R & R Under the Sea

Yap:  March 16 & 17, 2011

Our working trip to Yap actually took place during Spring Break.  Since we were supposed to be off-work, we decided to take a couple of days to see just why this dot on the map is also one of the world's most sought after dive locations, a place that makes lots of people's "bucket list."  While it is true that 90% of dive tourists have no idea about the society beyond the walls of the dive resort, it is also true that 90% of the people living outside the dive resort have no idea exactly what lies underneath the water surrounding their island.  There is no way to describe it, so pictures will have to do.  By way of introduction, Yap is known for its Manta Rays, huge, graceful creatures flowing through the water without the slightest concern about the divers gawking at them as they glide by.  Spanning fourteen feet across in some cases, they stop in certain spots to let the little wrasse (fish) clean the accumulated plankton off their massive bodies.  Sometimes appearing in a line-up called a "Manta Train," they form an elaborate mating ritual as one-by-one, they float above diver's heads as if traveling through liquid space.  It is truly an amazing sight, but so was everything we share with you in the following slide show.