Trip Insurance
Dive Sites
Aliko Reef
Depth: 15-65 ft | 5-20 m
Visibility: 60-100+ ft | 18-30+ m
Current: 0-1 mph | 0-2 km/h
Dominant features: A mini-wall from 20 - 50 ft. (6 - 15 M) with a broad coral plateau tapering off to the depths.
Coral: You'll find a great variety of hard corals on the walls and plateau. Some areas have large formations of bright green Cabbage Patch coral. Large coral pinnacles also rise up like giant mushrooms. Massive Boulder Star Coral formations as large as a house dot the reef.
Fish life: Many of the smaller fish school-up near the upper edge of the wall. Lionfish have been found in the crevices along the bottom of the wall. If you swim out over plateau you can see White Tips, Sting Rays and Nurse Sharks resting in small sandy bottomed chasms.
Big Bend
Depth: 10-150 ft | 3 - 45 m
Visibility: 80-100+ ft | 25-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: This dive usually starts about 200 meters north of the Big Bend and lets the gentle prevailing southerly current (approx. 1/2 kt) carry you towards Cabbage Patch. However, be watching out for short counter currents in the area of the Bend. There are also many fissures cutting way into the wall, along with ledges, swim-throughs and niches that make this a good dive to just poke along and explore the holes. Below 50 ft. (15 M) the wall switches to a gentle slope that drops down to the depths.
Corals: This site features a wide variety of hard coral species. Check out the variety of tube worms in the Porite bommies. Similar to Spanish Wall, some of the small niches are filled with delicate, white Pulse coral.
Fish Life: Almost every ledge and hole hides reef fish. Turtles have been seen resting on the terrace just below the wall. On the longer drifts, you'll be going through more than one of the territories staked out by large, resident barracuda. Watch for them near the large crevice openings.
Cabbage Patch
Depth: 15-100 ft | 5 - 30 m
Visibility: 30-100+ ft | 9-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: A vertical wall to 80 ft. (25 M) then a gentle slope to the bottom. There are several large fissures in the wall that are blanketed in soft leather corals. Usually done as a gentle southerly drift dive (approx. 1/2 kt) but watch for the counter currents near the big fissures.
Corals: Excellent color above 30 ft. (9 M). Some of the large coral heads around 50 ft. (15 M) have many Christmas Tree Tube Worms.
Fish Life: Many reef fish above 30 ft. (9 M). Larger reef fish such as Humphead Parrots, down deep. Most dives report sightings of solo Sharks, Turtles, Barracuda, etc.
Cherry Blossom Wall
Depth: 10-260 ft | 3 -80 m
Visibility: 60-100+ ft | 18-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: Vertical walls that are very much alive on both sides of Nimpal Inlet. The shallow entrance to the inlet prevents entry by boats seeking a sheltered surface interval.
Corals: Due to this portion of the wall extending much deeper than most of the other walls, this is one of the few places on Yap's reef that black coral and deep water sea fans can be found, though they are most frequently located below 120'.
Fish Life: Typical of many of the walls on the western side of the island, reef fish are found in numbers near the top of the wall and schooling gamefish and pelagics are often sighted by keeping an eye trained towards the blue side of the dive.
Crescent Reef
Depth: 45-90 ft | 13-27 m
Visibility: 50-100 ft | 15-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant features: Located in Gabach Channel, Crescent Reef is usually done as a drift dive, either in or out of the channel depending on the tide. A bit deeper than most dives in Yap, the action is excellent, with a large school of blackbar barracudas showing up almost everytime, as well as schools of striped snappers, black snappers, fusiliers, bumphead parrotfish and big groupers. On top of this, schooling scalloped hammerheads have been seen on a regular basis!
Corals: Dramatic dropoffs, walls and formations with sunlit holes.
Fish Life: Scalloped hammerhead sharks, huge Napoleon wrasses, blackbar barracudas and lots of schooling snappers, fusiliers, bumbhead parrotfish and big groupers.
Eagle's Nest
Depth: 30-100 ft | 9-30 m
Visibility: 65-100+ ft | 20-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant features: This area just north of Lionfish Wall is somewhat reminiscent of Caribbean dive sites. Large coral heads are surrounded by expanses of white sandy bottom. A small coral bommie called the Eagle's Nest sitting in about 50 ft. (15 M) of water on a sandy plateau sometimes hosts several Eagle Rays swimming slowly around it. The sandy plateau tapers down to a flat sandy bottom at a depth of 130 ft. (40 M).
Corals: Large coral outcroppings in the shallow areas. Smaller patches of corals and some purple soft coral on the slope and near the bottom.
Fish Life: Turtles and Stingrays Sharks are often sighted in the area. Occasionally, large schools of Barracuda are also seen. In the shallows, Morays and Lionfish are easy to find.
End of the Land
Depth: 60-130 ft | 18-40 m
Visibility: 70-100+ ft | 21-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant features: A near-vertical wall from 60' down to the ocean floor covered with soft Corals and crinoids. The reef terrace above 60' has a very gentle slope with many bommies & fissures.
Corals: In addition to numerous hard and soft corals, there are several different types of crinoids and pink & purple soft corals to be found just over the edge of the wall at 60'.
Fish Life: Sleeping Sharks and Black Spotted Sting Rays can often be seen from the upper lip of the wall by looking down to the sandy ocean floor. Turtles cruise the wall and rest in the canyons leading up to the reef.
Fan Dancer
Depth: 5-120 ft | 2-37 m
Visibility: 30-50 ft | 9-15 m
Current: 0-3 mph | 0-5 km/h
Dominant features: A channel with sandy bottom and coral walls that pushes more than 3 miles into the lagoon. The mouth of this channel is a favorite site for night diving due to the active fishlife. Near the bottom of the channel are numerous large sea fans. Additionally, the sandy bottom around the channel entrance is littered with artillery shells and other ammunition from WWII plus a Japanese torpedo and a machine gun.
Corals: The sheltered walls inside are lined with all types of both hard and soft corals in pristine condition. Many swimthroughs, overhangs and sea fans at the deeper depths serve to make this dive even more of a delight despite visibility sometimes being limited by the. tidal wash from nearby mangroves.
Fish Life: Reef Sharks are often seen near the channel entrance and nurse sharks commonly hide in the crevices on the bottom and along the walls.
Gapow Reef
Depth: 30-100 ft | 9-30 m
Visibility: 60-100+ ft | 18-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant features: A double wall. The near vertical wall from 15 to 50 ft (5 - 15 M) sits atop a wide sandy coral reef terrace that very gradually slopes off to 70 ft. (22M) where another vertical wall drops off to the ocean floor.
Coral: Excellent mix of hard and soft corals.
Fish Life: Small reef fish collect on the upper wall. However, divers more interested in watching pelagics usually prefer to swim along the lip of the deeper wall.
Gilmaan Wall
Depth: 20-150 ft | 6 - 45 m
Visibility: 60-100+ ft | 18-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: Vertical wall running northwest from Yap Caverns. Lots of crevices and overhangs. Due to it's proximity to the southern tip of the Island, the life on this wall is very prolific.
Corals: Predominantly hard corals with very large blankets of brown Porite coral, some of which also play host to colorful tube worms. Frequent patches of Daisy corals interspersed among the hard corals. Patches of yellow soft coral under ledges at a depth of about 70 ft. (21 M) can be found when the current is running.
Fish Life: Lots of Squirrel Fish, Snappers, Groupers, large schools of small Anthias and occasional Lionfish. Expect a wide variety of reef and pelagic fish life. Clown Triggerfish are sometimes spotted near the bottom of the wall.
Goofnuw Mini Wall
Depth: 30-120 ft | 9-37 m
Visibility: 80+ ft | 25+ m, on outside
Current: 0-4 mph | 0-6 km/h
Dominant features: This site is located on the south side of Goofnuw channel which extends much further out than the north side. It is generally done as a drift into the channel with the incoming tide. At times, current here can approach 2 knots just before high tide, This dive can often be combined as a fast drift to the Valley of the Rays where we then watch the Mantas for the remainder of the dive. There are vertical walls along the sides of the channel from 30-100 ft. (9 - 30 M) that alternate with sandy or coral slopes. Very large coral heads just off the wall attract the fish and are a pleasure to swim around.
Near the entrance to the Valley of the Rays, the channel narrows markedly and a white sandy bottom ascends to a depth of 30 ft (9 M). Beyond this shallow area, the bottom quickly drops away and the channel widens out to form the entrance of the Valley of the Rays.
Coral: The shallow portions of the reef have a prolific growth of hard corals. This would be a great dive at 15 ft (5 M) just to look at the shallow hard coral gardens, but then you'd miss the pelagics down deeper.
Fish Life: White Tips and Sting Rays are frequently seen near the mouth along with schools of snapper and humpheads. Near the shallow sandy area at the middle of the drift, numerous White Tips can be seen sleeping on the bottom. It is not uncommon to see 10- 20 sharks on this drift. Occasionally, Leopard sharks are seen laying on the bottom. Ledges near the bottom on the south side of the channel offer refuge to lobsters. The nutrient rich water of the tidal outflow from Goofnuw Channel attracts a wide range of fish species. And of course, this is the only passage into the Valley of the Rays, so all of the Mantas entering and leaving the cleaning areas pass through this restriction.
Hunter's Bank Seamount
Location
17 miles (27 km) due north of Yap.
Dominant features: A seamount whose top was !eveled by wave action as it slowly sank beneath the surface. In the Yapese language, this area is known as Sippin, which literally translates as 'sunken island'.
Coral: Flat lying hard coral & rock formations. Few soft corals.
Fish life: In addition to lobsters on the bottom and deep-water reef fish like Humphead Parrotfish, the whole spectrum of ocean fishes are drawn to this bank. This area has a healthy population of Blue water species such as Marlin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Barracuda, and Shark species not normally found on the reefs.
Comments: Due to the distance from a land mass, this site is a jewel that is visited only three or four times a year. This is an all day 3 or 4 tank trip for a minimum of 6 people. Strong currents can sometimes sweep across the top of the banks. The depths involved make this an advanced dive site. Trolling for Marlin is also an option during surface intervals between dives.
Kurrekurredutt Dropoff
Depth: 20-100 fft | 6-30 m
Visibility: 80-100+ ft | 25-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: This area on the western side of the Island is still largely unexplored. Kurrekurredutt Dropoff wasn't dived until 1998. There are still areas here that you might be the first diver to visit. If you have the oppurtunity to do one of those discorvery dives, you get to name the dive site.
Corals: Good variety of hard corals. Look out for the large brain coral called "Niklas"
Fish Life: Lots of anemones with a variety of anome fish species. Keeping an eye towards the blue waters you might catch large pelagics and schools of barracuda
Lighthouse Pass
Depth: 40-100 ft | 12-30 m
Visibility: 50-100+ ft | 15-30+ m
Current: 0-3 mph | 0-5 km/h
Dominant features: Usually a drift dive following the tidal current coming into Peelaek Entrance. The coral wall and shelves here are fissured with many small holes, chimneys, swim-throughs & crevices. This channel provided access to a Japanese Lighthouse during the war.
Coral: A good mix of both hard & soft corals.
Fish Life: Many of the larger ocean fishes come inside near the entrance. White Tips, Gray Reefs, Leopard Sharks, Turtles, Eagle Rays and Mantas have all been sighted here along with a good selection of larger reef fish.
Lionfish Wall
Depth: 15-130ft | 5 - 40 m
Visibility: 70-150+ ft | 20-45+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: This vertical wall forms the extreme southern tip of the fringing reef which surrounds Yap. It juts out into blue water and is washed by currents flowing past the island. Because of the steady flow of nutrients, the coral and fish populations are particularly lush. The wall makes an vertical drop to 130 ft. and then slopes to a 200+ ft. (60+ M) ledge before disappearing into the blue abyss. The concentrations of fish and corals make this one of the premier wall dives in the world.
Corals: The entire face of the wall is carpeted with a wealth of soft daisy corals, punctuated with brightly colored crinoids.
Fish Life: This area is named after the many lionfish that live in the crevices along the wall. But just off the wall, expect a full range of gamefish & pelagics that come to feed where the currents from opposite sides of the island meet. Mantas, Eagle Rays, Turtles, Sharks, Huge Tuna and other pelagics are commonly sighted. Near the top edge of the reef are schools of thousands of orange and yellow Bartlett's Fairy Basslets. Highly camouflaged Leaf Fish are also present near the top edge of the wall, but it takes a trained eye to spot them.
Magic Kingdom
Depth: 15-100 ft | 5 - 30 m
Visibility: 65-100+ ft | 20-30+ m
Current: 0-2 mph | 0-3 km/h
Dominant Features: A gradually sloping reef. This site was considered as one of Micronesia's most beautiful diving jewels until a typhoon in November of 1992 inflicted heavy damage to the corals. The gently sloping bottom in this section of reef caused the storm surge waves to build and cause damage while the vertical walls only a few hundreds yards away escaped unscathed.
Corals: The stronger hard corals were unaffected by the storm, but much of the lettuce coral sustained damage and large areas of staghorn were virtually reduced to rubble. However, the reef can already be seen to be going through the colorful process of rejuvenation.
Fish Life: On a positive note, the storm damage created lots of habitat for small reef fishes to hide in. Frequently clouds of them are found surrounded by large schools of Jacks and other predators on the lookout for stragglers. Schools of hundreds of barracuda are seen at this site on occasion. White Tip Reef Sharks and occasional Gray Reef Sharks are seen cruising the reef.
REMINDER: ALL US PASSPORTS MUST BE VALID FOR UP 6 SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION DATE TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY. AIRLINES ARE ENFORCING THIS
All schedules, itineraries and package inclusions are subject to change
