From June 23 - June 30, 2005, we returned to one of our favorite dive locations, Palau! This trip surpassed our previous experiences. The weather was sunny and the water was so flat that it was like a mirror reflecting its surroundings. We dove 2 - 3 dives each day for 5 days straight. During our dive intervals, we snorkeled or played in the sand of a local sandbar. One place we snorkeled (twice) was called "Jellyfish Lake." It's a lake that formed in the Rock Islands approximately 10,000 years ago. The Jellyfish that were trapped in this lake had no natural enemies. Over time, they lost their ability to sting. People can now fearlessly swim amongst thousands of Jellyfish. It's quite an experience!
Download the 25mb .mov file to see Karin swimming with the jellies.

We dove with Sam's Tours and true to their guarantee, we saw sharks on every dive! We also saw several Sea Turtles, Barracuda, Napoleon Wrasse, giant lobsters, and incredible schools of fish. On our last day, we weren't able to dive. So we spent our day kayaking around the Rock Islands with Ron, our favorite marine biologist guide. We learned about the unique features of the islands, the formation of brain corals, and all about the creatures indiginous to this area. We were shocked and delighted when we saw Yellow-Crested Cockatoos flying overhead. This sure is an amazing place!

Rest your mouse over the pictures to see the captions.

-Some Links-

Gary's Artwork Site

Click here to see
Our Okinawa Dive Pictures!

Gary's Homebrew Page

Rodale's

Joint Typhoon Warning Center