Underwater Phantaseas Group Trip to Yap Island
April 20-30, 2006
Live trip images and narrative from Yap Island. Here are the Daily updates!
Original Yap brochure.
April 19, 2006
And away we go!
This morning we received the latest from the folks at Manta Ray Bay, so thought we’d pass it along!
"We have been diving Mi'l Channel on a regular basis to
interact with the mantas as well as enjoying some great
diving off of Popou in and around the southern walls.
Although a lot of people come to Yap to see the mantas,
the southern walls are a definite "must do" when visiting
Yap. Clouds of anthias, schools of snappers and jacks,
colourful corals and anemones, and beautiful swim-
throughs are just a sample of the delights that can be
found in some of the clearest water around. Visibility in
that area often exceeds 100 feet and is a beautiful deep,
rich blue in color..." |
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April 24
After a long nap to Yap (think Rumple Stilskin), we finally arrived at our destination for a week of glorious diving and relaxation. After being whisked away to the resort, we were ready for our adventure to begin.
To say our first two days has been incredible would be an understatement, as the pictures can attest. We have 5 dives under our weight belts so far, with huge schools of barracuda’s and jacks, colors that will amaze, and a few very special guests.
From whitetip and grey reef sharks to a Gentle Giant (the Manta pictured), our necks are strained from all the whipping around to see the next new critter. I am thoroughly enjoying watching the divers new to the Pacific look in awe at the colors of the fish and diversity of the reef.
Add gentle breezes as we sit at the bar on a wireless connection bringing this update to you live, and life just can’t seem to get much better! Until our next update . . .
Special thanks to Griff and Bill for their great photos!
April 25, 2006
Forgive us if we are giddy with excitement today! There are many great dives in the world, but we had an experience like no other. For those of you that know me, you won’t be surprised by my joy to see a fish less than 6 inches long, having sex no less.
You got it, we saw the elusive Mandarin Goby feeding in the elkhorn coral and searching for a mate. We were all singing through our regulators watching these critters in their nightly ritual. And all of this happened in water less than 20 feet deep!
But for those that don’t get as excited as me about little things (keep the jokes to yourselves!), we also had some time with a
few toothy critters, as the video can attest. That’s right, we said video. We have had several firsts at Underwater Phantaseas lately, from our first Live Trip Report, to photos from the trip, and now our webmaster, Dave, has stepped it up another notch.
We have added video clips to our report to bring you right into the action! I keep warning him, if he keeps up all these great new twists, I’ll be asking for a live video feed, running cable directly from my camera to the boat to your desktop! A guy can dream!
Tonight’s fresh catch is Tuna, and although I’m enjoying keeping you updated on our adventures, my plate just arrived, so I’ll bid you adieu for the evening.
April 26, 2006
Sounds like we picked a good time to get out of Denver! We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise and a gentle breeze on our outdoor breakfast table. Slightly different than the reports of snow we are hearing about.
Our mission today was Mantas, and although we struck out on that end, we all still enjoyed a marvelous day of diving. The Titan Triggerfish are currently mating, so we are seeing several egg masses throughout the coral, and protective parents patrolling the reef. Tonight’s video is one of my favorite critters, a gentle Cuttlefish flashing his colors. He wasn’t the most playful of cephalopods, but he stuck around long enough for us to bring him to you.
We also have a special feature tonight, several of our clan posing in front of a Whitetip Shark. Don’t worry, Mom, a stuntperson was used to film this segment. I would never get that close to a shark. Honest.
And we have a special hello this evening to Gwen in St. Kitts. Dave Z sends his love!
Enjoy your day. We are off to bed with Manta dreams!
April 27,2006
We have taken a vote and officially renamed the hotel Mandarin Goby Lodge, because Manta Ray Bay Hotel just didn’t accurately describe our week so far! We headed out again today to search for these beautiful critters, leaving early to hit the high tide and the clear visibility. And although we had a spectacular dive with plenty to see, the big guys and gals have been elusive.
Our second dive awed every one of us with over 200’ of visibility, and I’m probably guessing conservatively! We all came up to the boat overwhelmed with the visibility, the sheer number of nudibranchs, and one tired Kurt as he tried to keep pace with a Hawksbill turtle.
This afternoon took us to Yap Corner, a drift dive through Mi’l Channel. This was one not to be missed, as we “flew” through the channel on an incoming current. Numerous sharks, 2 spotted eagle rays, and huge schools of Pyramid Butterflyfish, Chevron Barracuda and Horse Eyed Jacks kept us company throughout this exhilarating dive.
As we sat down at dinner and talked about our week so far, everyone has been incredibly impressed with the people, the resort, and the spectacular diving we have had. Although known for their Manta Rays, we have discovered that Yap is a diver’s paradise, with incredible wall dives, gentle currents and prolific life throughout the reef.
For tonight’s video clip, we decided we’d give you a better feel for our days. So I’ve put together a short montage of clips, a mini Yap video to show some of the fun we’ve had. Enjoy!
April 28, 2006
We had a very exhilarating last day of diving here in Yap today! Although only seen by a few, we finally had our second Manta Ray show up during our dive in Mi'l Channel this morning. After numerous dives hoping to see the critters, it's been decided that it is moving season, and these giants are off to their summer home on the other side of the island. Even with the limited Manta action, these dives were very exciting with sharks and huge schools of fish keeping us company.
Our second dive provided the ultimate in excitement, a Shark Feed! If you ever find yourself diving with Yap Divers, this is a dive not to be missed. Our divers counted 10 Grey Reef sharks and two Blacktip sharks, as well as a nosey Tuna coming up from the deep. This proved to be an up close and personal encounter with the ocean's apex predators, and everyone came up with a smile, and all their limbs! Don't worry, Mom, no sharks were injured during the filming of this dive!
We have had a tremendous week in Yap, with one last day before our flight home. Tomorrow we'll be kayaking the mangroves and visiting a local village. We'll post again tomorrow night. Until then . . .
April 29, 2006
We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise, a nice sendoff for our last morning in Yap. Hikes in the hills, land tours and mangrove kayaking awaited us for our last day, with the group splitting up to enjoy our non-diving day. Everyone met back at lunchtime with stories of their adventures, and memories to last a lifetime.
But the highlight came a few hours later when we were invited to the village of Kadai for a Cultural visit. It started with a walk down a stone path, one of many that intertwine this entire island. Once we arrived in the village, we were welcomed with fresh cut coconut, fruit and flower arrangements. The highlight came with the children of the village performing their stick dance in traditional attire. Tonight's video features a bit of this dance, as well as some special shots of our courageous few that tried the local delicacy, betel nut. As you can tell by the faces, it was a big hit!
We hope you have enjoyed our daily updates from your computers back home. I know we have had a ball putting it together. A very special thank you to Dave Stephens for making this dream a reality. I'm sure the letter writing campaign will begin to make sure he is on every trip to bring us all the best of every adventure! This is our last post as we are about to board our flight back home. Thanks for checking out our site!
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