Ulong Channel

Ulong Channel is a natural coral canyon cut through the reef near Ulong Island in Palau, dived as a drift to a maximum depth of 18 m. The channel walls on both sides are lined with hard coral, and the centrepiece is a giant rose coral formation roughly a storey tall that stretches like a continuous wall across the mid-channel section. The terrain creates a canyon-like passage that carries divers through on the current.

The drift experience is the draw: when tidal flow is running strong, divers can hook in at the channel mouth with a reef hook and watch grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks cruise overhead in formation before releasing and riding the current through the canyon. Schools of snappers accompany the ride, and around the full moon, grouper gather here to spawn. Sea turtles, eagle rays, stingrays, and round stingrays are also seen in the channel, along with wrasse. The rose coral wall requires precise buoyancy control to avoid contact with the fragile formations.

Visibility runs 10–20 m or more, and current can reach strong. The site is recommended from Open Water certification level upward, and a reef hook is advised when flow is up. During nesting season, triggerfish become aggressive and should be given a wide berth. Divers should monitor no-decompression limits and follow the guide's signals for hook use and release.