The Southwest Islands are a remote group of western Pacific atolls and raised limestone platforms lying hundreds of kilometres southwest of Koror, Palau's main diving hub. The sites in Fin's database span reefs, walls, drop-offs, caves, and drift dives across islands including Tobi, Merir, Sonsorol, Pulo Anna, and Helen Reef. Water temperatures stay warm throughout the year, running a little cooler in the early months and peaking from mid-year through to November. All sites require boat access, and the extreme remoteness means reaching them typically involves a specialised liveaboard expedition. Divers should expect moderate to strong currents at several sites, walls dropping to forty metres, and a species list that includes scalloped hammerhead sharks, silvertip sharks, green sea turtles, and nurse sharks.
Monthly water temperature across Southwest Islands's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water temperatures stay warm year-round, sitting around twenty-eight degrees Celsius in the early months and rising towards thirty degrees from mid-year through to late autumn. The dry season, running roughly from November to April, tends to bring calmer seas, which matters considerably when planning a multi-day passage from Koror to these outlying islands.
Water temperature around Southwest Islands ranges from about 28°C in January to 30°C in June, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
With water around 28–30°C, a rash guard or 3mm shorty works in Southwest Islands year-round.
Fin maps 9 sites in Southwest Islands (9 scuba diving sites).
Across Southwest Islands's dive sites, February, March and April are most often reported as the best months to visit.
1 more site to explore
