Kayaking

On Saturday, LB, Christy, and I went kayaking. Thus far, the weather hasn't permitted me to explore the Rock Islands, but Saturday the weather was good enough despite being a bit windy. We went to Sam's Tours, one of the dive shops on the islands that also does kayaks and other tours. I signed up as a local member which allows me to use the kayaks for reduced rates. We each picked out a single kayak, put them in the water, and hopped in the kayaks. I have kayaked some in Michigan, but not in the ocean. The water is very buoyant here, so its pretty easy to float and it didn't take too long to get a feel for the kayak and how to maneuver it. Most of the kayaking is in protected lagoons and coves and not in the open ocean so it is not too wavy.

The Rock Islands are Palau's most beautiful area. They are a series of large and tiny limestone islands stretching 20 miles from Koror down to Peleliu. Survivor was filmed amongst the islands and most of the pictures you will find of Palau are taken in the rock islands. Now that I have had a chance to see them up close, their beauty is stunning and unreal. The rocks on the islands is an amazing array of jagged outcroppings and deep crevices. Jungle and trees populate the islands and they are teeming with life to contract with the rock. The water is unbelievably clear ad the variety of colors of blue is staggering. I took pictures, but it is impossible to truly capture the beauty in a picture or in words.

In the kayaks, we toured around the initial portion of islands near Sam's. On the kayak, I was able to go right up next to the islands and see the rock formations and wildlife up close. There were a few boats tied up here and there and we saw some old fishing boats that had sunk. We kayaked past one of the Jellyfish lakes (not the famous one, which is elsehere) but couldn't get into it because it was low tide. We continued along taking our time and eventually reached Pincher's Cove, so named because its crescent shape look like a crab's pincher. We tied up the kayaks, put on snorkeling gear and dove in to do some exploring. The water is an ideal warm temperature which makes it ideal for snorkeling. There were a few good coral spots at Pincher's and I saw plenty of fish. The water is very clear and you can see everything very well. After swimming around for a while, we climbed back into the kayaks and headed around the point. As we paddled we saw a few large fruit bats flying in the distance. We also saw an abandoned Japanese canon in one of the caves along the coast. While the battles were in Peleliu, the Japanese fortified Koror. We finally made it back to Sam's in about four hours. Kayaking was one of the things I was most anticipating when planning this trip and I can safely say that even after going only once it has met and exceeded every expectation.

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