SPAWNING RITUALS IN PALAU
snappers or bumphead parrotfish
Year-round opportunites full & new moon
These customized tours in Palau are designed to deliver spectacular diving. Sam’s Tours & Unique Dive Expeditions have joined with the Palau Siren to offer diving during full & new moon cycles when different fish species gather in huge numbers to spawn. Wild excitement.
FULL MOON EXPEDITIONS
For several days up to each full moon, this region’s red snappers come together in giant aggregations to spawn in two different locations ….. the historical island of Peleliu or in a remote area east of Koror. The choice of which to visit is generally based on both weather conditions and divers’ preferences.
As the sun rises, you begin the dive and you will see an immense swarm of snappers rise from the deep to pursue their spawning rituals. Witnessing this natural behavior–which Sam’s Tours guides describe as an underwater firework display of energy and excitement–also attracts the biggest predators in Palau such as bull sharks and hammerheads.
NEW MOON EXPEDITIONS
So, during the full moon, it’s the snappers who put on the show … but when it’s time for the new moon, it’s the bumphead parrotfish. And, oh, what a show it is ! Often seen patrolling the reefs in schools of up to 20 or more, these encounters are favorites for many divers, but imagine an being in the water with nearly a thousand of these uniquely weird but beautiful creatures!
The New Moon Expedition takes you to a remote dive site, where the groups of bumpheads begin forming early in the morning. Awaiting the exact time for spawning, hundreds of Bumphead Parrot Fish from all around the area come together for an unforgettable event.
In the build-up , you’ll observe the behaviour of the males, as they begin their display of dominance, attempting to attract as many mating partners as possible. As the females continue to gather, the school spills out into the blue where the tension erupts into a climatic mating dance.
IS UNIQUE DIVING FOR YOU ?
Palau Siren has partnered with Unique Dive Expeditions the past couple of years to offer some of the full moon and new moon trips.
Due to the nature of the strong currents affected by the moon phase, which also brings aggregations of fish together to spawn at dawn, Unique Dive Expeditions is not for everyone.
Unique Dive Expeditions is only open to experienced divers (over 50 dives) who are comfortable in the water; divers must be able to swim against strong currents and deploy their own surface marker buoy in case they separate from the group.
