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Just about any fish that lives in the Indo-West Pacific region
can be encountered along the barrier reef from Peleliu
north to Ulong Island, from small, perfectly camouflaged
painted frogfish and giant Napoleon wrasses to rapacious
tiger sharks. Even orcas and sperm whales have been seen
here. Seemingly omnipresent gray, whitetip and blacktip
reef sharks patrol various depths, while hordes of pyramid
butterflyfish, redtooth triggerfish and yellowtail fusiliers
feed on the choicest plankton while taking care not to stray
too far from the safety of the reef. Natural aggregations
of gray reef sharks have always been a major attraction of
Palau diving; few places in the world have such numbers
of visible apex predators. Viewing these sharks from mere
feet away on sites such as
Blue Corner
,
New Drop-Off
,
Peleliu Cut
and
Ulong Channel
allows divers to scrutinize
the predators’ perfectly adapted hydrodynamic forms. This
exceptional experience is what I’ve come for.
BLUE CORNER AND NEW DROP-OFF
Early in the year, Moorish idols begin to aggregate at certain
sites. These gatherings of hundreds are enthralling to witness.
One massive group is assembled into a skittish and tightly
packed throng that zooms back and forth across the extreme
tip of Palau’s celebrated dive site Blue Corner. It is bewildering
that they gather at this elbow of reef jutting far out into the
Philippine Sea, where toothy sharks, camouflaged groupers,
giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and blackfin barracuda abound.
One answer may be that the fertilized eggs of the fish that
survive to spawn have the advantage of being immediately
swept off the reef by Blue Corner’s powerful currents, away
from the ever-ravenous polyps and planktivorous fishes that
inhabit the reef. This helps Moorish idol larvae avoid most
hungry predators. Pondering this while 60 feet down, my
eyes widen at the enchanting reef of multihued corals and
gorgonians. I watch, engrossed, as the unmistakable yellow,
black and white mob zips helter-skelter, while a dozen well-
fed sharks ride currents just beyond the reef, biding their time
until sunset and dinner time.
After the thrill of Blue Corner, my guide decides on another
action-packed and current-swept site for the second dive —
New Drop-Off. Schooling here around the lunar cadence are
large numbers of orangespine unicornfish. Tasty morsels for
predators, unicornfish aggregations serve as a dinner bell for
sharks. Several hundred densely packed brown and orange fish
whoosh along the edge of New Drop-Off’s plateau, occasionally
parting to allow views of dozens of sharks hanging in the blue.
It’s virtually impossible to capture with a camera, so I settle
for branding the swirling, lunar-influenced encounter into my
memory. I watch and wonder where all these fish come from
and how they know this is the place to spawn.
Divemaster Bradley Nairn poses
with the resident giant Napoleon
wrasse at Blue Corner.
Opposite: Mackerels feeding under
the jetties is a common sight.
G E R I MUR P H Y