Hello divers,
Prior to moving from Japan to the USA, my wife and I decided to take a 30+ day vacation to Micronesia given that it is much cheaper and easier to access from Japan than from the USA. We made a point of diving in each of the islands that we visited (Saipan, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Palau, and Yap) and I thought that I would take the time to share some information regarding the area and the diving before I totally forget. The timing of our visit was 9/11/03 to 10/14/03. For those interested, read on...
Saipan (9/11-9/15)
Compared to Guam, which we had been to the previous spring, Saipan seemed a surprisingly sleepy backwater. Walking about the streets of the main downtown area (known as Garapan) is a bit like walking through a ghost town. With the downturn in the economy, many shops were closed (permanently) or looked to be on the verge of becoming so. We stayed in the Saipan Ocean View Hotel for $50 per night (including airport transfer). The hotel is nothing to brag about, but if you ask for a 6th floor room (the top floor) with an ocean view, you will be able to actually see the ocean from your small balcony. The water coming out of the shower and taps is quite salty, however, we were told by our dive guide that that was not specific to our hotel, but is the general state of affairs in Saipan. The weather in Saipan was a continuous alternating pattern of sudden rain storms followed by sunny skies and steamy hot temperatures. Driving to the highest point in Saipan is a good way to visualize the weather, since you can see the clouds with their isolated rainstorms rapidly marching across the island. For diving, we went with Stingray Divers which was $50 per person (equipment included) for a single shore dive at Obyan Beach. The water was kind of murky and the coral a bit on the gray side (not surprising, given the number of people who dive here), but it was OK as a warm up for future dives to come.
Koshrae (9/15-9/20)
With only 7,000 or so people on the whole island, Koshrae makes Saipan look like a real happening kind of place. Not surprisingly, there are very little in the way of facilities on Koshrae. We stayed at the fanciest place on the island, the Koshrae Nautilus Resort, for $100 per night. With only one other tourist class hotel and a couple of local hotels, there really isnt a lot to choose from. Even the fancy Koshrae Nautilus Resort is nothing more than a row of single-story concrete block rooms with basic furnishings, although there is a small pool, restaurant, and nice landscaping. The owner is a fairly friendly Aussie known as Geoff. The weather in Koshrae was similar to that in Saipan, i.e., an alternation of sunshine and brief, but fierce showers. Our first full day in Koshrae we went snorkeling in the Blue Hole which is located in the ocean area just across the road from the Nautilus. The hole is pretty huge, and takes about 2 hours to snorkel all the way round. The most notable feature was the quantity of puffer fish. Millions of the goggle-eyed creatures ranging from a few inches to a couple of feet in length. Our only diving was a two-tank boat dive ($95 per person including BCD and regulator) with both dives being at Hiroshi Point. Given the small number of tourists in Koshrae, it was not surprising that we were the only divers out on the water. Visibility in the crystal-clear waters was excellent at around 150 feet and there was an incredible diversity of hard corals (although not many fish). Probably the most impressive feature was the multitude of colorful Christmas tree worms embedded in the large coral heads. Water temperature was a balmy 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pohnpei (9/20-9/25)
We stayed at the Ocean View Plaza Hotel for $84 per night (incl. Tax) double occupancy. The spacious room was a self-contained condo-style unit with a large balcony giving an awesome view of Sokehs Rocks and the lagoon. Except for the ants (!), I would highly recommend this place for the reasonable price and great views.
We did a two-tank boat dive with the Village Hotel for $75 per person ($65 + $10 for BCD/reg). The first dive was a drift dive in heavy current at Tawak Channel. The first part of the dive is probably the best, hanging on to the coral at the entrance to the channel and watching sharks, turtles, and large fish dart about. The second part, the drift along the channel is OK, but nothing spectacular. Visibility was around 60-70 feet. The second dive was at Palikir Channel. According to the guidebooks and the owner of the Village Hotel, there is always a group of 50-100 sharks in the channel, which is supposed to be the highlight. Unfortunately, when we went, there was very little current and the water was murky with visibility not exceeding 30-40 feet. Although we never saw the sharks (which was disappointing), we did see a large school of 2-3 foot barracudas which was fairly impressive. So the moral of the tale is dont go in a slack current.
Besides the diving, we also did a one-day kayak tour to the Nan Maidol ruins through the Village Hotel. The cost of the trip is $50 per person and includes a trip to a waterfall, snorkeling, lunch on a deserted isle, and, of course, kayaking among the ruins of Nan Maidol. For us, this was more enjoyable and interesting than the diving.
Chuuk (9/25-9/30)
We stayed at the Truk Stop Hotel and, after bargaining, got an ocean view room for $77 per night (the usual low-season rate for a non-view room). Given the spectacular sunset and evening views over the lagoon, an ocean view room is definitely recommended. The Truk Stop Hotel has its own dive shop charging $84 for a two-tank dive plus $20 for a BCD and regulator. Accordingly, we decided to go with Sun Dance Tours (which is next door to the Truk Stop in a totally non-descript building) which was charging $50 plus $15 for the BCD/Reg. Our guide was a guy known as Carlos who has been guiding for 15 years. He seemed to really know his stuff and we would heartily recommend him. Since there is not a lot to do in Chuuk, we decided to do three days of diving as follows:
Day 1:
The night before there had been a fierce storm with thunder and lightning that must have been near-typhoon strength. Pretty interesting to watch, but made us fear for the next days diving conditions. Luckily we awoke in the morning to a mixture of clouds and sun, but no rain.
Fujikawa Maru. Although the lagoon was a bit choppy, this was a superb dive and certainly our favorite. Schooling fish (jacks and barracudas) are everywhere, occasional sharks cruise by, and the coral is quite nice. What more could you ask for? Well, the zeroes are still in the hold and the upper deck rooms are crammed with clouds of baitfish so thick it seems the water itself has been crowded out. Cool!
Kansho Maru. Not nearly as many fish as Fujikawa and a bit dark and murky. Due to my wife having problems equalizing, we werent able to do any penetration diving.
Day 2:
Again, there had been a pretty fierce storm the night before, however, the lagoon was glass smooth.
Shinkoku Maru. Water was quite murky with visibility around 40 feet. Lots of beautiful soft corals adorn the wreck, but there were not nearly as many fish as the Fujikawa.
Suzuki Destroyer. This was a snorkel during lunch to gas out. The Suzuki was a destroyer that had been converted into a small patrol boat. The bow comes within 10ft of the surface. In general, there was not much in the way of superstructure, corals, or fish, so I wouldnt recommend diving it.
Heian Maru. This one lies on its port side and is the largest intact wreck at over 500 feet. Again, the water was very murky with visibility around 40 feet. Light penetration diving in the front cargo hold leads to a bunch of torpedoes heaped against the side of the wall. Since the ship is on its side, the huge screws at its stern are easy to see and pretty impressive.
Day 3:
We woke up to some very ominous thick black clouds that seemed to encircle the lagoon. Nonetheless, since it was our last day for diving, we decided to risk the chance of cold rains and stormy weather and do a couple of shallow dives.
Zero Fighter and Betty Bomber. The zero fighter is upside down in 20 feet of water. Notwithstanding the overall threatening weather conditions and the rain from the previous night, the water was clearer than expected (50-60 ft visibility). We only dove for 10 minutes on the zero, but it was a nice little dive with lots of coral around the wreck and dainty fish darting in and out. The Betty Bomber is about one minute away by boat and sits upright on the sandy bottom. The large fuselage makes for an interesting and easy swim-through and includes some interesting fish hiding inside. A great place for some shallow water pictures.
Sankisan Maru. The Sankisan sits upright in about 65 feet of water. The rigging (or smoke stacks?) comes within a few meters of the surface and is covered by a fascinating diversity of hard and soft corals attracting many colorful fish. This delightful microcosm itself could be worth a dive for those with time to spare. The hold contains thousands of bullets and some truck frames which are easily accessible from the top. This was undoubtedly are second-most favorite of the dives done.
Palau (9/30-10/08)
Although Palau is a world-famous dive spot, surprisingly, there are not a lot of dive operators to choose from. We went with Neco Marine and were quite impressed with the service and nice equipment. Of course at $99.50 for a two-tank dive and an additional $30 for BCD/Reg/Wetsuit it was not exactly cheap either. The water is noticeably cooler than Koshrae, Pohnpei, or Chuuk, so a 3mm wetsuit is definitely recommended. We also would recommend Ernan and Miwa as excellent guides. Overall we went diving on three days and spent the other days exploring around Palau or just hanging out. The weather was generally pretty nice with only 1-2 days of rain (although we had heard that the week before we arrived was rainy the whole time) and some occasional showers, but it does get stinking hot during the midday sun. Our dive days were as follows:
Day 1:
Oolong Channel. Weather was sunny and visibility was around 80 feet, so we were looking forward to some pretty impressive diving, especially given all we had heard about Palaus spectacular corals. Probably due to heightened expectations, however, we were disappointed. In general, the underwater scenery here was gray and not particularly colorful. Fish also were mostly small tropicals and nothing spectacular. The last part of the dive is over a shallowish area where the current whips you along, at the end of which are a couple of giant three-foot clams.
Saies Tunnel. Since the wife is not entirely comfortable with tricky diving, we did not go into the tunnel but swam along the wall at 60 feet. An OK dive, but again, not overly impressed after so much build-up of expectations.
Day 2:
Today, went by myself and the wife stayed in town.
Blue Holes. Beautiful weather meant for some impressive atmospheric lighting inside the cavern and water of crystalline clarity. Exiting the cavern through a hole at 80 feet leads to the wall heading to Blue Corner. First sight on exiting the cavern was a large sea turtle gracefully swimming along the wall. The wall is alive with clouds of butterfly fish and patrolled by reef sharks. Pretty awesome stuff.
Blue Corner. Swam along the wall at 60-70 feet for twenty minutes to get to the corner. There was not a lot of current at the corner, so a reef hook was not absolutely necessary, but it was helpful to maintain position in the slight current. The show was great with lots of sharks cruising by at arms length in front of your face as you float suspended by the reef hook. There were also clouds of all variety and manner of schooling fish. Real impressive. Funniest part was a huge goggle-eyed green Napoleon wrasse that seems as comfortable with humans as a house pet. It even let one of the dive guides embrace it around the neck and mid-section and twirl about as if engaged in an underwater dance. Laughed in my regulator when I saw that! After the corner we swam along the reeftop, spotting 3-4 sea turtles, one of which allowed us to approach within two feet or so and engage in some close observation.
Jellyfish Lake: On the way back, we stopped for a snorkel in Jellyfish Lake. This is a freshwater lake on one of the Rock Islands and contains millions of orange jellyfish that have lost their ability to sting. Swimming in the orange sea of jellyfish is a very unique, if kind of eerie experience (especially when you think about the crocs that are also supposed to inhabit these murky 10 foot visibility waters!).
Day 3:
Blue Corner: After hearing me rave about Blue Corner, the wife decided to come along today. Unfortunately, there was absolutely zero current when we went, which meant for a pretty lackluster performance at the corner as fish were scattered about and the visibility was not as good as the previous day. The most impressive thing for me was a huge school of barracuda that slowly flowed over the reef like a river of silver lava. On the reef top we also spotted at least half a dozen sea turtles lounging about. Although I had much preferred the previous day (and would really like to see it during a strong current period for which it is most famous), the wife was duly impressed.
New Drop Off: This was a wall with a viewing platform similar to Blue Corner. There were impressive schools of fish. Highly recommended.
Yap (10/8-10/12)
A very laid-back type of place. It would be difficult to say who would win in a contest for most island-pace lifestyle, Yap or Koshrae. We stayed in an apartment arranged through EMI over the internet for $40 per night. Since Yap still has plenty of traditional culture (including thatched roof housing, stone money, etc.), the cultural aspects are probably more interesting than the diving. We only did one two-tank dive with Yap Divers at the Manta Ray Bay Hotel. Price was around $120 including BCD/Reg/wetsuit. In general, we didnt think much of the dive operation (which had an air of we dont care if you dive with us or not, cause someone else will, since were the biggest) or the diving. As many know, Yap is famous for mantas, so our two dives were done in the two channels where they are most often seen (Mil Channel and Goofnuw Channel). The water in the channels was pretty murky and the underwater life not particularly impressive. If not for spotting a couple of mantas at close range (which IS impressive) on the second dive in Goofnuw Channel, I would have considered the diving a waste of money. Certainly, if one were to come here expressly for diving, it would be best to come in the manta high-season.
After Yap we headed back to Saipan for a couple of days and then on to the USA via Japan. All in all, it was a nice, if somewhat pricey excursion, with each island offering a distinct experience. If anyone has further questions, feel free to post them to this list or to write me at joelawyer at hotmail.com.
Happy diving,
Joe
Prior to moving from Japan to the USA, my wife and I decided to take a 30+ day vacation to Micronesia given that it is much cheaper and easier to access from Japan than from the USA. We made a point of diving in each of the islands that we visited (Saipan, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Palau, and Yap) and I thought that I would take the time to share some information regarding the area and the diving before I totally forget. The timing of our visit was 9/11/03 to 10/14/03. For those interested, read on...
Saipan (9/11-9/15)
Compared to Guam, which we had been to the previous spring, Saipan seemed a surprisingly sleepy backwater. Walking about the streets of the main downtown area (known as Garapan) is a bit like walking through a ghost town. With the downturn in the economy, many shops were closed (permanently) or looked to be on the verge of becoming so. We stayed in the Saipan Ocean View Hotel for $50 per night (including airport transfer). The hotel is nothing to brag about, but if you ask for a 6th floor room (the top floor) with an ocean view, you will be able to actually see the ocean from your small balcony. The water coming out of the shower and taps is quite salty, however, we were told by our dive guide that that was not specific to our hotel, but is the general state of affairs in Saipan. The weather in Saipan was a continuous alternating pattern of sudden rain storms followed by sunny skies and steamy hot temperatures. Driving to the highest point in Saipan is a good way to visualize the weather, since you can see the clouds with their isolated rainstorms rapidly marching across the island. For diving, we went with Stingray Divers which was $50 per person (equipment included) for a single shore dive at Obyan Beach. The water was kind of murky and the coral a bit on the gray side (not surprising, given the number of people who dive here), but it was OK as a warm up for future dives to come.
Koshrae (9/15-9/20)
With only 7,000 or so people on the whole island, Koshrae makes Saipan look like a real happening kind of place. Not surprisingly, there are very little in the way of facilities on Koshrae. We stayed at the fanciest place on the island, the Koshrae Nautilus Resort, for $100 per night. With only one other tourist class hotel and a couple of local hotels, there really isnt a lot to choose from. Even the fancy Koshrae Nautilus Resort is nothing more than a row of single-story concrete block rooms with basic furnishings, although there is a small pool, restaurant, and nice landscaping. The owner is a fairly friendly Aussie known as Geoff. The weather in Koshrae was similar to that in Saipan, i.e., an alternation of sunshine and brief, but fierce showers. Our first full day in Koshrae we went snorkeling in the Blue Hole which is located in the ocean area just across the road from the Nautilus. The hole is pretty huge, and takes about 2 hours to snorkel all the way round. The most notable feature was the quantity of puffer fish. Millions of the goggle-eyed creatures ranging from a few inches to a couple of feet in length. Our only diving was a two-tank boat dive ($95 per person including BCD and regulator) with both dives being at Hiroshi Point. Given the small number of tourists in Koshrae, it was not surprising that we were the only divers out on the water. Visibility in the crystal-clear waters was excellent at around 150 feet and there was an incredible diversity of hard corals (although not many fish). Probably the most impressive feature was the multitude of colorful Christmas tree worms embedded in the large coral heads. Water temperature was a balmy 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pohnpei (9/20-9/25)
We stayed at the Ocean View Plaza Hotel for $84 per night (incl. Tax) double occupancy. The spacious room was a self-contained condo-style unit with a large balcony giving an awesome view of Sokehs Rocks and the lagoon. Except for the ants (!), I would highly recommend this place for the reasonable price and great views.
We did a two-tank boat dive with the Village Hotel for $75 per person ($65 + $10 for BCD/reg). The first dive was a drift dive in heavy current at Tawak Channel. The first part of the dive is probably the best, hanging on to the coral at the entrance to the channel and watching sharks, turtles, and large fish dart about. The second part, the drift along the channel is OK, but nothing spectacular. Visibility was around 60-70 feet. The second dive was at Palikir Channel. According to the guidebooks and the owner of the Village Hotel, there is always a group of 50-100 sharks in the channel, which is supposed to be the highlight. Unfortunately, when we went, there was very little current and the water was murky with visibility not exceeding 30-40 feet. Although we never saw the sharks (which was disappointing), we did see a large school of 2-3 foot barracudas which was fairly impressive. So the moral of the tale is dont go in a slack current.
Besides the diving, we also did a one-day kayak tour to the Nan Maidol ruins through the Village Hotel. The cost of the trip is $50 per person and includes a trip to a waterfall, snorkeling, lunch on a deserted isle, and, of course, kayaking among the ruins of Nan Maidol. For us, this was more enjoyable and interesting than the diving.
Chuuk (9/25-9/30)
We stayed at the Truk Stop Hotel and, after bargaining, got an ocean view room for $77 per night (the usual low-season rate for a non-view room). Given the spectacular sunset and evening views over the lagoon, an ocean view room is definitely recommended. The Truk Stop Hotel has its own dive shop charging $84 for a two-tank dive plus $20 for a BCD and regulator. Accordingly, we decided to go with Sun Dance Tours (which is next door to the Truk Stop in a totally non-descript building) which was charging $50 plus $15 for the BCD/Reg. Our guide was a guy known as Carlos who has been guiding for 15 years. He seemed to really know his stuff and we would heartily recommend him. Since there is not a lot to do in Chuuk, we decided to do three days of diving as follows:
Day 1:
The night before there had been a fierce storm with thunder and lightning that must have been near-typhoon strength. Pretty interesting to watch, but made us fear for the next days diving conditions. Luckily we awoke in the morning to a mixture of clouds and sun, but no rain.
Fujikawa Maru. Although the lagoon was a bit choppy, this was a superb dive and certainly our favorite. Schooling fish (jacks and barracudas) are everywhere, occasional sharks cruise by, and the coral is quite nice. What more could you ask for? Well, the zeroes are still in the hold and the upper deck rooms are crammed with clouds of baitfish so thick it seems the water itself has been crowded out. Cool!
Kansho Maru. Not nearly as many fish as Fujikawa and a bit dark and murky. Due to my wife having problems equalizing, we werent able to do any penetration diving.
Day 2:
Again, there had been a pretty fierce storm the night before, however, the lagoon was glass smooth.
Shinkoku Maru. Water was quite murky with visibility around 40 feet. Lots of beautiful soft corals adorn the wreck, but there were not nearly as many fish as the Fujikawa.
Suzuki Destroyer. This was a snorkel during lunch to gas out. The Suzuki was a destroyer that had been converted into a small patrol boat. The bow comes within 10ft of the surface. In general, there was not much in the way of superstructure, corals, or fish, so I wouldnt recommend diving it.
Heian Maru. This one lies on its port side and is the largest intact wreck at over 500 feet. Again, the water was very murky with visibility around 40 feet. Light penetration diving in the front cargo hold leads to a bunch of torpedoes heaped against the side of the wall. Since the ship is on its side, the huge screws at its stern are easy to see and pretty impressive.
Day 3:
We woke up to some very ominous thick black clouds that seemed to encircle the lagoon. Nonetheless, since it was our last day for diving, we decided to risk the chance of cold rains and stormy weather and do a couple of shallow dives.
Zero Fighter and Betty Bomber. The zero fighter is upside down in 20 feet of water. Notwithstanding the overall threatening weather conditions and the rain from the previous night, the water was clearer than expected (50-60 ft visibility). We only dove for 10 minutes on the zero, but it was a nice little dive with lots of coral around the wreck and dainty fish darting in and out. The Betty Bomber is about one minute away by boat and sits upright on the sandy bottom. The large fuselage makes for an interesting and easy swim-through and includes some interesting fish hiding inside. A great place for some shallow water pictures.
Sankisan Maru. The Sankisan sits upright in about 65 feet of water. The rigging (or smoke stacks?) comes within a few meters of the surface and is covered by a fascinating diversity of hard and soft corals attracting many colorful fish. This delightful microcosm itself could be worth a dive for those with time to spare. The hold contains thousands of bullets and some truck frames which are easily accessible from the top. This was undoubtedly are second-most favorite of the dives done.
Palau (9/30-10/08)
Although Palau is a world-famous dive spot, surprisingly, there are not a lot of dive operators to choose from. We went with Neco Marine and were quite impressed with the service and nice equipment. Of course at $99.50 for a two-tank dive and an additional $30 for BCD/Reg/Wetsuit it was not exactly cheap either. The water is noticeably cooler than Koshrae, Pohnpei, or Chuuk, so a 3mm wetsuit is definitely recommended. We also would recommend Ernan and Miwa as excellent guides. Overall we went diving on three days and spent the other days exploring around Palau or just hanging out. The weather was generally pretty nice with only 1-2 days of rain (although we had heard that the week before we arrived was rainy the whole time) and some occasional showers, but it does get stinking hot during the midday sun. Our dive days were as follows:
Day 1:
Oolong Channel. Weather was sunny and visibility was around 80 feet, so we were looking forward to some pretty impressive diving, especially given all we had heard about Palaus spectacular corals. Probably due to heightened expectations, however, we were disappointed. In general, the underwater scenery here was gray and not particularly colorful. Fish also were mostly small tropicals and nothing spectacular. The last part of the dive is over a shallowish area where the current whips you along, at the end of which are a couple of giant three-foot clams.
Saies Tunnel. Since the wife is not entirely comfortable with tricky diving, we did not go into the tunnel but swam along the wall at 60 feet. An OK dive, but again, not overly impressed after so much build-up of expectations.
Day 2:
Today, went by myself and the wife stayed in town.
Blue Holes. Beautiful weather meant for some impressive atmospheric lighting inside the cavern and water of crystalline clarity. Exiting the cavern through a hole at 80 feet leads to the wall heading to Blue Corner. First sight on exiting the cavern was a large sea turtle gracefully swimming along the wall. The wall is alive with clouds of butterfly fish and patrolled by reef sharks. Pretty awesome stuff.
Blue Corner. Swam along the wall at 60-70 feet for twenty minutes to get to the corner. There was not a lot of current at the corner, so a reef hook was not absolutely necessary, but it was helpful to maintain position in the slight current. The show was great with lots of sharks cruising by at arms length in front of your face as you float suspended by the reef hook. There were also clouds of all variety and manner of schooling fish. Real impressive. Funniest part was a huge goggle-eyed green Napoleon wrasse that seems as comfortable with humans as a house pet. It even let one of the dive guides embrace it around the neck and mid-section and twirl about as if engaged in an underwater dance. Laughed in my regulator when I saw that! After the corner we swam along the reeftop, spotting 3-4 sea turtles, one of which allowed us to approach within two feet or so and engage in some close observation.
Jellyfish Lake: On the way back, we stopped for a snorkel in Jellyfish Lake. This is a freshwater lake on one of the Rock Islands and contains millions of orange jellyfish that have lost their ability to sting. Swimming in the orange sea of jellyfish is a very unique, if kind of eerie experience (especially when you think about the crocs that are also supposed to inhabit these murky 10 foot visibility waters!).
Day 3:
Blue Corner: After hearing me rave about Blue Corner, the wife decided to come along today. Unfortunately, there was absolutely zero current when we went, which meant for a pretty lackluster performance at the corner as fish were scattered about and the visibility was not as good as the previous day. The most impressive thing for me was a huge school of barracuda that slowly flowed over the reef like a river of silver lava. On the reef top we also spotted at least half a dozen sea turtles lounging about. Although I had much preferred the previous day (and would really like to see it during a strong current period for which it is most famous), the wife was duly impressed.
New Drop Off: This was a wall with a viewing platform similar to Blue Corner. There were impressive schools of fish. Highly recommended.
Yap (10/8-10/12)
A very laid-back type of place. It would be difficult to say who would win in a contest for most island-pace lifestyle, Yap or Koshrae. We stayed in an apartment arranged through EMI over the internet for $40 per night. Since Yap still has plenty of traditional culture (including thatched roof housing, stone money, etc.), the cultural aspects are probably more interesting than the diving. We only did one two-tank dive with Yap Divers at the Manta Ray Bay Hotel. Price was around $120 including BCD/Reg/wetsuit. In general, we didnt think much of the dive operation (which had an air of we dont care if you dive with us or not, cause someone else will, since were the biggest) or the diving. As many know, Yap is famous for mantas, so our two dives were done in the two channels where they are most often seen (Mil Channel and Goofnuw Channel). The water in the channels was pretty murky and the underwater life not particularly impressive. If not for spotting a couple of mantas at close range (which IS impressive) on the second dive in Goofnuw Channel, I would have considered the diving a waste of money. Certainly, if one were to come here expressly for diving, it would be best to come in the manta high-season.
After Yap we headed back to Saipan for a couple of days and then on to the USA via Japan. All in all, it was a nice, if somewhat pricey excursion, with each island offering a distinct experience. If anyone has further questions, feel free to post them to this list or to write me at joelawyer at hotmail.com.
Happy diving,
Joe
