We are officially the first (and as of right now the ONLY) people to have stand up paddled all the way from Koror to Peleliu. We paddled nearly 30 miles on Friday, May 22. (Our route is shown in white on the map below.)

This is something we've thought and talked about since we arrived here 7 months ago. We knew it would be quite the challenge and quite crazy to many, but that hasn't stopped us before. The weather conditions had not been just right until Thursday of last week. Part of our daily routine on this tiny island nation, is to check the weather, the tide schedule and the ocean conditions. On Thursday we saw the numbers and words we'd almost given up on ever seeing. Wind from the Northeast at 5-10 knots, seas at 3-4 feet, partly cloudy with isolated showers. And the tide times . . . high tide at 5 a.m., low at noon and then high again at 6 p.m. Everything was right, so we knew we just had to give it a try.

Our friend Debbie arrived a day ago and she has never snorkeled or been on a stand up paddle.  Well, here is proof that Debbie enjoyed her day paddling today...

Debbie was standing up paddling away today, the weather was great - a few clouds and not too hot!  Snorkeling was an adventure as well...  Check her blog for more in the days to come...

Last week we arranged for a boat to take us and our buddy Fuanes out to the Rock Islands for a bit of paddling. Shauna and I hadn't ever been to the Western Lagoon so that's where we headed first.

We paddled around Soft Coral Arch and Natural Arch. The winds weren't as kind as we had hoped. They were kicking up the water a bit.

We went from being pretty great bloggers (a post everyday or every couple of days) to those sucky sort of bloggers who have nothing new to read. Sorry about the lull in the action. It's not that we've left Palau, and it's CERTAINLY not that there's nothing new to post.

We've actually had quite a bit happening. We've taught a few people to stand up paddle.

Fuanes said it was love at first sight. It was probably more like "love at first stroke," but you get the idea. He's a native Palauan who has been a tour guide here for 17 years. We met him during our visit here last May. We did some kayaking together back then. Fuanes and his dog, and faithful paddling buddy, Sally, took right to stand up paddling. They both loved it so much, we've decided to leave all the boards and equipment with Fuanes. He's going to be the stand up paddle guy here in Palau. He's starting his own company Stand Up Paddle Tours (www.standup-paddle-tour.coms should be up in a couple of weeks)!!! Yippeee!!!!

Here are a few photos of two different turtles we saw passing through Pillbox Channel today in Palau.   We were out standup paddling another great day in paradise.  We hope you join us soon!  Here is a very short video (like 3 seconds since we have dialup) of one of the turtles passing by us...

Turtle Video

 

 We were talking with our friend Ron Leidich about stand up paddling a few days ago. Ron is "the man" when it comes to paddling the waters of Palau. Though he doesn't stand up paddle, he does kayak and runs the best kayak tours and expeditions in Palau through Paddling Palau and under Sam's Tours. When I say he's "the man" I merely mean that he knows the best places to paddle, the hidden gems and places to explore, and is an expert on the flora and fauna.  He takes his kayak groups to the best places to paddle and snorkel, so when he gives Shauna and I insider tips, we really listen.

We were talking with Ron about Nikko Bay and the things we've seen there while paddling lately. He mentioned that sometimes he does lunch from the pillbox at Pillbox Channel and gets an amazing view of sharks and turtles from up there.

Guess where we headed on our next day of paddling at Nikko? You guessed it - Pillbox Channel. First of all, we had seen the concrete and limestone pillbox, a leftover from the Japanese occupation here during WWII, perched atop the island as we paddled by in the past. It's about 20-30 feet above the water, all nestled into the foliage, and you have to really look to see it. We didn't know you could  actually get up there.

Ahhhh, the weather is back to "normal." How can I even say what's "normal" though? We've been here all of 7 weeks. Even if I combine that with the month we spent here in May, I don't think I'm really qualified to say what "normal" weather is here in Palau. Nonetheless, the weather is back to what we saw the most of when we arrived, AKA "normal."

The sun is out, we've got some high clouds, and occasional rain showers. It's been great for paddling so we've been out exploring the further reaches of Nikko Bay. We were out on the water for a good 4 ½ hours yesterday and we paddled to some great caves, out to a beach that is at the opening to Nikko Bay, said our hellos to passing sea turtles, and snorkeled in our favorite spot - a place where we've seen black tip reef sharks, turtles, Moorish Idols, wrasses, and a ton of colorful fish. I think I even saw a small cuttlefish there yesterday.

One of my favorite moments yesterday happened when a thick, powerful band of rain passed through.

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.

... That Standup Paddling was to be done on your feet.  Here are a couple of examples of Rachel and her attempts to StandUp Paddle here in Palau.

 I keep getting asked, "So what's the difference between kayaking in Palau and stand up paddling?" During our last paddle out toward Pinchers, it was one example after the next showing what the differences are between the two water sports.

I love kayaking in general, and had the best kayaking experience of my life here in Palau. I still kayak and love as it much as ever. So don't take what I'm about to say as though I were putting down kayaking. Stand up paddling isn't a replacement for kayaking. It's just a whole other way to enjoy the water. There are some real differences between the two activities. Stand up paddling definitely has some advantages that you don't get in a kayak. Here are the ones I really took note of during our last paddle.

The variety of positions available on a stand up paddle board are so much greater. You can stand, kneel, sit, or lie, belly-down, while you paddle. You can sit straddling the board, feet in the water. Unlike being in a kayak and doing this, it doesn't cut off your circulation or dig behind your knees.  You can lie back and totally stretch out, flat on your back on a paddle board.