More fishes of Palau

Just a short post tonight. Feeling kind of stressed out and looking at fish somehow mellows me out after a hard day. One of these days I will have to look up the names of these fish.

Nautilus of Palau

The nautilus is one of the most incredible creatures. Living at depths of over 500 or even 1000 feet, the only way to see it in the wild is to arrange with one of the dive companies who will go out the night before and set traps. They are then brought up so that divers can interact with them, before being set free to go back to the deep. Apparently it does not hurt them. These things have not changed much and are still so prehistoric looking. You could watch them for hours and never get bored. Just one of the amazing things to see if you ever decide to visit Palau

Snakes in Palau

I hate snakes. I can't help it. Growing up in Hawaii there were no snakes. Sure I saw snakes in the zoo, but not up and personal. Now I know there are many places with large dangerous snakes that would eat these babies in Palau for lunch. But it don't matter, don't like them.

Now going to a waterfall I ran into more than 5 snakes all of a sudden. These snakes were not shy and did not like us being there. Of course, i only had a small point and shoot camera but was able to get a few photos. Wish I would have had the canon with a proper lens. Ironically, got the courage to go the following week with my good camera and not a snake to be found. Go figure.

Star Fish

We loaded up the Kayaks with lots of drinks and food and headed out from the house towards Nikko Bay. It is only a 10 minute paddle and once inside the bay you are treated with a wide variety of corals and fish. We paddled through a 100 yard area that was filled with these starfish. These things are the largest I have ever seen. Stopping right after the shallow area we tied the kayaks up and went swimming. I say a small blacktip shark which was kind of cool, but was unable to get a photo. It is so tranquil here and we got up along the rock islands and explored the many areas where it is difficult to get to in a boat. Because the bay is so protected, it is a great place to snorkel and there are huge amounts of baby fish all over the place. Paddling right up against the rock islands you can't help but marvel at how beautiful and peaceful it is. Despite it being a sunny day we saw only one boat the whole time. It was great.

Land Crab

Well it's official, I can't start my boat. Don't know why, it turns over but won't start. Will have to check some more but I want to get the bottom painted so will probably just have the engine checked out and the bottom painted at the same time. Luckily we were tied up and not out in the ocean somewhere. Guess it will be back to kayaking. I need the exercise anyways.

This photo is a large crab I found on one of the rock islands. Not sure what type it is but it had some mean claws. Guess it is some type of land crab? If you know what type it is, please let me know.

Fishes of Palau

I'm blessed to be living so close to the water here in Palau. I'm amazed at how many great sites are located within paddling distance in a kayak from my house. Although I have a boat, gliding along the shallows in a kayak gives you so much more opportunities to see things. We found an old WWII site last weekend with a bunch of old motors and 55 gallon drums. It was so far back I probably would not have found it if I was in my boat. Another stop and I found a trail leading up to the top of one of the rock islands. I plan on exploring this more over the weekend. Best of all about kayaking is the cost. No paying for a bunch of gas for the boat. I am hoping to get the kids in the boat and make a 5 minute run to a landing where you can fish and snorkel and explore. I plan on dragging the kayaks behind the boat. Hopefully it will be nice.

Corals of Palau

Have not been able to get into the internet for a month. Started with my computer getting a virus. When I got rid of that, the computer would connect to the internet but could not open a browser. Tried everything. Finally saw a post that said to download the google toolbar. Did that and it worked. Don't know how or why and don't care. But at least I can get on the internet again at home. Had a friend here for a few weeks. Weather was rough so couldn't take the boat out. I live close to Niko Bay, which I can paddle to with my kayaks. Did some exploring there. It is amazing how much sea life there is here.