Scuba Diving in Ulong Island & Ulong Channel

About Ulong Island & Ulong Channel

Ulong Island and its famous channel sit in the central Rock Islands and are revered for one of the most exhilarating drift dives on the planet. Ulong Channel is a coral-walled corridor that funnels a powerful current past cabbage coral gardens and a renowned snapper spawning site, delivering a near-continuous parade of jacks, snappers, grey reef sharks, and whitetips. The broader Ulong area also offers Siaes Corner and Siaes Tunnel for those who love big walls and swim-throughs, and the Ulong Sand Bar for a gentle macro interlude. Steeped in Palauan history, Ulong is also home to ancient stone gardens and a traditional meeting house, making it a cultural as well as underwater highlight. Boats reach Ulong from Koror in about an hour, and the sites are frequently combined with Ngemelis on liveaboard routes through the central lagoon.

Highlights

• ✓Ulong Channel: a world-class drift through coral walls with a famous snapper spawning aggregation and cabbage corals.
• ✓Siaes Corner: a current-swept corner rich with sharks, eagle rays, and schooling barracuda.
• ✓Siaes Tunnel: a vertical tunnel opening onto the wall, decorated with whip corals and sea fans.
• ✓Ulong Sand Bar: a calm, shallow macro area for garden eels, pipefish, and the occasional leopard shark.

Getting There

The Ulong Island & Ulong Channel 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.