MICRONESIA, PALAU & GUAM 1/11-12/7/2014

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!
I DON'T KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS . . .
ONCE THEY CROSSED THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE,
I GAVE UP KEEPING TRACK

We were all given a welcome lei.
And in case you're wondering . . .
MICRONESIA
. . . yes, the Yapese woman was bare-breasted,
but with a big bunch of leis around her neck, it wasn't very obvious.

Arrival at Yap . . .

. . . waiting for ground transportation

Despite a comedy of errors, the diving is SPECTACULAR!
When we arrived at 1 a.m. on Tuesday,
even though we had "pre-registered",
all but one room was with king-size beds,
which had to be split and made up as twins.
By the time we got a room, got our bags to the room,
got some of our gear sorted out (because we were told
if we left our bags with dive gear in them by the front desk,
they would be delivered to the dive shop for us.
The dive shop is down a billion steps and across the road).
They had no signs in the room not to drink the tap water
so, of course, many of our group did (not yours truly).
We were told someone was supposed to pound on doors at 7 a.m.
to wake us for breakfast (didn't happen);
fortunately, Ed woke up and woke me up at 7 a.m.
However, breakfast was good (eggs, coffee, French toast,
bacon sausage, ham panecakes and water).
Split the group into two boats (great idea).
MICRONESIA

First dive "The Landing Pad" saw 50 manta, 8'-15' across.

Why Yap? The mantas! They were all around.
Males & females passing within a foot of our heads.
The largest one we saw was 15' across.
An outstanding first dive . . . worth every bit of the long journey
and minor hassles (I think of it as part of the price of admission).
MICRONESIA

Second dive was a drift dive along the reef.

Sea slug with tube feet showing front end

I did 62 and 66 minutes respectively. On the first dive,
I only used 900 lbs of air (we were in 30'-15' sea water).
The second dive was at 60';
when most of the group was on the safety stop,
I had 1150 lbs of air, so Charlie the DM (Dive Master) & I
continued diving for 15 more minutes or so.

Long-nosed butterfly fish
MICRONESIA

Charging batteries now . . . the camera's and mine
(little bit dehydrated and sleep-deprived).
Missed lunch - by the time I was clean & dry,
according to the literature in the room,
the restaurant was closed until 6 p.m.

Anemone fish

MICRONESIA

Had fresh fish (mahi mahi) for dinner.
May do an island tour tomorrow p.m.
Dive is scheduled for a.m. Maybe this time we'll have Nitrox.
We dove air today (despite offering "free Nitrox",
there were no Nitrox-filled tanks).
Excuse was that the compressor is down for parts.
If we see as many (or more) mantas as today,
all will be forgiven.

Anim Anim Anim Anim Anim

MORE FISH . . . AND STONE MONEY HERE

Anim Anim Anim Anim Anim

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS . . . ONCE THEY CROSSED THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE, I GAVE UP KEEPING TRACK
We were all given a welcome lei. And in case you're wondering . . . . . . yes, the Yapese woman was bare-breasted, but with a big bunch of leis around her neck, it wasn't very obvious. Arrival at Yap . . . . . . waiting for ground transportation Despite a comedy of errors, the diving is SPECTACULAR! When we arrived at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, even though we had "pre-registered", all but one room was with king-size beds, which had to be split and made up as twins. By the time we got a room, got our bags to the room, got some of our gear sorted out (because we were told if we left our bags with dive gear in them by the front desk, they would be delivered to the dive shop for us. The dive shop is down a billion steps and across the road). They had no signs in the room not to drink the tap water so, of course, many of our group did (not yours truly). We were told someone was supposed to pound on doors at 7 a.m. to wake us for breakfast (didn't happen); fortunately, Ed woke up and woke me up at 7 a.m. However, breakfast was good (eggs, coffee, French toast, bacon sausage, ham panecakes and water). Split the group into two boats (great idea). First dive "The Landing Pad" saw 50 manta, 8'-15' across. Why Yap? The mantas! They were all around. Males & females passing within a foot of our heads. The largest one we saw was 15' across. An outstanding first dive . . . worth every bit of the long journey and minor hassles (I think of it as part of the price of admission). Second dive was a drift dive along the reef. Sea slug with tube feet showing front end I did 62 and 66 minutes respectively. On the first dive, I only used 900 lbs of air (we were in 30'-15' sea water). The second dive was at 60'; when most of the group was on the safety stop, I had 1150 lbs of air, so Charlie the DM (Dive Master) & I continued diving for 15 more minutes or so.
Long-nosed butterfly fish
Charging batteries now . . . the camera's and mine (little bit dehydrated and sleep-deprived). Missed lunch - by the time I was clean & dry, according to the literature in the room, the restaurant was closed until 6 p.m.
	Anemone fish
Had fresh fish (mahi mahi) for dinner. May do an island tour tomorrow p.m. Dive is scheduled for a.m. Maybe this time we'll have Nitrox. We dove air today (despite offering "free Nitrox", there were no Nitrox-filled tanks). Excuse was that the compressor is down for parts. If we see as many (or more) mantas as today, all will be forgiven.