THE WARM PACIFIC Ocean breeze was sweeping across the deck of the yacht as I readied my snorkel and mask. We slipped into the sea, met by a color wheel of pinks, oranges, purples, and reds. Corals and fish pulsed around us as black and brown blobs inched along the bottom. Suddenly, one of them heaved itself upward toward me, a sea cucumber rising to stare us down. It was just the latest unexpected delight on my visit to the pristine seas of Palau.
And that was only day two of my stay on the Four Seasons Explorer (from $1,650 per person per night, all-inclusive), a newly refurbished, 11-cabin vessel that sails around the more than 300 islands of Palau. The tiny tropical country, with a population of just 22,000, sits north of Indonesia and east of the Philippines, near what's called the Coral Triangle. In Palau, low mountains rise from cerulean seas and, beneath the waves, the drama is just as pronounced. Among divers and snorkelers, it's regarded as a life-list destination, with crystal-clear water, 1,500 species of fish, and reefs that are among the world's most spectacular.
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