T88AT – Palau

KQ2I is currently active in Palau as T88AT.
He primarily uses an Elecraft KX3 transceiver for CW activities.
Nearest DX Point T88AT
QSL is available directly via home call only.
QTH – Arakabesan Island, IOTA OC – 009.

Palau – a piece of paradise in the Pacific!

Geographic details for true paradise lovers!

Palau is known as a micro-country without borders. In fact, the country consists of 328 islands with a total area of ​​458 square kilometers and a length of 657 kilometers, all of which are maritime.

Palau is located to the west of the Caroline Islands and is washed to the north by the Philippine Sea, the second deepest and largest of all oceans. Corals have accumulated over thousands of years in the craters of extinct submarine volcanoes, forming scattered atolls (coral islands). Three powerful ocean currents provide abundant food for the many creatures of the underwater world, allowing this unique ecosystem to thrive.

The archipelago’s strategic location protects the islands from the famous typhoons of the Pacific Ocean. The climate of this small country is tropical. The best time for a rest is from the end of October to June. The daytime temperature reaches +24-29°C. At night it reaches 23-25°. The water temperature does not fall below 25°C. July, August and September are characterized by showers, tropical cyclones. In the hottest part of summer, it is humid and muggy, not cool. Although even bad weather does not hinder thrill-seekers.

Most of the islands are small and uninhabited. Palau has a population of just over 20,000 people, living mainly on the islands of Balebudabu, Koror, Peleliu and Angaur. This has allowed the entire ecosystem to remain pristine and unspoiled by humans. It also makes Palau a benchmark for natural beauty on Earth. Connoisseurs of tranquility, diving and fishing enthusiasts flock here from all over the world to experience the feeling of a true explorer.

Wonderland is real!
Palau is a true paradise with picturesque palm trees, rare and exotic flowers and plants, animals, birds and marine life. Beach lovers will find it clean and tidy with sparkling white sand. The clear waters make it easy to see amazing marine life even in shallow water without having to worry about scurrying near the shore.

One can’t help but wonder how such a small country can have so many wonders:

• The island is rich in corals (over 700 species), colorful, and has a natural tunnel underneath the island
• A variety of different creatures live in underwater and above-water caves
• Steep vertical coral reef walls.
• A vast array of unusual fish, barracudas, sharks (over 1500 species) swim right by your nose.

It is no coincidence that CEDAM (an international organization of marine researchers and environmentalists) named Palau one of the “Underwater Wonders of the World”.

Palau T88AT QSL.

Where to begin contemplating the wonders of heaven?

Palau consists of 16 states, the largest of which is Koror Island, which is surrounded by small islands. The former capital and current economic center, Koror City, is located on Koror Island and has a population of 10,700.

Here is the main attraction of Koror Island – the National Museum. At the bottom of the museum you can see the head of the largest five-meter-long crocodile ever caught in local waters. On the south side of the coast is the famous Candlestick Cave, so named because of the stalactites hanging from the top, resembling candlesticks. The cave consists of 5 halls. To enter the cave you have to dive to a depth of 14 meters. Thanks to the air pockets in the passages, you can breathe calmly without the need for a regulator.

Worth a visit is the International Coral Reef Research Center, where you can learn about the history of the islands, their structure and detailed information about the local marine life. The center also cultivates and observes giant clams.

Fans of sunken military equipment and weapons will not be idle either. There are many ships and aircraft buried on the seabed since World War II, and divers interested in military history can study them carefully. One of them is the military dry cargo ship “Iro-Maru”, which did not deliver the machine tools to its destination, and these machine tools and fuel barrels are still in the cabin 40 meters deep.

There is an old lighthouse built by the Japanese near Anglesey that you can visit and get a feel for the past.

Near Ngomelis Island, adrenaline junkies can try their hand at the Blue Coral Reef, where the cliffs drop steeply into the sea. The pressure of the current attracts schools of fish and reef sharks to the high cliffs, which constantly scurry around the steep edges, so diving with experienced divers is recommended.

The famous Blue Hole is no less sensitive. Four vertical wells formed in the coral reef at a depth of 10 meters converge into a well with an arched outlet outside the coral reef at a depth of 30 meters. Here you can see pelagic fish, caracals, eagle rays, reef sharks and white tip sharks, spiny dogfish, and morris.

Ermak Island is famous in the diving world for its unique jellyfish lake. Snorkeling with jellyfish may leave even the divers who have seen this sight indifferent. This freshwater lake is home to two million jellyfish. Due to cracks in the mottled limestone body of the island, the salty seawater can easily penetrate here, and no living creature can penetrate. Due to the island’s natural defense against enemies, the jellyfish have lost their protective stinging function and become harmless regardless of their size. Everyone who has tried to swim in the lake with jellyfish will notice that the jellyfish balls are unusually soft and supported in the water on all sides, which is an unforgettable feeling. Snorkeling on the lake surface is allowed, but deep diving is prohibited, because jellyfish toxins have accumulated at the bottom of the lake for hundreds of years and there is a risk of poisoning!

These are just a few of the attractions in Palau! It is worth visiting and worth coming back again and again. The courtesy and hospitality of the locals, the natural beauty, the quiet environment and the sparse population will give everyone a reason to return again and again.

T88AT. Where is Palau located. Map.