If you love manta rays and have always dreamed of swimming with them, you have to book a scuba diving trip to Yap, as scuba diving trips in Yap allow you to get up close and personal with these gentle giants. The manta rays travel through channels in the barrier reef each morning to feed and visit the nearby cleaning stations. As many as ten individual manta rays can be seen at any one time hovering above the identified cleaning stations.

The manta’s mating season is another reason to book a Yap scuba diving package. The mating season generally stretches from December to mid April, and it is truly a sight to see. During the manta’s mating season, large processions of manta rays – numbering as many as twelve – stream through the waters of the Mi’l Channel in a single-file line while scuba divers relax and enjoy the show.

But Yap offers more than manta rays, as the Eastern barrier reef system is home some of the finest hard coral reefs seen in Micronesia, teeming with exotic marine life.

Photographers love Yap, as the crystal clear water offers visibility often reaching 150 feet or more.  Shark diving, wreck diving and live-aboard diving opportunities also are available and shouldn’t be missed.

SNORKELING IN YAP

The warm, crystal-clear waters and incredible richness and variety of ocean life makes Yap an ideal place for snorkeling.

Snorkelers are welcome right alongside the scuba divers on all boats departing to scuba dive sites both on the reef and within the lagoon. On most of the scuba diving sites, the reef starts very near the surface making it a favorite for snorkelers and scuba divers of every experience level. However, swimming from the ocean-side onto the reef is best left to good swimmers/experienced snorkelers, even on the calmer days. If you prefer calmer waters for scuba diving or snorkeling trips, there are many pristine sites wholly within the lagoon.

Resorts

Manta Ray Bay Resort
The Manta Ray Bay Resort is a dedicated all-inclusive scuba dive resort, designed by divers and built for divers. Its 35 rooms offer air conditioning, refrigerators and in-room TV and DVD player. Often called “The Best Little Dive Resort in the Pacific,” all of the Yap scuba dive facilities and equipment storage are conveniently located within steps of the Resort.

Yap Divers, located on the premises, offers a full service scuba dive shop, all levels of instruction, Mares & Oceanic rental equipment, morning and afternoon 2-tank dives to either the Manta sites or the reefs and walls. A number of specialty Yap marine life scuba dives are also offered on a daily basis – Mandarin Fish, Macro, Shark Feed and night dives. NITROX is also available for all scuba dives.
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