Micronesia: Experience Yap & Palau Diving

Next, continue onto Yap, the only place in the world where divers can almost be guaranteed to see Mantas on a daily basis. Diving the outer reef will leave you feeling mesmerized with the soothing, warm water, clear visibility, and generally mild currents. This little-known gem located in the heart of Micronesia not only offers amazing diving, but also a fascinating culture and interesting traditions such as the stone money.

Trip Highlights

Scenic Rock Islands, Jellyfish Lake, Yap Manta Rays, Blue Corner & Ulong Channel Dives, Pelileu Island History

More Details

Palau Diving – Channels & Currents

Palau is considered one of the world’s premier dive destinations, with dozens of dive sites in a rare variety: walls with fascinating coral formations, reef corners where the currents attract sharks, rays and schooling fish, channels and other sandy bottom sites, tunnels, holes, caves and caverns, and plenty of WWII freighter and plane wrecks.

This Independent Journey offers the best of both diving worlds, starting with an amazing liveaboard trip and finishing with a land-based resort. Start your journey with 7 nights onboard the Rock Islands Aggressor (formerly the Tropic Dancer) and experience the best of Palau’s remote dives sites. Finish your liveaboard experience with a trip to unforgettable Jellyfish Lake.

Jellyfish Lake

Located on an uninhabited rock island off the coast of Koror in Palau, Jellyfish Lake is one of 70 saltwater lakes on this South Pacific archipelago that were once connected to the ocean, but are now cut off. The isolated lakes became the perfect setting for a jellyfish explosion, which some speculate were trapped in the lake 12,000 years ago after a rise in sea levels post-Ice Age. Feeding on quick-growing algae and with no predators to keep them in check, the jellyfish now completely pack the small lake. Though the jellyfish do have stingers, they are too small to be felt by humans. Swimming in the lake is safe and permitted, but scuba diving is not as it may disturb the ecosystem. During the day, the jellyfish migrate from one side of the lake to the other to follow the path of the sun, which feeds the algae they survive on.

Yap – A Wonderful Mix of Diving & Culture

Yap is one of the most intriguing and traditional islands in Micronesia. The people of Yap are warm, and shy yet proud of their culture, ancient traditions and fascinating legends. Yap is known as the “Land of Stone Money”, due to the ancient currency of huge disks of stone. The huge coins, some over 12 feet (3.5 meters) in diameter, are still used today in local and traditional customs.

Enjoy discovering Yap from land-based Manta Ray Bay Resort with Yap Divers. Built by divers, for divers, Manta Ray Bay is the premier dive resort in Yap, with their fantastic facilities only steps from the hotel.

Yap is famous for its large population of resident Manta Rays which you can encounter on a year round basis. Over 100 Mantas live in the waters surrounding Yap. In the winter (usually December to late April) they congregate in even greater numbers in Mi’l Channel (Manta Ray Bay or Manta Ridge) for the mating season when processions of as many as 12 Manta Rays at one time can be seen cruising back and forth in the channel. During the summer season, they spend their mornings in Goofnuw channel in the Valley of the Rays.

Every morning, the huge Mantas (sized between 8 feet to over 13 feet in width from wing tip to wing tip) cruise into the protected channels that penetrate the barrier reef and slowly circle the cleaning stations, frequently passing within inches of the observing diver’s heads.

However, there’s more to diving in Yap than the Manta Rays. From drop-offs to gentle slopes, from channel drifts to the protected confines of the harbor, Yap offers a whole range of diving experiences and is a paradise for the underwater photographer or videographer. Most dive sites in Yap are less than 30 minutes from Colonia Harbour. Yap is almost completely encircled by a fringing reef providing a backdrop for some of the most colorful and diverse marine and coral life to be found in Micronesia.

What is Included

• 1 night accommodation at Palau Royal Resort in a Deluxe Ocean room with buffet breakfast
• Half day Koror tour before embarking the liveaboard
• 7 nights’ accommodation on the Rock Islands Aggressor* in a Deluxe Cabin
• All meals & snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, local beer & wine
• Compressed air tanks, weights and belts
• 7 nights‘ accommodation at Manta Ray Bay Resort in an Ocean View room
• 10 dives (5 days of 2 tanks)
• Nitrox for all dives in Yap
• Daily breakfast
• Roundtrip airport transfers
• Morning wake-up call with coffee or tea
• Internet/Wifi

What Else You Need to Know

*We also represent the Palau Aggressor, Palau Siren, Ocean Hunter and MV Solitude One amongst others. Please inquire for more detail about other Liveaboards.

We also represent the Yap Pacific Dive Resort.

Not included:

• Nitrox fills on the liveaboard
• Dive equipment rentals
• Palau Port fee ($210 USD to pay onboard)
• Koror State Rock Island permit ($100 USD per person)
• Palau Departure tax ($50 USD per person)
• Dinner on final evening (while on the liveaboard)
• Afternoon dives at Manta Ray
• Travel and Dive insurance
• Gratuities and personal purchases

Rates are subject to change without notice. Please inquire about assistance with airfare. A liability waiver form will be required to sign, either prior to departure, or on location. A valid dive certification card issued by an internationally recognized scuba diving association needs to be presented on location.

Non Divers

Will love Jellyfish Lake. Not recommended for liveaboard portion.