2024.06.05 帛琉潛旅第三天 (Palau Scuba Diving Trip - Day 3, Blue Corner, Blue Hole, German Channel, 帛琉潛水)

帛琉潛旅的第三天，我們來到世界十大潛點的前三名 - 藍角，由於帛琉成立鯊魚保護區，所以在藍角我們能掛著流鉤，盡情欣賞灰礁鯊與白鰭礁鯊，在豐富魚群中漫游的優美姿態。

由於一大早藍角水流還不夠大，沒流就沒魚，導潛決定先跳藍洞，我趁機提出希望能順道去龜塚的要求，龜塚為狹小的密閉洞穴，深度超過30米，因為大家的程度、中性浮力與耗氣量都不錯，相對減少了洞潛的危險性，很開心導潛答應了我們的請求。這是我第一次看到烏龜殘骸，烏龜入洞後因迷失方向無法游出，而長眠與此，令人嘆息。藍洞幽靜美麗，第二次造訪依舊令人深深著迷。出了洞口我們往藍角方向沿著峭壁前行，一路景色壯闊，魚群豐富。

第二潛我們到了藍角，此時小芬已經十分熟練帛琉水下的狀況，一路沿著峭壁在隊伍前面，瘋狂追著鯊魚，導潛一直敲氣瓶都叫不回她，在後面追趕她的我，覺得十分有趣。藍角掛流鉤處，有分incoming與outgoing兩側，我們先在incoming側，欣賞捷克魚群，以及鯊魚來回穿梭，末段換至outgoing側繼續觀賞，最後大家心滿意足地結束第二潛。

帛琉潛水最好的季節為一二月，能見度達40米，是欣賞鬼蝠魟最棒的季節，這次我們選在6月雨季來到帛琉，能見度稍差，且要遇到鬼蝠魟的機會較小。第三潛在德國水道的清潔站，大家花了15分鐘守候，並沒有發現鬼蝠魟的蹤跡，於是在水道中漫游結束今天的三潛。

這幾天晚上都遇到下雨，帛琉的雨來的又急且狂暴。晚餐大家在Drop Off餐廳用餐，點了新鮮的魚，在彼此聊天聲中，享用美食。很感謝這群優秀的潛友，雖然是淡季，我們盡力把帛琉潛到最美。

On the second day of diving, we hit up Blue Corner, one of the top three dive spots in the world! Thanks to Palau's shark sanctuary, we hooked onto the reef at Blue Corner and got an amazing show from the grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks cruising around. It was like they were putting on a performance just for us!

In early morning Blue Corner didn’t have much current, so not many fish were around. Our dive guide decided to switch things up and take us to Blue Hole instead. I jumped at the chance to suggest a side trip to "Temple of Doom". This spot is a tight, enclosed cave over 30 meters deep. Everyone’s skills, buoyancy, and air consumption were spot-on, so the cave dive wasn’t too risky. Our dive guide agreed, and we were stoked! It was my first time seeing turtle skeletons – turtles that got lost in the cave and never made it out, resting there forever. It was pretty moving. Blue Hole was just as serene and stunning as I remembered from my first visit, and I was totally captivated again. After we exited the cave, we headed towards Blue Corner along the cliff, soaking in the breathtaking views and the abundance of fish.

For our second dive, we were back at Blue Corner. By now, Xiao Fen was a pro with Palau's underwater vibes. She was out in front of the group, chasing sharks along the cliff, completely ignoring the dive guide's attempts to call her back by banging on his tank. I was behind her, finding the whole thing pretty entertaining as I tried to catch up.

At Blue Corner, there are two sides for hooking on: incoming and outgoing. We started on the incoming side, marveling at the schools of jacks and the sharks weaving through them. Toward the end of the dive, we switched to the outgoing side for more amazing views. Everyone ended the dive feeling super satisfied.

The best time to dive in Palau is January and February, when visibility can hit 40 meters, making it prime manta ray season. We visited in June during the rainy season, so visibility wasn’t as great, and our chances of seeing manta rays were slim. On our third dive at the cleaning station in German Channel, we waited for 15 minutes but didn’t spot any manta rays. We wrapped up the day’s dives by leisurely drifting through the channel.

It rained every evening we were there, with sudden and intense showers typical of Palau. For dinner, we hit up Drop Off restaurant, feasting on fresh fish and enjoying great conversations. Huge thanks to my awesome dive buddies – even in the off-season, we made the most of it and experienced the best of Palau's underwater world!