Slow & Easy
Inshore reef sloping from the surface to a sandy bottom, full of niches and ledges that shelter small and nocturnal animals – 'macro heaven' and a good night dive. Three juvenile hawksbill turtles are seen most of the time, and bumphead parrotfish or whitetip sharks occasionally visit. Entry points are buoyed and the current is mild.
Facts
- Region: Micronesia – Yap, Pohnpei & Kosrae
- Area: Yap
- Depth: 6–20 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: reef, night, muck
- Coordinates: 9.5, 138.14 (approximate)
- Highlights: hawksbill turtle, nudibranchs, leaf fish, pipefish, stonefish, whitetip reef sharks, bumphead parrotfish
- Permit: Yap's reefs and lagoon are held under customary village ownership, so diving needs the permission of the owning community, normally arranged by your dive operator. A 2017 conference presentation reported that operators pay villages access fees (e.g. US$300 per month for Goofnuw Channel, US$2 per diver at Stammtisch) and that other sites need permission but no payment. No official fee schedule could be found – ask your dive centre; the Yap Visitors Bureau can advise.
- Issuer / contact: Yap Visitors Bureau
- Phone: +691 350 5005
- Website: https://www.visityap.com
- phone from the Yap State Government notice; visityap.com blocked automated access, no official email confirmed; other notices list 350-2298
- Unverified: Position is approximate: no published GPS was found; the pin only places the site on the right part of Yap's reef (dive centre site maps are not machine-readable). Ask the dive centre for the exact mooring.
- Tips: Slow down and look closely: most of the interesting animals are small.