Trip To Peleliu- Awe-Inspiring and Sobering

The Day Began With A

Fast Boat Ride From Koror 

 Peleliu is about 25 miles south of Koror as the gull flies, or Cockatoo. The reefs, swells, channels, and islands have a different idea making the trip about an hour and forty minutes long. Upon arrival off the estern coast, we prepared for two dives along the 100+ foot walls. 

The dives were awe-inspiring.

The current was not bad at 90 to 

100 feet and he scenes were amazing.

Oriental Sweetlips in a school. 

A row of Bumphead Wrasse in a parade. Sharks out in the blue. As we rose to the top of the reef the current began to scream. The divers pictured are hooked into the reef and flying like a kite on a string in the current.

That's linda in the middle.

Giant Clams grew along the way. This one is approaching three feet in ength and about a foot in height. Tridacna sp., this clam has been a concern of the US Customs Officials and is protected by the international law none as CITES. It is a Appendix II organism, those not endangered but needing of protection. We have learned that importing the shells to the USA is not permitted.
















The Six-Barred Angelfish is often very timid. We have tried to get a good photograph of them for months. This one just seemed to poise for the camera. 


The trip ashore was sobering

This is what the US military command called Orange Beach for the invasion of Peleliu in 1944. The landing craft, full of the marines from the 1st division, approached from out at sea to the beach. The beach was heavily guarded by Japanese soldiers as was the point in the distance. It took 24 hours to move approximately 200 yards into the island.

The cemetery for American soldiers and marines at Peleliu. Although the remains have been moved to Hawaii and other locations, this site, just off Orange Beach, was the original resting place for almost 1800 Americans. Wounded Americans totalled 8010.







A US Tank with its muzzle removed was used as a flame thrower.

Orange and White Beaches today at low tide. The marines approached the beach from the left.

An Japanese gun position in a cave in "Bloody Nose Ridge." The ridge is honeycombed with natural and Japanese-made caves.

The Japanese were given access to Palau in 1930 as a result of WW I. They used the 14 years to fortify the island as a protective barrier for attacks on the islands of Japan.

Over 10,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives in the battle of Peleliu. 

This is sobering. This is craziness.

"Now We're Off On Vacation. Somethings Are Hard To Explain," Buffet

Heading Out To The Rock Islands For A Week

Got Food

Got Drink

Got Fuel

Got Air

Got Weather

Got Permits

We're off to explore to Rock Islands of Palau. Photos and stories in a week or so. No internet.

This image is from the side of an ocean-going canoe in Puluwat Atoll, Micronesia. T-shirt by special order. Just leave a comment below.

Palau's Independence Day Roars

Fast Boats Celebrate Independence Day in Palau

We hung on the anchor of our trust dinghy Spicey, as fast boat after fast bost roared by us at speeds estimated at 50 to 70 miles per hour. We were also close to a corner in the course  so we stayed on our toes for those that might veer off in our direction. Thousands of people lined the shore and the bridge as the racers followed the course back and forth beneath it.

2010 Calendars Available NOW

2010 
Animal Calendar

Is Complete

Great for children of all ages.

This year's calendar features animals from the South Pacific travels of Creola.

Full 8 1/2 X 11 original photos top each month.

Previews are available and orders can be placed at www.cafepress.com/nonieandpapa

2010 "Images of Creola" Calendar Is NOW Online

Thirteen original photographs grace the months of this calendar.

Previews are available and orders placed at www.cafepress.com/creolagear

Check it out and tell us what you think.

New For 2010

Tropical Flower Calendar 

Calendar is available at www.cafepress.com/svcreolagear. 

Each page is a beautiful original photograph from the travels of Creola.

Created for Linda's mom and enjoyable for all.

Palau Announces Formation of Shark Sanctuary

Happy Palauan Sharks

H.E. Johnson Toribiong, President of the Republic of Palau, announced to the General Assembly of the United Nations, that Palau has officially declared the waters of its Exclusive Economic Zone (230,000 sq. miles) as the world's first   Shark Sanctuary.

The President has also called for a global ban on shark-finning and for other nations to follow suit.

Creola Note: Dermot Keane, manager of Sam's Tours, has been the leading force behind the development of the Shark Sanctuary. He is the one-man voice behind the blog noted above and is celebrating in Palau today.

For Additional Information go to: http://sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/

Another Day in Paradise

Most days we find ourselves biking somewhere, today it was to the post office.  On our way back, we took these photos of us as we cross one of the two bridges into town.

On the other side of this bridge is a rock island, but not just any of the thousands of rock islands here.  It happens to be one of the 3 geocache sites in Palau.  We found one at Jellyfish Lake and we have just created another geocache site here.  For more information, go to: www.geocaching.com

Currently, we are experiencing a lot of rain.  Thank goodness for the dry internet cafe!!

A Dive Back In Time - The Chambered Nautilus

Linda with a beautiful Chambered Nautilus 









A dive with Sam's Tours, yesterday, promised to be special

We had to wait for two weeks for enough interested divers to sign up with us for the Chambered Nautilus Dive. This is not your typical dive. As you can see we were able to hold, stare at, play with and safely return several Chambered nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, to their natural environment.

These animals, relatives of the octopus, and squid have an ancestry that goes back 400 million years. There are only six species remaining, but in their hayday, some 10,000 species existed. These guys are OLD!

The divemaster shown here, was part of a team that lowered  a stainless steel cage 900 feet below the surface the day before the dive. In the cage a whole chicken was offered as a tasty meal for the Nautilus. (Note: Chambered Nautilus can dive as deep as 1800 feet and come close to surface to feed. Their eggs are laid on the reef and can take up 12 months to mature.)

The day of the dive, the dive boat is joined by a second vessel at the dive site. The dive boat ties stern-to a mooring and a block is placed on its bow. The line from the cage is passed through the block to the bow of the second vessel and it reverses pulling the line through the block thus raising the cage. At thirty feet the cage is set atop the reef and divers drop to handle the creatures. 

Bill:  Eye To Eye With The Past

When done, the nautilus are placed back in the cage and lowered to a depth that protects them from predators and the cage is opened allowing them to swim free. We hope that from their point of view, the free meal was worth putting up with the admiring humans.

Bike ride to the beautiful Palau Pacific Resort

The Palau Pacific resort is donned in gorgeous orchids, many varieties and colors. The resort has it's own orchid greenhouse. After exploring the resort and checking out the menu, we enjoyed a glass of red wine before our long bike ride back to Creola.

This is a view of the resort from out on the point looking back. Originally, this area of Palau was set up as a seaplane base and the Japanese used it during the war. There is a bunker on the top of the point from where we took this photo.

This photo of the resort is also taken from the point.  You can see part of the white sand beach and the boathouse.  The snorkeling is claimed to be wonderful with many giant clams over 3' in size. We are anxious to return, biking the big hill up and then down to the Palau Pacific....or maybe next time we will take Spicey out and around.  

Summer Memories 2009 - Happy Labor Day

Huntington Lake, July 2009

As September arrives in the states, and Labor Day weekend is underway, they seem to mark the end of summer, even though fall is a month away. Most have returned to school and work routines, leaving summer a fond memory of the past.

It has been a month since our return to Palau and Creola, resuming our cruising life. But the fun memories of our month at Huntington Lake remain. This is where Linda spent all of her summers growing up, swimming, sailing, canoeing, hiking, trips to Kaiser Pass, Kaiser meadow, Little Eden hot spring, the waterfall, and Indian pools. The wildflowers, meadow frogs, and deer complete summer at Huntington, along with filling the cabin with family, friends, dogs, cooking, eating, campfires, horseshoes, bocce, Frisbee golf and other fun play.

As a tribute to our family and friends, please enjoy these reminders of our summer past at Huntington Lake, 2009. And when your life gets hectic and you long for warm sunny days, these memories are just a click away.

Cheers, Bill and Linda (Nonie and Papa)

Thirty Gallons of Water Added To Tanks

The water maker is working once again...

It has taken several tries to get it going with new seals and O-rings, leaks, ruptures, frustration galore, but today at 1010 hours, pure sweet water once again flowed into Creola's tanks. Now we can enjoy Palau more, write more stories and paint a book or a bai.

First Nonie and Papa Book Almost Complete

The first in the series of
The Adventures of Nonie and Papa
is Almost Complete

After several years of writing stories of our experiences for the limited audience of our nine grandchildren, we have decided to rewrite the stories in a booklet format with full color photographs on every page. The first series are focused on the pre-K and will be field tested in California this fall. Primary and Intermediate level version will have to wait for now.

For additional information go to our other Blog at nonpaadventures.blogspot.com.

Update From Palau

Creola floating gracefully on her mooring in the anchorage off Sam's Tours.  We are off in Spicey to do land chores.

No Clowning Around Today

This Clown Triggerfish is enjoying itself, but there was no clowning around on Creola today.

After diving the Chandelier Cave yesterday, (sorry no photos) we had some air left in our tanks and Creola's bottom needed a scrub. So most of today was diving under her bottom and removing the inevitable growth.

We did learn that we had many little rudder buddies and Linda took care to feed them the small oysters taken from Creola's hull.


She's clean and ready to go now, so someday soon we'll be off to the Rock Islands of Palau.

Jellyfish Lake - Worth The Wait

ll

Linda read about Jellyfish Lake in Palau some twenty years ago and added it to her Things To Do List. On Saturday she checked this one off her list after diving the Blue Hole and Blue Corner for the second time. As we arrived at the dock serving Jellyfish Lake, we noted the Latitude and Longitude, for it is a Virtual Geocache location. See Goecaching.com.

This landlocked lake is home to thousands and thousands of jellyfish that over the eons have traded their stinging ability for a daily migration pattern across the lake. The lake is brackish and it is a steep climb from the sea level dock up over the limestone ridge and then back down to the the lakeside dock. It's not all that easy carrying mask, snorkel, fins, cameras, etc.

Linda approaches the top of the ridge before descending to lake level.




Bill rests. After all, he was 90 feet below the surface just ninety minutes ago.

The lake is surrounded to the shore with thick jungle vegetation. The dock provides easy access to the water which is warm and comfortable. Linda described it as surreal and unbelievably relaxing.

Others might think it claustrophobic as after a brief swim you are surrounded by thousands of small, medium, and larger yellow jellyfish. They are bumping you, staring into your mask, swishing about your fins, arms, and legs while they pulse to wherever they're going.

Many fit in your hand nicely. Others are just babies about the size of a quarter and they pulse along much faster than their older siblings. You can see that they have maintained their jellyfish figure, but lack those stinging tentacles that make the Box Jelly the most deadly animal in Australia.

Linda holds a fairly large specimen and between breaths announces, "They are so cute!"  Yep, Jellyfish Lake, is worth twenty years of waiting.   You can find a video of the lake on You Tube.

Until tomorrow, B and L