Destination aerial Photography: Birds Eye View of Palau, the Crown Jewel of the Pacific
Aerial Photography & Birds Eye View of Palau...
Crown Jewel of the Pacific.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
70 islands, Palau
Palau... To many the name conjures up images of lush jungles atop mushroom-shaped limestone islands surrounded by turquoise waters so abundant with life that it is nearly impossible to ingest it all. With magnificent reefs that contain over 1300 species of fish and 400 species of coral, it is no surprise that it is recognized as one of the best and most consistent places to see a huge diversity and abundance of both small tropical fish and large pelagic predators.
I been traveling to this island Paradise for many years now and fortunately enough to capture its beauty not only above and below the waves but also from high above, swirling around with a fix wing aircraft or later in a Helicopter.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
70 islands and surrounding reef, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Rock Islands,Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The famous Blue Corner, Palau
Unfortunately the Helicopter has gone now and I am not sure it will return to Palau, hence the reason for this post; "Birds Eye View of the Crown Jewel of the Pacific."
Looking at beautiful places from above; like the Jellyfish Lake, the Bai, Blue Corner and its amazing reef, Milky Way and of course different views of the spectacular and unique 70 Islands plus so many others.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A perfect day over the 70 Islands,Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Cruising the Rock Islands,Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Late afternoon aerial in the Rock Islands, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
On the way to the German Channel, Palau
Enjoy the view from above and maybe you get a chance to visit this Island Paradise and enjoy it as much then I have over many years, remember there is a lot more to Palau then just below the waves... Nature at its very best.
It comes as no surprise that National Geographic named it one of the world's last "Edens." Palau is truly blessed with an abundance of natural wonders.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
High above the amazing 70 Islands, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Jellyfish Lake, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Three Coconut Island, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Kayaking the Rock Islands, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Pinchers lagoon, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Milky Way, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Natural Arch in the afternoon light, Rock Islands, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
After sunset aerial view over the Rock Islands, Palau
More aerial photos from Palau at my PhotoShelter Archives and Galleries and land based images like culture, people, historical and environment at this Gallery.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Reef patterns, Palau
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau's Ngardmau Waterfall
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Exploring the Rock Islands by Kayaks
Another first in the world was the declaration of a Shark Sanctuary, the Palau Shark Sanctuary was founded in 2001 in an effort to end the annihilation of Palau's sharks as a result of rampant shark-finning at the hands of foreign long-line fishing vessels licensed by Palau to fish in their waters.
Palau Shark Sanctuary seeks a declaration by Palau establishing the waters of Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone as a sanctuary for all sharks. Since then many Nations have followed Palau's example in conservation and in the protection of Sharks and other marine species.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau's Capitol
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The beach at PPR Resort, Palau
Its highly diverse geological formations make Palau an exceptionally unique place to explore. In the north there are two limestone atolls, while the main island of Babeldaob is primarily volcanic rock, rising to 217 meters/716 feet at its highest point.
The world famous Rock Islands, remnants of ancient coral reefs lifted by volcanic forces are purely limestone. As such, though Palau is globally renowned for its superb and incomparable underwater wonders, it likewise offers stunning caves, marine lakes and other surface habitats shaped by natural forces and waiting to be explored.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Mans meeting house or "Bai", Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau's International Airport
Palau's magic does not end with its legendary dive sites. Palau's forests are home to both biological treasures and ancient cultural sites that demonstrate Palau's traditional belief system. The Palau Conservation Society's (PCS) conservation strategy provides an opportunity to link cultural preservation with resource protection.
Just one more…
Your next vacation could start here!
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Amazing Palau!
For more information on Palau and a detailed photo gallery visit palautours.com at the LINKS below:
palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
http://www.palautours.com/palau-biodiversity.html
Destination aerial Photography: Birds Eye View of Palau, the Crown Jewel of the Pacific
Aerial Photography & Birds Eye View of Palau...
Crown Jewel of the Pacific.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
70 islands, Palau
Palau... To many the name conjures up images of lush jungles atop mushroom-shaped limestone islands surrounded by turquoise waters so abundant with life that it is nearly impossible to ingest it all. With magnificent reefs that contain over 1300 species of fish and 400 species of coral, it is no surprise that it is recognized as one of the best and most consistent places to see a huge diversity and abundance of both small tropical fish and large pelagic predators.
I been traveling to this island Paradise for many years now and fortunately enough to capture its beauty not only above and below the waves but also from high above, swirling around with a fix wing aircraft or later in a Helicopter.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
70 islands and surrounding reef, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Rock Islands,Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The famous Blue Corner, Palau
Unfortunately the Helicopter has gone now and I am not sure it will return to Palau, hence the reason for this post; "Birds Eye View of the Crown Jewel of the Pacific."
Looking at beautiful places from above; like the Jellyfish Lake, the Bai, Blue Corner and its amazing reef, Milky Way and of course different views of the spectacular and unique 70 Islands plus so many others.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A perfect day over the 70 Islands,Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Cruising the Rock Islands,Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Late afternoon aerial in the Rock Islands, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
On the way to the German Channel, Palau
Enjoy the view from above and maybe you get a chance to visit this Island Paradise and enjoy it as much then I have over many years, remember there is a lot more to Palau then just below the waves... Nature at its very best.
It comes as no surprise that National Geographic named it one of the world's last "Edens." Palau is truly blessed with an abundance of natural wonders.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
High above the amazing 70 Islands, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Three Coconut Island, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Kayaking the Rock Islands, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Pinchers lagoon, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Milky Way, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Natural Arch in the afternoon light, Rock Islands, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
After sunset aerial view over the Rock Islands, Palau
More aerial photos from Palau at my PhotoShelter Archives and Galleries and land based images like culture, people, historical and environment at this Gallery.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Reef patterns, Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau's Ngardmau Waterfall
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Exploring the Rock Islands by Kayaks
Another first in the world was the declaration of a Shark Sanctuary, the Palau Shark Sanctuary was founded in 2001 in an effort to end the annihilation of Palau's sharks as a result of rampant shark-finning at the hands of foreign long-line fishing vessels licensed by Palau to fish in their waters.
Palau Shark Sanctuary seeks a declaration by Palau establishing the waters of Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone as a sanctuary for all sharks. Since then many Nations have followed Palau's example in conservation and in the protection of Sharks and other marine species.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau's Capitol
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The beach at PPR Resort, Palau
Its highly diverse geological formations make Palau an exceptionally unique place to explore. In the north there are two limestone atolls, while the main island of Babeldaob is primarily volcanic rock, rising to 217 meters/716 feet at its highest point.
The world famous Rock Islands, remnants of ancient coral reefs lifted by volcanic forces are purely limestone. As such, though Palau is globally renowned for its superb and incomparable underwater wonders, it likewise offers stunning caves, marine lakes and other surface habitats shaped by natural forces and waiting to be explored.
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Mans meeting house or "Bai", Palau
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau's International Airport
Palau's magic does not end with its legendary dive sites. Palau's forests are home to both biological treasures and ancient cultural sites that demonstrate Palau's traditional belief system. The Palau Conservation Society's (PCS) conservation strategy provides an opportunity to link cultural preservation with resource protection.
Just one more…
Your next vacation could start here!
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use:
© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Amazing Palau!
For more information on Palau and a detailed photo gallery visit palautours.com at the LINKS below:
palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
http://www.palautours.com/palau-biodiversity.html
Travel Photography: Destination tips, Island Portraits from Chuuk - Pohnpei - Yap & Palau, Micronesia.
It can be fun going back in time & digging through your archives…
I found some cool Island Portraits from Micronesia in the process.
High school student Chuuk, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A short break from Asia; traveling back in time to some other amazing places like Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap and Palau in Micronesia.
While going through my archives the other day I thought hey why not share some images from the past, some taken on Kodachrome Film and others digital.
Traditional Chuukese blowing the shell as a welcome, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Young girl on a rusty Landing Craft, remnants from the IIWW,
Chuuk or also know as Truk Lagoon, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
These are some of my favorite Portraits of people in Micronesia from the remote Island of Pohnpei with its mysterious ruins of Nan Madol (also called the Venice of the Pacific) or to Chuuk know better as Truk Lagoon where a whole Japanese fleet was sunk during WWII.
Of course then there is the charming and ever so traditional island of Yap with its still intact culture and tradition, very little has changed here over the years.
Traditional Palauan Girl during a ceremony,
Palau, Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Late afternoon sun on this Palauan Boy near the waters edge
where he is playing, he is holding a large rock then jumping
into the water to dive, the rock is his ballast for easier diving.
Palau Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Palau the magical Islands of the pacific needs no introduction…
a sheer paradise above and below the waves, natures awesome creation and for sure a highlight in the pacific.
I have written articles on all those remote destinations before but when I flipped through my archives the other day I decided to select some portraits of people I encountered during my visits.
Traditional Palauan, Palau Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
See below also some useful information and excerpts from Wikipedia and Palautours.com which by the way has a very nice Photo Gallery on Palau.
Yap Village Chief resting against Yap Money,
Island of Yap Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
A young boy during the Yap day festival, the culture
in Yap is thriving and very much alive
Island of Yap Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Excepts from Wikipedia:
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four continental islands (hence the alternative name of the Yap Islands). The four are very close together and joined within a common coral reef and entirely formed from an uplift of the Philippine Sea Plate.
Yap is notable for its stone money, known as Rai: large shaped, carved disks of up to 4 m (12 ft) in diameter.
Many of them were brought from other islands, as far as New Guinea, but most came in ancient times from Palau. Their value is based on both the stone's size and its history. Historically the Yapese valued the disks because the material looks like quartz, and these were the shiniest objects around. Eventually the stones became legal tender and were even mandatory in some payments.
Women young and old are topless not only during ceremonies and festivals but all year around, you even get greeted at the arrival at the airport by traditional dressed women, for the women being topless is a very normal and cultural part of this island. Island of Yap Micronesia
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Chuuk — formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus — is an island group in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's states. Geographically, Chuuk is also part of the larger Caroline Islands group. Chuuk means mountain in the Chuukese language and was known mainly as Truk (a mispronunciation of Ruk), until 1990.
It is not known when the islands of Chuuk were first settled, but, based on archaeological evidence, these islands had originally been settled more than 2000 years ago. Based on archaeological evidence, it seems that, after about 200 AD, there was no continuous settlement until about 1300 AD.
Pohnpei "upon (pohn) a stone altar (pei)" (formerly known as Ponape) is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. Palikir, the FSM's capital, is located on Pohnpei Island.
Pohnpei Island is the largest, highest, most populous, and most developed single island in the FSM. The islanders of Pohnpei have a reputation as being the most welcoming of outsiders among residents of the island group.
Pohnpei is also one of the wettest places on earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 300 inches (7,600 mm) each year in certain mountainous locations. Pohnpeian historic society was highly structured into five tribes, various clans and sub-clans; each tribe headed by two principal chiefs.
Young girl playing with yellow price tags along
the road on Pohnpei Island, Micronesia
Excerpts from Palautours.com
The magnificent islands of the Republic of Palau, fondly called Belau by its friendly inhabitants, were named by early explorers and have been known to the outside world at one time or another as West Caroline Islands, the Palaos, the New Philippines, Panlog, and the Pelew Islands.
Notwithstanding Palau's intriguing variety of names, in 1696 survivors of two canoes full of seafaring natives from the Micronesian island of Yap told Spanish priests about the islands' existence after they washed up on the shores of Samar Island in the Philippines. What followed were several determined attempts to reach them, but only in 1710 did Capitan Francisco Padilla – in command of the Santissima Trinidad galleon – finally discover and land on the Palau island of Sonsorol, where they were met with open arms by friendly natives.
The Republic of Palau comprises the westernmost group of the West Caroline Islands, an integral part of Micronesia. The country's local language remains Palauan, despite the many foreign influences ranging from Spanish to Japanese, German and English. Palauan is spoken throughout the island, except in the Southwest Islands where inhabitants speak a Yapese dialect.
Palauan is primarily a spoken language, with much confusion on correct spelling in its written form. In many cases words are “Americanized” so they become easier to pronounce. With an approximate 20,000 inhabitants, the islands are sparsely populated.
Within its composition the populace has a rather big “generation” gap. The older generation, mostly raised during the prewar Japanese era still speaks fluent Japanese, while the younger generation, mostly raised under American influence, speaks English.
Families who can afford to do so send their children to the United States mainland or to Hawaii for their education. Many who finish do not return primarily because of more lucrative job opportunities abroad, resulting in a serious shortage of young Palauans to fill pertinent vacancies.
Thus outside workers have to be hired, and they are conspicuously present among the population in the form of a large foreign workforce, mainly Filipinos. In terms of the public versus private sectors, about 45 percent of the population works for the local government, with the balance involved in either the tourism or fishing industries.
Travel Tip:
If you like to visit some of these amazing places and you happen to be at the Duesseldorf Boot Show in January then you have to check out the Booth of Sam's Tours and the Palau Visitors Authority.
Duesseldorf, Germany - Boot Show -
21st - 29th January 2012
Pls. Note: All images have been processed with Aperture 3 and no manipulation.
Check out also the GD Photo Workshop Calendar for 2012 & 2013.
For more info please Click this LINK.
GD
