4 or 7 Nights at Yap Pacific Dive Resort on Yap
Registration closed on January 4, 2014
This 4-night or 7-night dive excursion provides an opportunity to experience Micronesia on the exotic island of Yap, known not only for spectacular schooling manta ray encounters but also for a rich, intact indigenous native culture, still practiced today, and a fascinating history of stone money. In addition, many endemic marine species are found only on the warm, clear reefs, walls and channels of Yap. Common sightings include sharks, dolphins, pilot whales, turtles, rays, cuttlefish and large schools of fish, plus plenty of macro life like porcelain crabs, anemone shrimp, gobies, seahorses, and dragonets. Even better, Northern California Rainbow Divers has scheduled this trip to coincide with the mantas' and sharks' mating season! While we may not observe actual mating, these magnificent animals should be present in greater numbers than usual.
We'll stay at the gorgeously romantic Yap Pacific Dive Resort on the island of Yap, voted best resort in Micronesia every year from 2005-2012 and reknowned for its fine food, lushness and spectacular views of Chamorro Bay. We have room for sixteen LGBT divers and our friends, though our time at Yap Pacific Dive Resort may not be exclusively LGBT. We'll occupy most of the resort but may share our dive paradise with few others who have signed on independently with the resort.
Yap is well known for its large resident population of manta rays that reliably can be found at known cleaning stations in the protected channels of the barrier reef, where the mantas often pass within inches of divers' heads. These mantas range in size from 8 to 14 feet across. There are also dive sites known for good shark action as well as critter dives for hawksbill turtles and smaller animals like ghost pipefish, squat lobsters, mantis shrimp, banded pipefish, razorfish, soft coral crabs, and a variety of nudibranchs. In short, Yap is a world-class dive destination!
In addition to diving, we'll explore Yap's thriving cultural heritage through an authentic dance performance and a half-day island tour to see stone money banks, traditional houses and WWII artifacts. Divers on our 7-night package will have a special opportunity to visit the "Forbidden Island" of Rumung, which is closed to foreigners except by invitation, to ensure the preservation of Yapese traditional way of life and culture. Rumung's 300 inhabitants consider themselves Outer Islanders, resistant to visitors (including other Yapese), and continue to live without running water and electricity as has been tradition for hundreds of years.
DIVING CONDITIONS
Yap diving really is one of the world's best kept secrets! Chances are you and your dive buddies may typically be the only divers exploring the reef at your dive site. The tropical waters of Yap are consistently warm year-round in the range of 80-82ºF. Our package includes 2 day-boat dives a day, and most divers find a 3mm wetsuit comfortable. We also plan to go out at dusk one evening, conditions permitting, to see the amazingly colorful and hopefully mating mandarinfish. Yap diving is generally easy and relaxed, although at times there may be currents.
The Diving Center is an easy, short walk from the hotel. All diving will be done from covered dive speedboats, with typically 4-6 divers per boat, using an easy backward roll for entering the water and a sturdy, well-crafted ladder for exiting the water. All dives are guided by experienced divemasters from the resort.
After the second dive of the day, the crew will bring you back to the Diving Center, then unload, rinse and hang your gear for you while you relax and enjoy your vacation!
EXTENDING YOUR TRIP
You might like to join us the following week for a Palau liveaboard from March 16-23, 2014, and for 8 nights in Truk Lagoon, aka Chuuk from March 23-31, 2014. Combining our time in Yap with these LGBT dive excursions would leverage the time and cost of getting to Micronesia by giving you an opportunity to experience distinctly different regions and underwater environments within Micronesia.
INCLUDED:
- ground transfers between the resort and Yap airport
- 4 or 7 nights at Yap Pacific Dive Resort in an air-conditioned Veranda Ocean Room, double-occupancy with WiFi internet reception, private veranda and late check-out on Saturday, March 15
- breakfast, lunch and dinner
- (4 nights) three days of 2-tank day-boat diving -------OR------- (7 nights) six days of 2-tank day-boat diving
- dusk dive to observe mating behavior of colorful mandarinfish
- air fills and use of tanks, weights and weight belt
- free Nitrox for divers certified to use it
- divemaster and dive guide services as provided by the resort
- traditional Yapese dance performance
- farewell beach BBQ and party
- half-day land tour of Yap
- (7 nights only) excursion to the Forbidden Island of Rumung
- one night's lodging upon our arrival into Koror, just prior to our Palau liveaboard on March 16
NOT INCLUDED:
- optional dive gear rental
- optional dive courses
- optional excursions
- international or Micronesia domestic flights to/from Yap
- alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
- Yap airport departure taxes
- tips or dive crew gratuities
- any items of a personal nature
- travel or dive accident insurance, or medical evacuation
FLIGHTS:
You should plan to arrive in Yap on Saturday, March 8, 2014, for the 7-night package or on Tuesday, March 11, for the 4-night package. Most likely you will arrive in the wee morning hours. Diving will begin after morning breakfast following our arrival.
Because we will cross the international date line on our international flights to/from Micronesia, U.S. residents may need to begin travel as early as March 7, 2014, to arrive in Yap late on March 8 for the 7-night package, or, begin travel by March 10 to arrive in Yap in the wee hours of March 12 for the 4-night package.
Our outbound flight will leave Yap in the late evening hours of Saturday, March 15, 2014, to continue onward to Palau. Both Yap packages include late hotel check-out on Saturday, March 15, until our transfer time around 9:00 p.m. to leave for Yap airport. Our packages also include one night's hotel lodging in Koror upon our arrival into Palau.
Multiple air carriers fly into Micronesia, but United Airlines has a monopoly on domestic flights within Micronesia and is the only airline that flies into/out of Yap. If you might like to use frequent flyer miles, the best way to get to Yap from the U.S. may be to fly into Honolulu, Guam, Manila or Tokyo using your preferred U.S. carrier, then switch to United Airlines for the Micronesia portion of your trip. Star Alliance also offers a special Micronesia AirPass for island hopping within Micronesia on United Airlines.
CAVEATS:
Please do not commit to air flights or other logistical arrangements until you have received confirmation of your space from the Trip Leader once your initial deposit has been received.
All divers on this trip should have good buoyancy skills. Divers are required to carry valid, in-force dive accident insurance, such as may be obtained from Divers' Alert Network (DAN).
Divers must agree to NCRD's Event Terms and Conditions to participate in this trip.
PRICE:
USD $1,425 per person, 4 nights, Double-Occupancy Room
USD $2,150 per person, 7 nights, Double-Occupancy Room
This a specially discounted price for members of Northern California Rainbow Divers. If you are not a paid member of this safety-minded, fun-loving club, please consider joining in order to sign up for this trip.
PAYMENT PLAN:
| |
|
4 nights
|
7 nights
|
| 1st: |
At registration
|
USD $300
|
USD $450 |
| 2nd: |
July 15, 2013
|
USD $300
|
USD $425 |
| 3rd: |
Sept 15, 2013
|
USD $275
|
USD $425 |
| 4th: |
Nov. 15, 2013 |
USD $275
|
USD $425 |
5th:
|
Jan.15, 2014
|
USD $275
|
USD $425 |
PAYMENTS:
Trip payments may be made by PayPal or by personal check. The price is the same regardless of payment method. Please consider using PayPal, as electronic payment greatly simplifies the work of our volunteers. Please send PayPal payments to this address: paypal@rainbowdivers.org
If paying by check, please make payable to NCRD and send to:
NCRD
3600 Forest Avenue
South Lake Tahoe CA 96150
