THE EXPEDITION

This COMBO spawning expedition is a double spawning trip of the Morish Idols and the Twin Spot Snappers. This is a special spawning trip as it is only possible to do this expedition twice a year once in January and once in February. Both options of either a Live-aboard expedition or a Land-based expedition are possible. Early morning and optional late night dives are involved on this expedition as well.

The expedition will begin with the spawning of the Morish Idols. This is one the largest aggregations of Morish Idols so far documented on the planet, you can witness more than one thousand individual fish gather here for the purpose of spawning. After four or five days we will begin watching the Twin Spot Snapper aggregation. This aggregation is more than ten thousand individuals and a sight to be seen.

After spawning is finished we continue diving the rest of Palau’s amazing reefs with manta rays, plenty of sharks, cavern’s, holes, swim throughs and jellyfish lake.

PALAU

Most dive sites in Palau are world-class, with underwater features like blue holes, drop-offs, caverns, caves and channels. Visibility often seems endless and can go up to 100ft (30m) on good days. For wreck dives nearer to Koror though, do expect only 15-45ft (5-15m) of visibility.

Palau can be dived year-round but it tends to rain frequently during July to October. Water temperature is usually warm at a range of 81-86°F (27-30°C) and a 3mm wetsuit will suffice. However during some months its possible to have cold thermoclines dropping down to 65-70F (23-26C). For Land-based divers most of the dive sites are located about 45-60 minutes away by speed boat from Koror with the key areas for diving concentrated around the islands of Ngemelis and Peleliu.

With the strong currents of the Pacific Ocean sweeping through Palau, most of the dive sites are recommended for divers with experience. A reef hook is critical to have for several dive sites at the outer walls of the barrier reef, especially at the world-famous Blue Corner.

Shipwreck enthusiast will be spoilt for choice in Palau as there are many sunken remnants around Koror from World War II. Many are easily accessible and intact, and divers can take their pick from cargo ships, transport vessels, navy destroyers and Japanese Zero planes.

MOORISH IDOL AGGREGATION

During the months of January and February thousands of Moorish Idols (Zanchlus Cornultas) begin gathering together around some of Palau’s famous dive sites. This is without doubt the best time to see Palau’s thriving shark population. Hundreds of sharks come together to feast on this spectacle.

TWIN SPOT SNAPPER SPAWNING

Leading up to the full moon thousands of Twin Spot Sappers (Lutjanus bohar) are gathering around Palau’s outer promentories preparing to spawn. We begin our expedition before the full moon diving some of the big name sites with currents in preparation for the main event.

These dives are early morning starts, as the sun rises, we will begin the dive to watch the spectacle that is about to unfold. A huge aggregation of snapper will rise from the deep, to ensure the continuation of their species.

Witnessing this natural behavior--which only can be described as an underwater firework display of energy and excitement--also attracts the biggest predators in Palau such as bull sharks and Oceanic blacktips.

ALL LIVE-ABOARD RATES ARE BASED ON PER PERSON

DATES

FULL MOON & MOORISH IDOL AGGREGATION DATES

2025

2026

ALL EXPEDITION DATES

ALL DATES ARE BASED AROUND MOON PHASES AND TIDES

PRICE BREAKDOWN

EXCLUDES

• International & Domestic Flight

• Park Permits

• Gratuities

• Rental and Dive Gears

LIVE-ABOARD

S/Y PALAU SIREN

THE RATES

ALL CABINS ARE BASED ON SHARED OCCUPANCY

SPAWNING 10 DAY ITINERARY - 16 Spaces - $6,440

LIVEABOARD

M/V SOLITUDE GAIA

THE RATES

10 NIGHTS

ALL CABINS ARE BASED ON SHARED OCCUPANCY

STATEROOM - 4 spaces - $7,050

UPPER DECK - 2 spaces - $6,600

MAIN DECK - 8 spaces - $6,100

INTERIOR CABIN - 4 spaces - $5,650

DIVE INFORMATION

WATER TEMPERATURE - 27c / 85F

WETSUIT - 3mm / 5mm

• Blue Corner, one of Palau's most magical dives, is known for its sheer abundance of underwater life and reef configuration – the corner sticks out into the open ocean and then drops to the depths. Divers are dazzled by the incredible variety of fish, including barracudas, jacks, Napoleon wrasses and schooling grey reef sharks. Strong tidal currents render it a dive for the more experienced – a reef hook is a must to remain stationary in the current.

• Blue Holes, may well be Palau's most scenic dive. It features four vertical shafts that open on the top of the reef and descend to a large cavern that exits on the outer wall at about 25m. Drifting down the shafts is a delight, especially when the sun is high. Dancing rays of sunlight flood through these openings and play with the blue hues. Schools of fish patrol the huge bottom exit, with dark blue ambient light as a background.

• German Channel, Given the right set of circumstances, a dive at German Channel can be an unforgettable experience. Manta rays regularly visit this channel, which was blasted by the Germans to ease boat passage during their 1899 to 1914 Palau occupation. The mouth of the channel features some nice sandy areas with small cleaning stations, where mantas (usually two to five individuals) come to have parasites removed by little cleaner wrasses in less than 20m of water.

• Peleliu Island, If you'd like to temporarily escape the relative hustle and bustle of the capital, the small coral island of Peleliu, in the south of the archipelago, offers a tranquil option. There's only one village – Klouklubed – and often it will seem like you've got the entire island all to yourself. The diving here is concentrated around the south East tip of the Island. Deep walls, strong currents and an abundance of fish life make this one of Palaus best dive locations.

• Ulong Channel, is one of most thrilling dives in Palau. Divers start at the mouth of the channel, which consistently sizzles with fish action. Divers usually hook themselves to the reef to see hunting grey and whitetip sharks, jacks, barracudas and groupers, before drifting with the current along the channel. The seascape is incredibly scenic: the sea floor is carved by large parallel-running white-sand valleys, bounded by healthy coral formations and dotted with massive sections of sprawling lettuce corals.

• Siaes Corner, When the tide is running and the month is right you can see more than 300 grey reef sharks here. Siaes Corner is a current-swept point that plunges vertically to about 50m. After jumping in the water, divers drift along the wall to the corner. As you reach the corner, you attach your hook to a dead coral to watch for electric fish action, which usually includes grey sharks, blackbar barracudas, jacks, bumphead parrotfish, anthias and fusiliers.

• Shark City, is the outer most promentory in Ulong and sometimes one of the best dives in Palau. Conditions are similar to Peleliu with strong current and action dives along with high rewards such as bull sharks, oceanic blacktips and pelagic encounters. The corals and reef life is also spectacular.

SPAWNING DIVE INFORMATION

EARLY MORNING STARTS

POTENTIAL CURRENT DIVES

TWIN SPOT SNAPPERS (Lutjanus bohar) are found in Peleliu and on other outer promontories in Palau, these fish aggregate around full moon. Schooling in mid water in the day, this impressive school looks like a dark cloud as you approach it. Between 5000 and 10,000 fish depending on the month can be seen schooling and spawning here.Just as the sun rises you enter one of Palau’s notoriously strong current dive sites.

The reef is barely visible as the dark cloud of snappers appears in the distance. Waiting on the reef for the exact moment you watch as bullsharks (Carcharhinus leucas) and blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatas) parade around its outskirts.Suddenly the spawning erupts, all hell breaks loose as multiple females shoot to the surface, with males on the chase releasing their milky gametes into the water column as what seems to be aggressive reproduction.

Visibility goes from 30m to 3m near the surface and hungry black snappers are crazily feeding on the newly born youngsters. Drifting in the blue water doing your safety stop with the lucky snapper survivors you realize you just witnessed one of natures magic moments.

PRESENTATIONS

During your stay with us your Expedition Leader and Location Expert will be working together delivering you in depth presentations regarding the biology of what we are witnessing. These presentations have taken years to formulate and develop and what makes part of our collaboration with Unique Dive Expeditions so special.

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP SKILLS

RICHARD BARNDEN from Richard Barnden Photography will be leading this expedition and sharing his knowledge and skills of shooting these spawning events. Richard has dedicated the last ten years of his life learning and discovering some of these unique events. Each evening Richard will give in depth presentations about the following days diving along with photography tips on things like settings and compositions.

Photographing spawning events can be extremely challenging throughout our workshop I will be there to give hands on experience on some of the following topics

SKILLS EXPLORED

• Equipment and Photographic Gears

• Spawning Environments

• Settings for capturing spawns

• Lighting - Ambient Light

• Lighting - Strobes

• Settings and Compositions