FISHING: Yap has two professional sportfishing charter operators — Beyond the Reef and Yap Anglers. They are locally owned and staffed, offering full service charters. Giant trevally, wahoo, blue marlin, mahi and tuna provide plenty of excitement for both seasoned veterans and novices alike. Arrangements can also be made with local guides for small boat charters through most hotels. Parrotfish, rabbitfish and snapper are commonly caught in the lagoons.

Fishing rods and tackle are available for rent locally, but the selection is probably not as broad as in more developed locations. Serious sports fishing enthusiasts are best advised to bring their own gear.

DIVING: Yap's famous manta rays and the diverse marine life that make their home in Yap's coral reefs and tidal channels have made Yap one of the fastest growing diving destinations in the world today. The clear waters and sheer drop-offs make for a spectacular variety of diving experiences, but the divers all come for one thing: Yap is the world capital of manta ray diving. Here divers can dance up close and personal with the mantas. There is no other place on earth where they can be seen on such a consistent, year-round basis. More than 45 individual mantas have been identified and given individual names, each easily recognized by the distinct markings.

Mantas are by no means all that Yap has to offer divers. Yap is located below the Pacific typhoon belt and for the same reason the mantas are on show year-round, divers can dive all year in consistent conditions. Reef sharks and big oceanic greys regularly patrol Yap's fringing reefs and have made several new sites and walls popular on the east and southeast coast. These sites also offer caverns, large gorgonian and fan corals, numerous varieties of reef fish and schools of tuna and jacks. Eagle rays also school in several areas in shallow water providing yet another exciting photographic and diving experience for divers visiting these legendary waters.

The readers of Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine recently rated Yap first for "Best Value," second for "Healthiest Marine Environment," third for "Best Place to Dive with Big Animals," fourth for "Best Dive Destination Overall," "Underwater Photography" and "Wall Diving," and fifth for "Fish Life in the Pacific Region." Manta Ray Bay Hotel was rated third for "Best Value" and the sixth "Best Dive Resort." Its Yap Divers was ranked as number 20 among dive operations worldwide.

DIVE SITES & OPERATORS:

SITES

Eagle's Nest: Eagle rays come in squadron formation to feed at this barrier reef site in 20 to 130 feet of water. They can usually be found around a coral head in 50 feet of water.

Gilman Tip: The pristine coral growth along the southernmost point of Yap's barrier reef attracts a large number of fish. Bumphead parrotfish, whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, moray eels, groupers and copper sweepers can all be seen as divers drift along in the swift current. The vertical wall is carpeted with hard and soft corals. Pilot whales can also be seen here.

Lionfish Wall: Sharks are sometimes seen resting along the bottom of this wall, which plunges from 20 to 130 feet. Lionfish can be found in the cracks and crevices of the wall. Groupers, snappers and soldierfish hunt within the coral growth along the wall.

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