the deliberate hunting and harassment of any marine mammals.

Diversity Fiesta: September 16-23, 2010

Diversity Fiesta celebrates the unique combination of great diving during the day and gourmet cuisine and wine at night! 
Located in the western pacific and under Japanese rule for decades, combined with culinary influence from Philippines, USA, Malaysia and Indonesia, Palau’s cuisine is a truly Pacific fusion of sea food, fresh fruits and vegetables and spices.

Tova Harel, Fish ‘n Fins and Ocean Hunter owner is an accomplished and innovative chef, Cook book publisher and food and wine lover and will be your host at night with exotic meals.
During the day we will dive Palau’s best dive sites and night will be a celebration of food and wines from the Pacific Rim (Australia, New Zealand, California and some experimental wine from Palau…)
Diners will be served at Barracuda restaurant and on deserted islands under the stars
Number of spaces is limited! Join us now 

Diving program:
Join our fiesta at any day and complete a full week program.
Day 1- Dancing Sharks: Dive Palau’s blue corners and sheer walls
Day 2- Forlorn WWII Wrecks: explore our 30+ historic wrecks
Day 3- Mysterious Caves: Temple of Doom and Chandelier cave….
Day 4- Colorful Coral gardens: Macro heaven and Jelly Fish Lake
Day 5- Majestic Blue Holes: our famous blue holes


Text by Fish n Fins

New airline "Fly Guam" will serve Palau

New formed airline "Fly Guam" scheduled to bring service from Guam to major Asian destinations incl. Palau towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2010.

The airline will service Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Osaka, Manila, Palau and Seoul. Fly Guam will begin operations with two Boeing aircraft 737-300 with seating capacity of 112 economy class seats and 12 business class seats.

In the roaring sixties Micronesian-island nations worried about their people to cope with the ever changing world and introduced the Micronesian Games to help developing the states and to show that the islands are a joined unit. The first Games successfully started in July 1969 and brought together athletes only from the Micronesian territory. It was mainly man competing in disciplines like baseball, basketball, canoe racing, tennis, and table tennis. To display the cultural and historical ties a special sport was created – the Micronesian All-Around Competition. Islanders matched skills in such events like coconut tree-climbing, coconut husking, spear throwing, swimming, and diving.

Only 21 years later the Second Games were initiated by Mobil Oils with the aim of community development. The major components of the First Games, namely unity and friendship, had survived intact, and in the 1990 Games athletes again convinced with a true spirit and a sports competition that had fostered cultural exchange and the sharing of common values. More than 900 athletes, coaches, and officials were competing in the same sports, with one minor change. The 1969 Games included canoe sailing and canoe paddling whereas the sailing event was lacking interest in thus excluded in the Second Games. Being a great success, a permanent Micronesian Games committee was formed after the 1990 Games. It aimed at a third edition of the games in 1994. Guam hosted those Third Games with a stunning participation of 1,500 athletes. For the first time, women’s basketball, softball, and men’s weightlifting were added. The Micronesian All-Around was modified for women substituting coconut grating for coconut husking.

Today, the Games bring together an ever growing number of athletes in 13 different sports. In 1998 the Micronesian Games were held by Palau for the first time with close to 2,000 athletes. The Games have truly been a key factor in unifying the islands of the central to western Pacific region. Currently, the 7^th Micronesian Games are running, again hosted by Palau.

Let the Games begin or better: Let the Games continue!

Welcome to Palau's official blog for Europe!

With this blog you have a chance to stay up-to-date and learn about events, festivals, and other happenings in Palau. Of course we are more than happy to receive your personal experiences you made in Palau. Write your story to mail@visitpalau.eu and we will share your thoughts, comments, photos, and videos. Tell people about this wonderful country and unique diving destination!


Did you know that Palau experienced its first contact with foreigners in 1783 by Henry Wilson. He shipwrecked on a reef just off-shore. From then on, more and more sailors and discoverers came to Palau...