Scuba Diving in Peleliu & Angaur (Southern Outer Reefs)

About Peleliu & Angaur (Southern Outer Reefs)

Peleliu and Angaur guard the southern end of Palau's barrier reef and deliver its most extreme pelagic diving. Peleliu Wall, nicknamed the Peleliu Express, is a sheer abyssal drop-off where grey reef and silvertip sharks, dogtooth tuna, and big-eye trevally thunder past in current that can exceed four knots, with whale sharks and tiger sharks reported seasonally. Peleliu Cut and Peleliu Corner add variety with baitballs, hammerheads, and manta rays, while Angaur Island Wall offers pristine, less-dived coral with schooling jacks. On land, Peleliu is sacred ground for its brutal 1944 battle, and the Orange and White Beach areas hold shallow WWII landing craft and amphibious tractors now encrusted in coral. Reaching Peleliu takes about 90 minutes by boat or an overnight liveaboard, which is the preferred way to do the southern sites justice.

Highlights

• ✓Peleliu Wall (Peleliu Express): a world-class pelagic drift along a sheer abyssal wall.
• ✓Peleliu Cut: a high-adrenaline channel drift with huge schools of barracuda and sharks.
• ✓Peleliu Corner: a current-swept corner with mantas, baitballs, and seasonal hammerheads.
• ✓Orange Beach / White Beach wrecks: shallow WWII landing craft and tractors, great for photography.
• ✓Angaur Island Wall: pristine and lightly dived, with schooling jacks and healthy coral.

Getting There

The Peleliu & Angaur (Southern Outer Reefs) region is reached by boat from Koror, the dive hub of Palau. Day boats and liveaboards depart the Koror and Malakal marinas, with transit times varying by site. Some southern and northern regions are best experienced on multi-day liveaboard trips that time dives to the tidal windows.