She stuck on a reef in the chaos of the attack, but was later refloated, or slipped off, depending on which account you read. Although salvaged, this is a beautiful carcass that enjoys stellar visibility by Palauan wreck standards, and frankly I don't know why she's not dived more often.

Whilst Iro sits aloof, like some Gothic Dowager Empress, the perfect backdrop for a horror film, the Teshio by contrast is sunlit, airy, and an ideal wreck for the novice and the experienced alike, with little or no current, and plenty of features; rudder, ladders, winches, derricks, a brightly encrusted pulley, mosaic floor tiles, an exposed boiler and ornate deck gun mounted on the bow.

Teshio affords an easy 20m swim through for first timers with a superb specimen of staghorn coral at the end. Indeed the wreck boasts a variety of pretty marine life with whips, soft, plate and black coral supplemented by a variety of reef fish.

But for sheer scale, both Iro and Teshio rest in the shadow of Amatsu Maru. Less than 10 minutes from the dock, this 10,000-ton tanker at 153m long, is a fraction less than Chuuk's largest wreck, the former luxury liner Heian Maru.

Hit several times along her length, Amatsu went down by the stern. Upright and intact at approximately 43m on the seabed, this would be an ideal tech or rebreather dive, but even on air you'll still want to see this wreck. Two or three dives will give you an appreciation.

The massive 4 blade propellor, some 6m in diameter, is visible at 39m. Salvage began post war, with the removal of 8,000 gallons of oil, but a subsequent explosion, reportedly when a diver using a cutting torch hit a pocket of trapped gas, killing himself and a colleague, convinced the Japanese to abandon further operations.

The wreck is smothered in black coral trees, giving Amatsu the aka moniker of 'The Black Coral Wreck'. The bridge area can be penetrated through the ceiling beams, where a small empty safe can be found. The superstructure is as big as a house and there's a beautiful intact catwalk leading from the pump house roof.

We tick off the list of wrecks one by one. The LST 1 landing craft, twisted mid ships, with AA guns, a rectangular swim through hatch, and a lively-looking shell lying on the seabed just off the starboard side, the picturesque Japanese Aichi E13A reconnaissance seaplane, and probably Palau's best treasure trove, the unidentified 'Helmet Wreck'.

Named after the fused Japanese tin hats that lie in the aft hold, 'Helmet' also contains numerous deep charges, now corroding, and slowly seeping picric acid. Dive here at your own risk, if you can find a guide willing to take you. You will be exposed to the chemicals even if you touch nothing. Most of the nicknacks are on the upper deck, including a gas mask, rifle, and a box of fuses. But the gems lie forward; three aircraft engines in the hold, and in the forecastle locker, a collection of beautiful storm lanterns.

By the end of the week the daily schedule board shows a growing list of other divers wanting wrecks, including Ken, from the UK, and his buddy Ryan from Nebraska. They've eyes the size of dinner plates after an exceptional encounter with eighty plus sharks at Blue Corner, but Ryan's dived there four times already this trip.

"Do I have to dive it again, man?"

I turn to Marc with the immortal line;

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

So we upgrade, and although I play down the visibility and the lack of encounters with pelagic species, so no one's disappointed, to my surprise everyone has a great time. It's something different, a side of Palau many divers don't get to see.

Marc grins;

"I was telling the other guides, I ain't had no more n' 15 meter vis this week, an' I'm as happy as a pig n' -"

"Chuyo Maru this afternoon?"

"Sounds like a plan, Dude!"

* * *

Published in Sport Diver PDF
Published in Tanked UpPDF

Bird Is The Word

Although most divers understandably travel to Palau to see the underwater world, for an alternative seat-of-your-pants adventure, why not try seeing your dive sites from the air? Palau Helicopters offers daily flights of 15 minutes to three quarters of an hour with pilot Matt Harris. They provide a complimentary pick-up service from the dive shops and hotels in Koror and the heli-pad is on the roof of their offices, so no need for the airport run.

This is an unforgettable experience and the best advice I was given was to take the longer 45 minute flight. This will afford you the opportunity to see not only the surreal turquoise waters of the 'Milky Way', and the chain of Seventy Islands beyond, but all the major dive sites. It's a unique perspective to see Blue Corner, Blue Holes and German Channel from the air, and you've a good chance of seeing sharks, mantas and dugongs. The Bell Jet Ranger helo provides two-way headsets to enable in-flight commentary. The longer flight also features a low level hair raising adrenaline rush. Put it this way, after touch down my first words were, "Give me the bill!"

www.palauhelicopters.com

Diving With The Boss

The last dive of the trip was a personal invitation from boss Sam Scott to see the Wakatake destroyer. Now little more than a heavily salvaged debris field, it's off the radar as she lies some thirty minutes away from the dock in a channel in Babeldaob. The wreck lies in 0-21 meters and still makes for an interesting exploration with shell casings in as little as 2 meters. Before we submerge there's the inevitable stories about the large salt water crocs that inhabit the area, and once on the wreck there's a 'moment' where Sam starts shouting unintelligibly through his regulator before finning off like a torpedo - in pursuit of an enormous coral trout.

Jellyfish Lake

One of the wonders of the aquatic world, Jellyfish Lake is a must, and is usually fitted into the week's diving schedule during a surface interval.

This enclosed marine lake is accessed with a short steep hike up and down through verdant forest. There are uneven steps cut into the rock, so you'll need dive boots or suchlike. Thankfully the Palauans have constructed a rope rail to minimise the risk of breaking your neck.

You'll need to show your Jellyfish Lake permit, which you can buy from your dive shop, at the gatehouse before the trail starts. There's a small dock lakeside where you can don mask, snorkel and fins and you'll find the jellies in the sunshine. They instinctively migrate and bloom away from shadows cast by the forest.

Their only predator are white anemones, so these jellies don't 'sting' in the traditional sense, although this depends on your skin sensitivity. Fin slowly. This experience is initially akin to the nightmare of smashing everything in a china shop, but the gentle pulsing creatures just bounce off you.

Text: H E Sawyer

Photos: Kevin Davidson