BLUE CORNER

Gray Reef Shark at Blue CornerThis world famous dive site is without a doubt the most requested dive in Palau. Not for the faint of heart, this is an advanced dive with sometimes very strong and unpredictable currents. Exactly the conditions that attract the many sharks to this ridge that jets out to the open ocean and drops to thousands of feet.

Blue Corner AerialThe dive will start along either side of the wall, depending on the currents and divers typically drop to about 90’ to see magnificent gorgonian fans, anemones, eels and soft corals along the wall. You’ll might be greeted by a crusing gray reef shark, but they will at this point, keep their distance.

As you move toward the point of the coral shelf that drops at around 35’ to 60’ depending on which side you’re on, you’ll begin to see even more soft coral. The current will get stronger and you’ll see more cruising sharks overhead. The upwelling current might easily take you over the wall if you’re not prepared and ready to hook on with your reef hook. On a good day…get ready for the ride of your life! It is the strong currents upwelling from the depths that carry with it the smaller organisms that attract the small fish, who attract the big fish, who attract the even bigger fish, who attract the sharks, eagle rays, and large Napolean Wrass.

Diver using the reef hook at Blue CornerOnce you hook in, you’ll be able to effortlessly float with the current as it blows across your body like a strong wind. Once you are settled and remain still, the sharks begin to cruise by. The more still you stay, the closer they come! White tips, gray reef sharks and large schools of jacks and black snappers swirl slowly around you. The concentration of marine life around you is overwhelming.

Suddenly the harmony is disrupted by a feeding frenzy that gets the whole reef hopping, including those unsuspecting divers who may have gotten a little bit too relaxed. Everything moves so fast that unless you have your camera ready, you’ll miss the shot. Best of all, you’re right in the middle of it all.

Clown Triggerfish at Blue CornerThis is just half the excitement of Blue Corner. The other half lies in the sandy channels the cross the shelf, further back from the dropoff. As you unhook from the ridge (usually exhausted with excitement) you’ll drift back and the currents will subside. In the hard coral covered shelf you’ll find hundreds of species of fish. Turtles, manta rays, eagle rays and Napoleon wrass are not uncommon. Large Dogtooth tuna, triggerfish, Clown Triggers, schooling barracuda, jacks, and many species of butterfly fish. Don’t get too close to the King Triggers, as they will very aggressively defend their territory, sometimes chasing divers all the way to the surface. As you move slowly thorough the sandy pathway, you’ll often find whitetip sharks sleeping on the bottom. At certain times of the year you can see large schools of Moorish Idols.

During your safety stop you’ll likely drift off past the coral ridge into open ocean. Here it is not unusual to see more large schools of barracuda.

Blue Corner is a dive the can be different every time you dive it and you’ll want to come back again and again.

Text and Photos Copyright Under Watercolours