This Week in Yap Archives

A Photo Summary of our dives on a weekly basis

This is our way of showing our prospective clients and friends just what the diving is like in Yap, on a weekly basis. We'll try and keep this updated each week as a photo dive log from our daily dive trips  with photos featuring highlights from our adventures beneath the waves.

Please note that this is what the diving is really like. No paid advertising and no fancy magazine photo spreads. Only real photos from our dives featuring the highlights from that week. If the weather was bad or the visibility was poor, we'll show that too because even in paradise, the conditions aren't always perfect.

 

August 11 - August 17, 2008

 

Anni and Christo, from South Africa, were still here in the beginning of the week and got in a day of diving at the south end of the island.

Notice the flat calm seas, which is typical this time of year, during our "Summer" months. These first few photos were taken by their dive guide, Morgan.

     
 
Anni hovers above Magic Kingdom.
     
 

A trio of fish above the lettuce corals at the south.

     
 

Morgan took this photo of schooling Humphead parrotfishes on the top of the reef in 30ft/10m.

     
 

Anni tries her hand....er, her mouth....at blowing bubble rings.

     
 

On the weekend, Dave managed to get away from his desk and dive with Jon and Rihka (local residents) at the south. The rest of this week's photos were taken by Dave.

Here's Jon on Lionfish Wall.
     
 

An anemonefish and an anemone crab are both at home in their host anemone. Say that five times as fast as you can!

 

     
 
Drifting along Gilman Wall.
     
 

The morning sunlight streaming down on the top of Gilman Wall appears heavenly.

     
 
Jon looks at a crinoid out and about during the day.
     
 
Ann, visiting from Honolulu, takes our Discover Scuba course. She is seen here in the shallow water getting ready for the skills.
     
 
A short while later, Ann waves to Dave as she dives Telegraph Reef.
     
 
The clear waters of Telegraph Reef provide numerous photo opportunities.
     
 
Jon, on the boat after our dive on Lionfish Wall.
     
 
On the way back to the dock, about 200 yards from Beyond The Reef, we saw four mantas feeding on the surface. This photo was taken from the boat.
     

 

 

August 4 - August 10, 2008

 

This week brought guests from all over the world to dive with us and share the wonders of Yap diving.

Rick and Robbyn (Canada), Hide (Japan), Roland and Jill (England by way of Brunei) Christo and Annalise (South Africa), Gus (USA) and Lex and Marjolyn (Holland). It was a truly international week with great fun and lots of laughs.

Morgan starts off this week with several photos of mantas, sharks and turtles. This first one is of Rick and Robbyn and a large manta looming overhead at the cleaning station in Goofnuw.

     
 
Getting fish to look into the camera lens can be a frustrating task, to say the least. But Morgan has a unique skill. Maybe the fish think he's one of them.
     
 

He can even get the morays to smile!

     
 

Two firends share a quiet moment.

     
 

A turtle at 1:2.

     
 

Rick gets ready to photograph a nudibranch at 1:2 while Jill and Roland swim behind.

     
 
A manta swims above Jill, Roland, Rick (with camera) and Robbyn in Goofnuw Channel.

     
 

Annalise gives the okay sign to Morgan as the group drifts along the wall in Miil Channel.

     
 

A Blacktip shark cruises along the top of the reef at Vertigo with the sunlight streaming down.

 

     
 
On Sunday, Dave dove with Christo and Annalise and took the rest of this week's photos.
     
 

The same manta makes another pass overhead after circling around behind us.

     
 
Anni and Christo kneel on the bottom of Goofnuw Channel. We saw mantas, sharks, moray eels and the very large resident stonefish, all right after Dave's camera batteries went kaput. Ugh!
     

 

 

July 28 - August 3, 2008

 
US Peace Corp. Volunteer Tracy sits on the bottom of Miil Channel, waiting for the mantas.
     
 

Hide, from Japan, gets comfortable on the sea floor while waiting with Tracy.

     
 

Naturally, the sharks didn't disappoint.

     
 

Morgan caught this goby and shrimp up close and personal.

     
 
Mic, from the Florida Keys, was here in Yap visiting with family. Mic gives Morgan an OK sign at the bottom of Miil Channel.

     
 

Jon celebrates Rihka's birthday too.

 

     
 
Jon swims among the beautiful hard corals on the reef.
     
 
John Paul drives us back to the dock. The storm clouds on the horizon didn't dampen the mood, though. Dave said "That was the best dive of my life!"
     
 
A fine photo of Jon having a cup of hot chocolate after the dive.
     

 

 

July 21 - July 27, 2008

 

One very calm Tuesday morning a bunch of us, Yap dive shop owners and managers along with some good friends, loaded  the Traders Ridge Resort's boat and headed 25 miles north to the sunken sea mount known as Hunter's Bank.

The conditions couldn't have been more perfect, as they often can be this time of year. We were planning two relatively deep dives to explore the area and excited with the prospect of "seeing the big stuff".

We started the day off with a spectaular sunrise over the island of Rumung.

     
 
Diana, assistant manager for Traders Ridge Resort, enjoys chatting with friends in the early morning hours.
     
 

Yuki, dive manager for Rize Diving Center, begins her descent on the first dive. The ocean was flat like a sheet of glass, and the visiblity was easily 200 ft+ / 70m+.

     
 

Dave takes this photo of the morning sunlight from 120ft / 40m.

     
 

Dieter, owner of the brand new Yap Explorers dive shop in Yap, and Yuki do their safety stop.

     
 

Another view of their safety stop with the morning sunlight.

     
 
Morgan was there too, hanging out and blowing bubble rings, like the one in the picture below.

     
 

The art of blowing bubble rings. Or, how to amuse yourself and the others around you on a lengthy safety stop.

     
 

Mike, the manager for Traders Ridge Dive Center, as he nears the surface.

 

     
 

By playing with the exposure, Dave managed to capture the streaming sunlight around Diana. That's her reflection on the surface above her.

     
 
We're not sure if Morgan's coming or going. That's Mike in the background.
     
 
Dave was still underwater but right near the surface when he took this picture of Yuki on the boat, peering over the side.
     
 

Vince, our boat operator, did a fantastic job of keeping us safe :o)

It was so calm the sky seems to blend with the horizon.

     
 

We did a little fishing between dives. Dieter holds up the "catch of the day".

     
 
Fortunately, Mike caught a little larger tuna than Dieter's.
     
 
The gang hangs out in the blue water, waiting for action.
     
 
Dieter hangs in the balance....er....the water column.
     
 
Yuki and Dieter, with Dieter's reflection on the surface.
     
 
Morgan climbs aboard while Dieter offers encouragement. Our good friend Arthur, far right, came along with his trusty GPS and healthy supply of fishing lures for the boat ride home.
     
 

Mike, after the second dive.

All in all we saw a few silvertip sharks, lots of grey reef sharks, more rainbow runners that we could count and tons of surgeonfish. Days like this are what make diving still so enjoyable after 27 years!

     
 
Heading back to Yap, with the islands in the distance under the clouds.
     
 

Cooper, visiting us from the island of Saipan, dove and fished with us for several days. Here he's holding up his fresh catch of Yellowfin tuna, which he and his Mom had prepared for dinner by Jhun's Oasis Restaurant.

Thanks to Cooper, we all ate fresh tuna that night!

     

 

 

July 14 - July 20, 2008

 

A diver finds a World War II artifact on the sea floor.

     
 

Morgan, Stan and his daughter Jennifer head out on the boat with Dave for a Scuba Review and a fun day on the water. Stan is living in Yap and is overseeing the repair work to the airport apron.

Stan is 70 this year and proves that you're never too old to don tank and fins and explore the undersea realm!

     
 

Stan and Jennifer underwater at 1:2.

     
 

A wily triggerfish awaits for unsuspecting divers.

     
 

A nudibranch on the coral inside the lagoon.

     
 

It looks like everything is okay with Jennifer.

     
 
The day was overcast and gray but the excitement level was high and the clouds eventually moved on. Stan waits on the boat after the dive for Jennifer and Dave to finish their dive.

     
 

For those viewers that haven't yet visited Yap, we thought you might like to see some topside photos for a change.

Here's a shot of downtown Colonia. This is the main street. Beyond The Reef is just to the left behind the trees, and the "big" grocery store is on the right. Another bustling day on the island!

     
 

Beyond The Reef's dive shop.

 

     
 

A Yap license plate.

     
 

BTR's dock.

     
 

Although Yap is progressing into the modern age, timeless traditions, like this sailing canoe, are still present and one reason Yap is such a special place.

     
 
Summertime means fresh crabs for dinner. These crabs are in abundance from May through August and are easy to catch at night during a full moon when they crawl along the roads and paths.
     
 
One and a half year old Rachel and her very cute pet piglet add to the joys of Yapese life.

 

To view previous entries, please click here.