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Palolo Deep Marine Reserve

Palolo Deep isn't just a dive; it’s an event. You start with this easy snorkel over a shallow flat, maybe 5 meters deep, full of sun-dappled staghorn coral. Then, bam. It just drops away. A vertical wall plunges to 30 meters, revealing the ‘deep’ part of the name. It’s wild to hang there, looking down into that deep blue. We love the feeling of floating over the void. This dramatic drop-off means you get two very different dives in one. The shallow reef is where we’ve spotted Horned Bannerfish doing their thing and even a shy Alligator Pipefish tucked into the coral. Down deeper, along the wall itself, keep an eye out for Poss' Scorpionfish. They blend in so well. Visibility here is usually great, often 20 meters plus, which really lets you appreciate the scale of that drop. We’d suggest going in the morning; the light hitting the shallower reef is just something else. It's a spot that suits intermediate divers who appreciate dramatic topography and don't mind a bit of a current, which can pick up at times, especially near the entrance channel.