Our surroundings were gorgeous. I had seen photographs and video of Palau in the past, and I was happy to discover that it looks even better in the first person. The rock atolls that adorn the waters of Palau sit magically like mushrooms adorned with lush tropical trees, bats and beautiful white birds flying all around them. The water ranges from a deep blue to a brilliant, glowing turquoise and is so clear that you can often see the sea floor rushing by under the chaseboat. The lightness and intensity of the turqoise was something I had never seen before -- it almost looked as if it was illuminated from below. Being on a boat presented us with the perfect weather -- it never was too hot (because of the breeze), and it was never cold enough to cause discomfort.

The only problem with the scenery was that it was overcast and raining during the majority of our stay. The sun shone fiercly upon our arrival to Palau and on my last day landlocked on Koror, but during the week I believe I only saw the sun twice. Sad, yes... but it wasn't the end of the world. After all, I was still on a live aboard dive vessel in Palau. :) Dive vacations are perfect because rain cannot stop you from diving. It can only decrease visibility and make the top layer of water cold.

One thing I liked to do was to sit on the side of the chaseboat when returning from a night dive in pitch blackness to watch the swath of foam we cut through the water. Bioluminescent dinoflagellates light up intensely when disturbed, which had the effect of making us look like we were throwing off sheets of blue-green sparks.
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sunset from our boat	view upon surfacing from dive at blue corner