diving7seas – Special Edition YAP / ENGLISH | Page 62

Expedition into the Pacific
diving7seas
Yap Outer Islands

Expedition into the Pacific

By Paul Munzinger
Ulithi-Atoll und Ngulu-Atoll – never heard about ? They are also part of Yap State , but until today they are touristic „ No Man ‘ s Land “
To dive there , where hardly anyone has been before , that would be like fulfilling a dream . Logically , when the liveaboard ship „ Ocean Hunter “ from Fish`n Fins offered such trips years ago , the turns were fully booked .
There are several channels in the 22 miles long Ulithi Atoll , about 112 miles northeast of Yap . Agony of choice : which one do you take ? We choose the Dao Channel , where it draws powerful . Swarms of tunas and barracudas revolve around the many rodent corals , whitetip sharks dozing along with dozens of lobsters under rocks .
Unfortunately , the reef has been smashed by a typhoon , but it is under construction again . So , better to head back into the channels . The Eau Channel has a nice hard coral reef with hydro corals between the canyons , but on the other hand only few fish . One evening we learn what life is like on the Outer Island . A local
Langusten wissen schon , warum sie sich verstecken ; die Bewohner der Outer Islands sind Selbstversorger
guy swims almost a mile to our anchor place just to ask for some cigarettes . Our remarks that it might be dangerous what he does is answered with „ at daytime it ‘ s too dangerous , but at night the sharks do not see me !“ We smile secretly and notice how far away we are from the so-called civilization . How simple people still live here , becomes clear to us when visiting the island the next days .
Our captain has to request a permission for each dive , as the sea belongs to the tribes . It is a formality that demands respect , but small gifts are happily accepted .
Close by , the unspectacular 450 feet long wreck of the „ Mississinewa “ rests on 120 feet . Where it has been hit by a kamikaze torpedo , now live blue-throated snapper and batfish .
To the southwest , in Ngulu Atoll , you ‘ r out in the sticks as well . Only a dozen people live on the main island , mostly with a betel nut between their teeth . But here , too , the dive sites are a hit neither in the West nor in the East Channel .
Conclusion : our selected spots are quite low on the list compared to the top spots of Yap Island . Far away does not automatically mean best diving .
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