Valley of the Rays
A channel with coral outcrops that serve as manta cleaning stations (the largest is the Merry-Go-Round, the others Carwash and Manta Rock) inside Goofnuw Channel, Yap's main summer manta site. Divers usually enter from the moorings on the south (Gagil) side, and mantas are best seen in the morning when they come to be cleaned. Current can be very strong, especially near the outer cleaning station.
Facts
- Region: Micronesia – Yap, Pohnpei & Kosrae
- Area: Yap
- Depth: 15–22 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: strong
- Type: channel, manta, drift
- Coordinates: 9.56, 138.2 (approximate)
- Highlights: manta rays, white tip sharks, octopus, pufferfish, table coral, lettuce coral
- 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: Stay low and avoid touching live coral; the guide positions the group so the mantas' approach is not blocked.