It's been a bit windy for the last few days so we haven't been out paddling. Yesterday we went in search of Ngatpang Waterfall. I say "search" because we went out looking for it a few weeks ago and it eluded us. Not so yesterday. We found it.

Our last time out paddling, a few days ago, we went out to Pinchers lagoon. It's about an hour's paddle past Sam's Tours, at a really leisurely pace. It was a beautiful day for a paddle. I love getting into rhythm with the water as I paddle.

Listening to the water slap up against the undercut limestone bases of the islands, looking over the side of our boards, at all the great coral and rock formations in the waters below, and just enjoying the moment was just great.

We hung around in Pinchers playing, resting, exploring and having lunch on our boards. Why is it that the most simple of lunches (nothing more than sandwiches and chips) tastes so very good when eaten out on the water, straddling your board, looking out at the Rock Islands, listening to birds and the water??

Instead of returning the way we came, we decided to make it a loop, and head back to our car by paddling along the other side of the "arm" that ends in Pinchers Lagoon. The water on this other side is more of open water - still inside the greater reef but not sheltered by smaller rock islands. The swells were rolling a bit bigger - not bad and not even close to what we are used to back in California.

Along this backside there are big caves, some, I began to think, were man-made. The openings seemed just too rounded, too raised up above sea level to have been made by the sea. Some go back pretty deep into the limestone island - back into what seem to be tunnels. Just a bit later, we see a big, rusted canon pointing out the mouth of a big cave. My suspicions are confirmed. These caves are remnants from WWII, built by the Japanese to protect them from any unwanted visitors from the north.

As we paddled along, I was so taken with looking at the islands that I stopped keeping an eye out for coming swells on my other side. Suddenly, as I was switching my paddle from my right side to my left, a swell rolled underneath me from the left. Uh-oh! Rachel has her first off-board-experience in Palau!

Splash! It was actually perfect timing. I was getting hot any way. As I poked my head up out of the water, I saw Shauna looking back over her shoulder - surprised at the noise and disappointed she didn't get to see me fly off my board.

As we neared the end of our 4 hour paddle, I got my idea of a great treat. We found a small opening - something that at first looked like a small cave. It turned out to be a tunnel!! Yahoooo! We dropped to our butts, put our paddles on our laps, and pulled our way through the tunnel. Awesome!