The Rock Islands Aggressor previously known as the Tropic Dancer is a 32 metre boat built and powered for comfort, safety and stability around Palau offering 7 night itineraries departing every Sunday from Malakai Harbour, with a total of 5 and a half days diving she will certainly not disappoint. Just like aboard any Aggressor boat, the experienced captain, friendly crew, professional naturalists and dive masters will lead you through the trip whilst helping with any questions or queries you may have.
The Rock Islands Aggressor comfortably accommodates 18 guests in 8 deluxe cabins with a queen size bed and a single bunk and 1 double cabin with a double bed and a single bunk. All cabins come with en-suite bathrooms, storage, TV/DVD and air conditioning with individual climate controls. The food aboard is a variety of American, BBQ's and local cuisine suiting the needs of most customers. Any dietary requirements must be stated at the time of booking so the chef can adhere to any guests needs.
The salon area is furnished with tables and chairs providing ample space for divers. She has a large sundeck with shaded and un-shaded areas furnished with chaise lounges, deck chairs and hammocks. There is also a bar, grill and a hot tub area providing the perfect place for divers to relax after a hard day's diving. The large dive deck has 2 rinse tanks, dive lockers, 3 tier camera tables and a charging station for keen photographers to take full advantage of. All dives are done from an 11 metre custom built dive skiff capable of carrying 18 passengers to the remote dive locations.
The Double Stateroom opens up to the dive deck and has a double bed (lower) and a single bed (upper) bunk-style, port hole and a private head and shower. Your stateroom is the perfect place to read a book, nap in between dives and fully recharge for the next day.
A comfortable stateroom with a picture window, double bed (lower) and a single bed (upper) bunk-style with a private head and shower. Your stateroom is the perfect place to read a book, nap in between dives and fully recharge for the next day.
All year round, the Palau Aggressor II crew encounters massive bait balls of scad in and around Ulong and German Channel and on the reefs of Blue Corner and Siaes Corner.
The PALAU AGGRESSOR II™ and Rock Islands Aggressor are sisterships and have been an Aggressor Fleet destination for over 23 years. Palau's mushroom-shaped rock islands offer a variety of exciting dives: WWII wrecks, shark-infested channels, blue holes, a freshwater lake with stingless jellyfish and even a few caves. There are also sheer walls covered in lush soft corals and huge anemones. Beginner divers may find Palau's strong currents challenging.
Palau is a year round destination with something for every season. While German Channel has many resident Manta Rays, during the mating season, December through March, guests may see as many as 20 - 30 rays! February and March offer large schools of Moorish Idols, Unicorn Fish and several species of Butterfly Fish. All year round, the Palau Aggressor II crew encounters massive bait balls of scad in and around Ulong and German Channel and on the reefs of Blue Corner and Siaes Corner.
Please note:Jellyfish Lake is temporarily closed until the population rejuvenates.
The Siaes Tunnel is another extraordinary dive site on Palau, this site is situated close to Ulong Channel on the west coast. Due to its depth, it is considered an advanced dive site and time inside is therefore limited around 12 minutes.
The opening to the tunnel starts on a sheer wall at 23m and stretches inside for 50m, with a height of 6m and a width of 16m. The inside is an enormous cavern ranging in depth from 30-40m. White tip sharks can often been seen resting at the bottom.
This site is situated on the west coast of Palau, close to Siaes Tunnel. The entrance is covered with coral gardens and the channel itself stretches some 500m - at an average width of 33m - to the lagoon. There is a sandy bottom at the entrance where shark gather together to feed on the fish that are swept inside.
The bottom varies in depth from between 10-15m and is clear of coral, but the sides are festooned with soft coral and sea fans. Divers will be able to see a vast array of plate coral that houses squirrelfish, glasseyes and soldier fish.
The blue hole is a fascinating site. From the shallow reef, divers can enter from any of four openings and descend into an enormous underwater cavern. When the light is right, the feeling inside is of being in a submerged cathedral.
The bottom drops to 35m and divers will discover a good variety of sea fans and whip and cup corals. The fish life is also diverse and larger pelagics, including barracuda, tuna and jacks can be encountered along with grey and white tip reef sharks.
This site is located near Anguar Island at the most southerly part of Palau. At its shallowest, this reef lies in 10m of water, with walls that drop off steeply to the depths. Because of the ever-present currents, there is actually very little coral life at the top; however the walls are covered in sea fans, sea whips and hard and soft corals. Fish life is profuse here and it is a great site to see grey reef sharks.
This is a man-made channel that was blasted out by German miners, in the early 1900s. There is a sandy bottom at 17m that slopes away steeply to the depths. The bottom has some large coral formations. The biggest attraction here is the large number of manta rays divers are likely to see. Grey reef sharks are also often encountered, again taking advantage of the cleaning wrasse. Other attractions are barracuda, lionfish, snappers and triggerfish.
This is a new dive site; the upper zone is loaded with large anemones and very colourful clownfish. Several schools of bluelined snapper cruise along the top of the wall and every now and then a school of yellow backed fuseliers sweep past the divers.
This wall is home to a pair of clown triggerfish that display a wild colour pattern. There is also a pair of rare blue face angelfish, one of the most elegant members of the angelfish family.
The Big Drop-off is also known as Ngemelis Wall, it got its name because the wall begins in a couple of feet of water (1m) and drops off to 2000 feet (600m). This site has some of the most beautiful soft corals and sea fans that Palau has to offer, as well as many small reef fish, including the unusual square spot anthias and thousands of pyramid butterfly fishes. There are also some turtles, beautiful anemones, clown fish, and the white tip reef sharks.
This Ngerchong dive site is located on the east side of the island, in the Pacific Ocean.
Cuttlefish are a consistent feature at Ngerchong, depending on the time it is possible to observe them laying eggs. White tip reef sharks can often be found sleeping on the sandy bottom, Octopus, nudibranchs, and blue girdled angelfish can be seen here, as well as the many varieties of coral from which the site takes its name. Longnose filefish and eagle rays are also found here.
The cave consists of three air filled chambers in a straight line, with a single entrance and exit. The deepest part of the dive is 30 feet (10m). Each chamber is spectacular in its own way; divers will see magnificently coloured flowstones and crystalline stalactites in each of them, as well as some dipping below the surface of the water.
This natural channel, situated on Palau's eastern coast, is home to an entire family of cuttlefish. The uncommon creatures, related to the squid family, are as accommodating to photographers as they are rare. They are not often encountered by divers because of the relatively few locations in the world where they can be found, their ability to remain relatively motionless, and their excellent camouflage.
The Iro Wreck is located at Urukthapel Bay and is perhaps the best-known and most popular shipwreck in Palau.
It is located just a short distance from Koror and is in an area that is normally protected from winds and roughs seas. It is basically shallow as wrecks go and is beautifully overgrown with many forms of sessile marine life. Its sister ship, the Sata lies close by, upside-down, deep, and basically not divable.