Palau is a beautiful island nation that attracts just a handful of tourist each year (only 136,572 in 2016) who want to partake in its natural scenery, friendly natives, and perfect relaxation, but most people come here for the unparalleled dives, during which they will encounter sharks and manta rays and with a bit of luck large marine mammals like common dolphins or even small whales.
Palau is a perfect example of how “Eco Tourism” can assist is sustaining endangered species. In 2009, Palau became the world’s first national shark sanctuary, ending all commercial shark fishing in their waters and giving a sanctuary for sharks to live and reproduce in our 237,000 square miles of ocean. Witness the wonders of Palau’s seventeen species of sharks that thrive because of the efforts of dedicated individuals that have worked towards the goal of protecting these amazing creatures.
Palau is a wonderful story of proof that individual and organisations can and do make a difference.
Over 350 different types of sharks live all over the world and almost all tropical species of sharks are found in Palau. Species most often seen in Palau are gray reef sharks, blacktips and whitetips. Sharks are cold-blooded fish and have a skeleton that is made of cartilage. One indicator of the species type is the sharks’ teeth. Their teeth are species specific because each species has adapted to a particular diet. Some sharks eat only one kind of animal while others are not as picky. Most sharks are nocturnal. Seeing schools of sharks around Palau is rare, but should always be treated with caution
SOME OF THE SHARKS AT PALAU
Grey Reef Sharks
As the name suggests, grey reef sharks are one of many types of sharks that live in and around coral reefs. Since Palau’s surrounding waters are saturated with coral reefs, the grey reef shark is the most common type of shark you may encounter while scuba diving in Palau. Grey reef sharks are very agile and can swim extremely fast, making them a dangerous predator for smaller fish and even other sharks.
The grey reef shark is not a large shark by traditional standards; the majority of them measure less than six feet (two meters) in length and the heaviest one ever documented weighed a bit over 70 pounds (33 kilogrammes).
In most circumstances, these sharks stay in waters of less than 200 feet (60 meters) deep. Despite this, it has been documented that some grey reef sharks will dive up to five times deeper than that for brief periods of time when food is scarce. The gray reef shark is prey for sharks such as the silvertip shark, but around Palau, they generally are classified as top predators.
Others
- Whitetip Reef Shark
- Shortfin Mako Shark
- Whale Shark
- Great hammerhead shark
- Oceanic Whitetip shark
- The Leopard Shark
Endangered Adventures Fun Fact
Grey reef sharks have triangular, serrated and very sharp teeth. They usually have 14 teeth in the upper jaw and 13 in the lower jaw
