PROLOGUE
It is no secret that divers love to talk about travelling to dive as much as actually diving, if not more. One of the destinations mentioned most frequently in these conversations is the legendary West Pacific island nation of Palau, which is described as having some of the most versatile, spectacular diving on the planet for all levels of experience.
As a professional underwater creative who documents a wide variety of underwater scenes (big animals, macro, wrecks, caves), this destination has been on my radar for a while. Towards the end of 2025, I was looking for a diving destination where I could recharge my batteries with world-class diving at a location easily accessible via Australia, and Palau ticked all the boxes.
What I didn’t anticipate was how this particular trip would result in the unexpected completion of an old childhood dream. Nearly 20 years ago, I was eagerly awaiting the day I could learn to scuba dive as a child. In an attempt to mitigate my cravings, my grandfather bought me the Nintendo Wii video game Endless Ocean, where you can virtually explore dozens of fantastical dive sites and interact with hundreds of species. Little did I know as a wide-eyed kid that the captivating, biodiverse underwater world of this video game was in fact modelled after a real place on earth, and it would be one I would eventually get to dive in real life as a grown adult.
THE DIVING
Even though Palau is the 16th smallest country in the world with a surface area of only 466km², it still consists of 340 islands, which means that there is a lot to see and that it is irrefutably impossible to visit all of the country’s dive sites within a week’s window. But the good news is that what you can experience within that timeframe is some of the most versatile, spectacular diving on our planet. The geography definitely plays a role in this vivid tapestry of underwater scenery, and the strict conservation laws have no doubt contributed to the sheer health of Palau’s seas.
Places like Ulong Channel are where you’ll observe this kind of biodiversity and abundance in full bloom. Ulong is well known for its strong population of grey reef sharks, which are known to mate towards the end of the year, as well as its enormous schools of various fish species. Perhaps the most memorable experience was seconds after backrolling into the water on one dive, when I found myself immersed a gigantic school of trevallies flanked by smaller schools of barracuda and snappers.
Palau is also surprisingly underrated as a wreck diving destination, especially considering how much easier it is to get to compared to Truk Lagoon or Bikini Atoll. Although the visibility can be variable, the feeling of diving in 29°C water, sans currents, close to shore in recreational depths makes for a much more pleasant experience compared to the colder, rougher seas I’m used to in Australia. Add to that the spooky thrill of swimming through a time capsule in history (in this case, observing the results of World War II) and the eerie lighting that wrecks are known for, and you will not be disappointed. Next time I go, I’ll be switching to the rebreather in order to take my time getting some Pete Mesley-style shots.
However, Palau’s most enthralling category of dive sites (at least for me personally) are its caverns. The most popular of these are the Blue Holes, which is kind of like diving in an underwater football stadium that is reminiscent of the cenotes in Mexico. Imagine sinking alongside a drop-off and finding a massive cavern entrance at 25m depth, punctuated by beams of light emanating down from small holes in the ceiling. Even more enticing than the Blue Holes is Siaes Tunnel, which is found below the 30m mark. Unlike its shallower counterpart, Siaes Tunnel, as its name indicates, actually turns into a long passageway that extends to open water on the other side. It is very similar to The Arch found in Dahab, Egypt, but the fact it is found within recreational depths, easier to travel to, and unmarred by tragedy makes it more appealing for me as an Australasian diver.
One other cavern I can wax rhapsodic about is Chandelier Cave. The cavern’s small hole at the entrance of a shallow lagoon gradually leads to huge chambers with white stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and are what give the cave its enticing name, and the large, deep spaces between the ceiling and the floor make you feel like you’re floating in the blackness of outer space. Even though there were two other groups of tourist divers present in the cave (which made it feel quite crowded), I experienced a massive dopamine hit as a cave diver, and am so glad I persistently requested to visit it.
TO TRANSMIT OR NOT TO TRANSMIT
Prior to Palau, I had recently completed my GUE Fundamentals class and eagerly awaited the chance to put these newly acquired skills into practice during this particular trip. Although GUE divers are discouraged from relying on transmitters for gas management, monitoring and dive planning, I decided to give into my rebellious side, and paired my Shearwater Swift Transmitter with my Shearwater Perdix 2 for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, I was there on assignment as a photographer, which means that my form needed to be in tip-top shape so I could focus on the job. Having air integration meant that I could easily shift a glance from my camera monitor to my computer (and the displayed air supply) without moving a muscle. By contrast, having to unclip the SPG and squint at the little red line is already a slightly cumbersome process that is easily exacerbated by holding a sizeable camera rig. Being able to do things smoothly and efficiently while in perfect posture is already imperative without a camera, but with a camera, your technique and form are quickly scrutinised, so this was a no-brainer for me.
The psychological benefit of this decision was also tangible, especially for visually-oriented people like me, as it meant I could easily look at the data at all times and make decisions based on precise numbers rather than approximate ones. In my experience, being a professional underwater photographer means having a yin-yang balance of intuitive improvisation and flow and rigid, technical precision, so this definitely tied into the latter aspect.
One other aspect that influenced my decision was the ongoing debate about the usage of transmitters. Some divers I know have completely replaced all their analog gauges with transmitters, while others are of the ardent belief that adding unnecessary electronic components with failure points is a bad idea. I refused to be pulled to either extreme, so I went for the middle ground and kept both the transmitter and the manual SPG. My reasoning was that the redundancy aspect is a two-way street in this case, and is a fundamental (no pun intended) concept in the kind of diving we do. If the transmitter failed (which would be due to user error rather than build quality), then at least the SPG would be present as a contingency option. If the SPG failed (which has actually happened to me twice), then the transmitter would then become the contingency option. Fortunately, both the transmitter and the SPG performed splendidly the entire trip.
JOINING A REC TRIP AS A TEC DIVER
Like most underwater photographers and tech divers, I frequently alternate between multiple configurations as a diver - freediving, single tank, twinset and rebreather. I spent the bulk of 2025 diving with either the JJ-CCR or a DIR twinset in an attempt to improve my habits and knowledge as a tech diver. Although I love the extended range that these two configurations afford me, the truth is - they were overkill for the kinds of local dives in Sydney I was doing on a regular basis, and also for a few recreational trips I had on the horizon. That - combined with the upcoming opportunity in Palau that necessitated single tank diving - forced me to return to my recreational roots. But was I setting myself up for a whiplash-like change, and would all that I had learned in tech crossover seamlessly into rec?
Some tech divers (especially those who primarily use CCRs) find it very difficult to return to rec diving, but surprisingly, my experience was the opposite. In fact, I found myself far more relaxed and far more capable of solving problems, not that there were many to begin with. I also found that my dives now lacked the complexity and - frankly speaking - stress that I’ve become accustomed to with rebreather dives. I felt a lot lighter literally and figuratively without having to deal with all these little components. One other factor that influenced me was how there should be very little difference in muscle memory and equipment when switching between configuration, and lo and behold, the switch was effortless.
By the time I got settled into the groove of diving in Palau, little things I had learned as a tech diver - trim, slowing down, SMB management, planning, etc - had a big impact on how I was diving in a recreational capacity. I felt far more comfortable, focused and in control, though being in warm water with experienced dive guides definitely played a role in that feeling.
Although the deep caverns we visited did make me yearn for my rebreather and all the benefits it afforded for those dives, it had little effect on a conclusion I reached by the end of the trip - recreational diving can actually become more fun if you are trained as a technical diver.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
If you have never been to Palau before, here are a few additional tips and observations to help manage expectations and plan in advance:
1) The water temperature rarely drops below 27°C, so a 3mm wetsuit will be more than adequate for most divers. I wore a two-piece Cressi Apnea Skin 2mm wetsuit with ScubaPro tech shorts, and it worked splendidly for me. I would only recommend the drysuit if you are going on a bespoke tech trip and doing dives in excess of 2 hours long and 20m deep.
2) Speaking of tech diving, there are operators in Palau that do cater to twinset and rebreather divers, but it cannot be done on an impromptu basis, as sorb, oxygen, helium, tanks and all the other associated logistics need to be sourced roughly a year in advance to ensure the trip can proceed.
3) Although the dry season lasts from December to April (which is also the peak marine life season), like many places in the tropics, torrential downpours can still occur without warning, and quickly turn an idyllic, warm, sunny day into a colder, greyer day.
4) If you are a photographer, I would say that 28-60mm is the sweet spot in terms of focal length, but if you only have a 16-35mm, that is totally manageable too.
5) Smoking is quite common in Palau, even on the dive boats, so be warned if you dislike being close to cigarette smoke. However, if you are diving on a private charter, this problem can easily be resolved.
Overall, my visit to Palau was easily one of the most satisfying dive trips I’ve ever had, and I would definitely include it on my Mount Rushmore of the world’s greatest diving destinations. Although I would do a recreational open circuit trip there again without hesitation, secretly I’d love to experience it on a rebreather and hopefully on a liveaboard too. The absolute awe, joy and magic you live through while being immersed in an incredible underwater world like Palau is an addiction no true diver would ever want to be cured of.
---
Nays Baghai is a professional filmmaker and multi-hyphenate underwater creative, best known for directing the award-winning feature documentary films Descent and Diving Into The Darkness. He has also won awards for his work as an underwater photographer and cinematographer, with some of his past clients including Sony, Rolex, SBS, Tourism Australia, Scuba Diver Magazine, Molchanovs and many more. With over a decade of diving experience, Nays holds multiple qualifications across recreational diving, technical diving, and freediving, and is a Fellow of The Explorers Club.
