August 2019

Clark's anemonefish (Clownfish); Palau is a 100 mile long archipelago about 800 miles southwest of Guam

Bluespotted grouper; the species was intentionally introduced in Hawaii in the 1950s and their biomass is now greater than that of all other reef fish predators combined

Pyramid butterflyfish; Chinese visitors were damaging the reef and not obeying the rules so Palau recently banned all charter flights from China

Anthias; I bought a 500 page reef fish identification book for Pacific species to help me know what I'm seeing underwater

During the reproduction season the female titan triggerfish guards its nest, which is placed in a flat sandy area, vigorously against any intruders; it was starting to be reproduction season so we stayed clear

Red, lobed, brain coral; Palau has 1500+ species of fish and 700+ species of coral and anemones

Dotted sweetlips; there are no malarial mosquitoes in Palau but dengue fever is still sometimes reported

Masked bannerfish couple; the others diving all wore wetsuits but I didn't and never even got a chill (I thought the water was the perfect temperature)

Giant sweetlips; several species of whale are sometimes seen in Palau as well as orcas, dugongs and saltwater crocodiles

Yellow-mask angelfish; Palau has been named one of the seven underwater wonders of the world

Chinese now comprise more than half of visitors to Palau and they are not nearly as conscientious about protecting the environment as other visitors

Bumphead (also humphead) parrotfish; this largest species of parrotfish can grow to 5 feet long and weigh 165 pounds

Happy clownfish couple; today on the boat coming back from the dives we saw several flying fish (the day before, several divers had seen dolphins on the boat ride)

Bluepatch parrotfish; having to use rental camera on today's dives since my camera mysteriously disappeared while I was snorkeling yesterday

There is no shore diving in Palau; the best dive spots require a 45+ minute boat ride (but the ride is very scenic); visitors to the island are almost exclusively divers and/or honeymooners

Ternate damselfish; several days I didn't dive because my feet developed bleeding blisters caused by the fins and I wanted to avoid making them worse

Large, blue, dome coral; Palau issues its own stamps but is part of the US Postal System and there are even 2 zip codes designated for the country