Yap

Region: Federated States of Micronesia, Western Pacific
Type: Channels, cleaning stations, reef walls, shark feeds, macro, mandarinfish
Significance: One of the world’s premier manta ray diving destinations; host of the long-running Manta Fest photo festival; base for Wetpixel video moderator Mike Veitch (c. 2005-2007); early legal protections for manta rays and sharks
First Wetpixel coverage: 2005 (Mike Veitch forum posts from Yap)
Key dive operators: Manta Ray Bay Hotel & Yap Divers (Bill Acker), Yap Pacific Dive Resort

Overview

Yap is a small island in the western Caroline Islands of Micronesia, described as “the most culturally intact isle in the region” ([1]). For underwater photographers, Yap is best known for its resident population of reef manta rays (Manta alfredi) that visit cleaning stations in the island’s channels year-round, making it one of the most reliable places on the planet to photograph mantas ([2]). Beyond mantas, Yap offers healthy reefs, mandarinfish mating dives, shark feeds with grey reef and blacktip sharks, and diverse macro subjects including lionfish, anemonefish, nudibranches, cardinalfish, and anthias ([3]). Community members frequently described Yap as more laid-back and less crowded than neighboring Palau, with excellent topside culture, though Palau was generally considered to have greater underwater diversity ([4]).

Mike Veitch served as the photo and video pro at Manta Ray Bay Hotel for close to three years (approximately 2005-2007), during which time he became deeply familiar with the island’s manta population and dive sites ([5], [6]). His prolific posting of Yap imagery on the Wetpixel forums helped establish the island’s reputation among the underwater photography community ([7], [8]).

The primary access point for international travelers is through Manila or Guam, connecting via United Airlines ([9]).

Dive Sites

Goofnuw Channel (“Valley of the Rays”)

Goofnuw Channel is Yap’s premier manta ray dive site during the summer season. The site features a pinnacle with the channel floor at approximately 50 feet (16 meters) and a cleaning station at the top at around 30 feet depth. Mantas cruise in a large circle, approaching upstream, hovering at the cleaning station to be cleaned by wrasses, then dropping down the other side to circle again. This topography places the mantas above divers rather than at the same level, creating excellent photographic opportunities ([10]). Mike Veitch described Goofnuw Channel as the “Valley of the Rays,” where he photographed manta rays in formation ([11]).

During the 2008 Manta Fest, every dive at Goofnuw resulted in manta interactions, though visibility varied with tidal conditions. The best conditions were described as “clear, incoming tide (and no wind), or an outgoing tide that triggers manta feeding action” ([12]). On the first official dive day, the group had encounters with three different mantas on the first dive and one long encounter with a small male manta on the second ([13]).

By 2012, a new shallow cleaning station had been discovered at only 15-20 feet of water, enabling 75-minute dives with up to 7 mantas on the station at one time ([14]).

Miil Channel (Mi’il Channel)

Miil Channel is the primary manta site during the winter season, particularly from January through April when mating activity peaks. It features impressive hard coral gardens and serves as a mating ground for mantas ([15]). Mike Veitch described encountering “30+ mantas chasing each other around in Miil Channel during a mating frenzy” as “truly a mind bending experience” during his three years on the island ([16]). He also photographed mantas hovering in the current with the sun streaming behind them at this site ([17]). In summer 2005, Tim Rock (username “doubleblue”) observed surgeonfish spawning in Miil Channel, which he described as “a wild and very milky scene” ([18]).

Veitch explained the seasonal manta pattern: “they don’t actually move away, they just go from a channel on one side of the island to a channel on the other side. We get trade winds in the winter so they go to the leeward side then, and in summer again on the leeward side” ([19]). The two channels are only about 15 minutes apart by boat ([20]).

Vertigo

Vertigo is Yap’s signature shark feed site, located on the west side of the island past the German Channel. A shallow reef meets a dramatic drop-off into deep blue water where sharks congregate. During the 2008 Manta Fest, the first week’s shark feed produced encounters with over 20 grey reef sharks and a half dozen blacktip reef sharks ([21]). Later dives at Vertigo saw 40 to 50 sharks in attendance ([22]). Tuna bait is suspended in mid water about 10 feet above the reef, and Neil Rosewarn described the experience: “Sitting behind a 10mm lens gives the impression that the bait and sharks are a good distance away… its only when you remove the camera you realise how close you are!” ([23]).

Tim Rock described Vertigo as “a superb shark venue” and photographed a split shot of a reef blacktip and grey reef shark at the site during his 2013 Aquatica AD7100 review trip ([24]). Forum members reported that tiger sharks occasionally appeared at the shark feeds ([25]).

Marty Snyderman photographed a juvenile golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus) swimming in the pressure wave of a grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) in Yap, documenting the commensal behavior ([26]).

Yap Caverns

Yap Caverns is a reef site featuring long swim-through caves with sunlight breaking through in many places, offering varied topography distinct from the channel dives ([27], [28]).

Mandarinfish Dusk Dive

Yap is described as “one of the best places on the planet to photograph mandarinfish,” which are known for their sunset mating ritual: a coordinated flutter up into the water column culminating in a release of sperm and eggs ([29]). The mandarinfish site is located near Manta Ray Bay Resort at only about 10 feet depth. Mike Veitch noted that the mandarinfish “are mating everynight” during his time on the island ([30]). Bill Macdonald described a shallow water spot near O’Keefe’s Island where Yap Divers guide Matthew took him; there he filmed mandarinfish mating twice and documented pajama cardinalfish waiting to gobble up the released eggs ([31]).

During the 2005 Yap Divers Critter Hunt, Tim Rock described the mandarinfish dives as nightly events, with mating activity being more productive around the full moon. He used center focus on the Canon 20D, waiting until the fish rose into the water column as a mating pair before blasting them with a Hartenberger focus light and firing off quick bursts with DS125 strobes at low power ([32]).

Manta Fest

Manta Fest is an annual underwater photography festival organized by Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers. The event combines diving with evening presentations, workshops, photo competitions, and cultural excursions. By 2019, it was in its twelfth year, placing its inaugural edition around 2008 ([33]).

Manta Fest 2008

The 2008 Manta Fest received extensive Wetpixel coverage. Eric Cheng served as photo pro and Mike Veitch as video pro for the first two weeks (September 3-17), with Eric Hanauer and Marty Snyderman continuing for the second two-week session (September 17 - October 2) ([34], [35]). The event was listed as one of Wetpixel’s official expeditions for the year ([36]).

Bill Acker, founder of Manta Ray Bay Hotel and described as “a legend of Micronesian diving,” kicked off the festivities ([37]). The event was hosted on the Mnuw, a phinisi-style schooner that served as the hotel’s restaurant and bar, where nightly slideshows and video presentations were shown on a large screen attached to the mast ([38]). Activities included Nitrox classes, manta awareness classes, cultural seminars, and photography workshops including Eric Cheng’s “Big Animals” slideshow, his workshop on diving Alaska, a Photoshop session on color correction for manta images, and Mike Veitch’s talk on “How to Shoot Mantas” ([39], [40], [41]). Mike Veitch also showed a 30-minute video presentation entitled “The Best of Yap,” a collection of his favorite footage from 2.5 years of filming ([42]). The dive guides for the week were Gordon and Chomed, described as “efficient manta spotters,” with dive shop manager Jan overseeing operations ([43], [44]).

Several Wetpixel members attended, including Todd Mintz (yahsemtough), who had a close encounter with a friendly manta named Valerina that hovered inches from his camera ([45]). Neil Rosewarn captured “the shot of the night” during the mandarinfish dusk dive — a portrait of a male mandarinfish on a black background ([46]). David Weekly and Chris Countryman were among other guests documented aboard the Mnuw ([47]).

The final evening slideshow featured images contributed by all participants, and the event’s closing article noted that “the quality of photos taken over the last couple of weeks was very high and it seems everyone came away with some high quality manta images as well as great macro shots” ([48]).

Manta Fest 2011

Marty Snyderman served as a judge at Manta Fest 2011, alongside Tim Rock, Ray Bullion, and Frank Schneider. Snyderman described approximately 35 to 40 attendees and noted it was his third trip to Yap, calling it “the most traditional of the major Micronesian Islands.” The event “lived up to its name— lots and lots of mantas,” along with shark dives, mandarinfish dives, and wall dives ([49]). Forum member Steve Williams noted that a photographer named Judy Bennet had won the photo competition two years in a row ([50]).

Manta Fest 2013

Tim Rock reviewed the Aquatica AD7100 housing during a trip to Yap for the annual Manta Fest, testing it at the manta cleaning station and in Miil Channel. He described Yap as “not only great for its famous mantas but also has a superb shark venue, lots of big fish schools, drop offs and some fine macro sites” ([51]).

Separately, Yap Pacific Dive Resort organized the Yap Pacific World Shoot Out 2013 photo contest, with a public vote format on Facebook. Entry was free and entrants could load one image per day; all entries had to be taken between August 15 and October 15, 2013 ([52]).

Manta Fest 2019

The 2019 edition (the twelfth) ran from August 24 to September 8 and featured presentations from David Fleetham, Frank Schneider, Tim Rock, Andreas Schumacher, Ray Bullion, and Brad Holland ([53]).

Manta and Shark Conservation

Yap was among the earliest jurisdictions to protect manta rays. The 2011 UN Convention on Migratory Species listing of the giant manta ray (Manta birostris) noted that manta rays were already protected in Yap, along with Hawaii, Maldives, Philippines, Mexico, and other locations ([54]). The manta ray eco-tourism industry globally was estimated at US$100 million per year, with destinations like Yap benefiting from the economic value of live mantas versus harvested ones ([55]).

In August 2011, the leaders of the Federated States of Micronesia and neighboring nations passed a resolution at the 15th Micronesian Chief Executive Summit to begin creating a regional shark sanctuary where shark fishing would be prohibited. The proposal also banned possession, sale, and trade of shark fins, covering a total area of two million square miles — the first cooperative agreement of its kind between regional governments ([56]). The following month, eight countries including Micronesia and Palau launched an initiative to prevent the extinction of sharks, pledging to “maintain or develop shark sanctuaries, work together internationally to ensure healthy shark populations, and advocate for better science-based precautionary protection for sharks in all international fora” ([57]).

Wetpixel Community and Yap

Mike Veitch’s Yap Years (c. 2005-2007)

Mike Veitch, Wetpixel’s video moderator, lived and worked in Yap for close to three years as photo/video pro at Manta Ray Bay Hotel. His first Wetpixel forum post from Yap, dated January 3, 2005, showed images shot with the Aquatica D70 housing, including mandarinfish (with 60mm and +4 filter), lionfish (105mm with +2), and mantas (18-70mm at 18mm) ([58]). He signed the post as “Yapmike” and noted dissatisfaction with digital wide-angle results compared to his Nikonos V and 15mm film setup ([59]).

During this period, he became one of the most prolific contributors of Yap imagery to the Wetpixel community. His posts documented the seasonal manta patterns — winter mating in Mi’il Channel, summer cleaning at Goofnuw Channel — and he shared macro work, shark encounters, and cultural observations ([60], [61], [62]). He described photographing with 25 mantas in a single dive during mating season, getting 11 in a single frame using a Nikonos V with 15mm lens, and taking a 28-minute decompression stop because “who wants to go up when mantas are travelling in a pack of 25?” ([63]). He also assembled a gallery of Yap images for the Wetpixel community, uploading over dial-up internet ([64]), and used the forums to crowdsource fish identifications from Yap’s reefs ([65]).

In September 2007, a photograph by Veitch of a traditionally-dressed Yapese girl in the jungle was featured on the cover of National Geographic Traveler, accompanying an issue on Micronesian and Polynesian destinations ([66]).

Veitch also ran photography workshops under the ShootUnderwater brand in Yap alongside Tim Rock and others. The 2006 seminar focused on photographing manta rays (July 12-19), and the 2007 Photo Week (June 22-28) featured Veitch, Rock, and Simon Buxton ([67], [68]). Sponsors included Aquatica, PADI, Magic Filters, Ikelite, Think Tank Photo, and Cressi Sub ([69]).

When Veitch departed Yap around mid-2007, Manta Ray Bay Hotel advertised for a new photo/video pro, with duties including “shooting daily videos, renting cameras, downloading photos, teaching classes, and more” ([70]).

Tim Rock and Micronesian Publications

Tim Rock (username “doubleblue”), a Micronesia-based photojournalist who lived in the region for over three decades, authored multiple books featuring Yap. His 2008 coffee table volume “Yap - Micronesian Magic” contained 333 color and black-and-white photographs across 192 large-format pages, documenting “the unique culture, natural island beauty, amazing reefs, schools of reef sharks and manta ray families” ([71]). He also authored the “Diving & Snorkeling Guide to Palau and Yap,” part of a regional guidebook series updated through 2019 and available in paperback, ebook, and through his Blurb bookstore ([72], [73], [74]). Rock was based on Guam and described as having “pioneered diving and snorkeling guides for the islands of Micronesia” ([75]).

In 2005, Rock posted Yap images shot with the Aquatica housing for Canon 20D during the Yap Divers Critter Hunt and shark feed, in a forum thread that sparked discussion of the 10.5mm fisheye, sunbursts, and the Nikon-to-Canon switch ([76]). He reviewed the Aquatica AD7100 housing during Manta Fest 2013, testing it at the manta cleaning station and in Miil Channel ([77]).

Other Photographers at Yap

Mark Thorpe (CamDiver) produced the DiveFilm Podcast Video “Critter Comforts” featuring species of Yap and Palau, which DiveFilm producer Mary Lynn Price praised as “that fine combination of images, editing and soundtrack all working together to evoke something profoundly beautiful” ([78]).

Andy Sallmon and Allison Vitsky Sallmon authored a feature on Yap in the Winter 2013 edition of DAN’s Alert Diver magazine ([79]). X-Ray Magazine featured Yap diving in Issue 66 (2015) ([80]).

Jack Connick tested the Nikon D850 and Nauticam NA-D850 housing in Yap, shooting sharks at Vertigo with a 60mm macro lens and testing mid-range zoom lenses with a 230mm dome port. He found the D850’s high resolution was less forgiving of lens quality than previous models ([81]).

Evan Sherman wrote about the value of using a 100-cubic-foot tank at Yap’s manta cleaning station, noting that he outlasted most of the group during an 80-minute dive, waiting for the mantas to arrive while other divers ran low on air ([82]).

Doug Ebersole organized a group trip of 16 friends to Palau and Yap in early 2012, following Mike Veitch’s advice to schedule around the full moon in February through April for the best manta action. “He nailed it!!!” Ebersole wrote, reporting up to 7 mantas on the cleaning station at one time and common 75-minute dives at the new shallow cleaning station ([83]).

The Digital Shootout Palau / Yap Connection

The Digital Shootout Palau events in 2005 and 2006 included a Yap component. For the 2006 event, Mike Veitch offered “a special seminar on the secrets of shooting the Mantas of Yap” for those attending the Yap portion, while Eric Cheng offered a Photoshop session on working with manta images, noting that “color correction can be a tricky thing with underwater photos and manta images present an even greater challenge” ([84]). After the 2006 Shootout, Eric Cheng traveled from Palau to Yap before continuing to ADEX Singapore ([85]).

Culture

Yap is known for its traditional stone money, men’s houses, and betel nut culture. During Manta Fest 2008, participants visited a village for traditional stick-fighting dances by village children, basket-making demonstrations, and samples of local food, as well as a stone money bank.

Note: The source article text refers to the “village of Kadai” while its photo captions say “Hadai village” — the correct spelling is unclear ([86]).

The betel nut experience — chewing betel nut with lime and pepper leaf — was described as a highlight. Eric Cheng “had his first betel nut ever” during this visit ([87], [88]).

Forum member “sharkbaitdiver” noted that Manta Ray Bay Hotel operated its own micro brewery, producing “Manta Gold” beer ([89]). Bill Macdonald praised the Mnuw’s food, declaring it had “the best french fries in the South Pacific” ([90]). Bill Acker’s daughter Valerie was described by Tim Rock as “charming” and “part fish” ([91]).

Timeline

References

Sources

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  136. Review: Aquatica AD7100 housings by Tim Rock (article) ↩
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  142. Marty Snyderman: Animal Behavior (article) ↩
  143. Freeze Frame: The Power of a Bigger Tank (article) ↩
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  158. Help with a few fish and coral from Yap (forum) ↩
  159. Aquatica Housing for 20D Yap Images (forum) ↩
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