Helpful Links and Info

Why Choose us?

Beyond The Reef started operations in January 1993, catering to small groups that want to experience the best diving that Yap has to offer. We operate several boats, to accommodate guests' preferences. Jesse Faimaw, co-owner of Beyond The Reef, was the first professional dive guide in Yap and his business partner, Dave Vecella, have been guiding divers in Yap for over 15 years. Together, these two gentlemen have discovered and named many of the sites visited today. In fact, the majority of dive guides on the island of Yap were trained by Dave at one time or another.

At Beyond The Reef, we take safety seriously, as any dive operator should. Our staff is trained in CPR and First Aid, and our boats are equipped with Oxygen, First Aid Kits, VHF Radios, Life Jackets, and Signal Flares. Our impeccable safety record is reassuring to our guests, and our unusually high "staff to customer ratio" makes for a memorable adventure, both above and below the surface.

We have recently replaced our rental department with state of the art Aqua~Lung regulators and BCDs, and Deep Sea shortie wetsuits, because quality is important to us. All of our regulators have an octopus and depth gauge.

Yap's new Recompression Facility is staffed by Dave and some other key people in the diving industry on the island, as well as the dedicated hospital staff. Dave had previous hyperbaric training in the Bahamas, where he worked as an instructor/guide in the 1980's. Dave also had extensive Diving Physiology training before graduating from FIT University, and conducts the dive days to reflect maximum safety for his guests.

We don't praise ourselves with magazine awards and accomplishments. We don't need to. Our guests do it for us, day after day, and year after year. Haven't seen us in magazine ads? That's because those ads are quite costly, and we would rather put that money into the services we offer and upgrading equipment from time to time. And since our boats are full most days, we feel that magazine ads are nonessential. Instead, we rely on "word of mouth" advertising; the best kind there is!

So come dive with us, and see what we're all about. We'll strive to make the most of your dive vacation.

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