Micronesia
Climate: The climate is tropical with lush tropical rain-forest. Warm temperatures throughout the year hover around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Water Temperature: Average yearly is a comfortable 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Time: UTC +9:00 to UTC +10:00
Language: English (official), Polynesian dialects
Currency: US Dollar accepted
Electricity: 110 Volt. U.S. Standard Plugs
Marriage Requirements: Please contact the local tourism board for instructions and requirements.
Airport(s): Pohnpei International Airport (PNI)
Hyperbaric Chamber:
Chuuk – Dr. Harmon’s Clinic
Yap – Yap Hospital
Palau – Palau Hospital
Why dive The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)? Well, there’s the virtual underwater museum at Truk (Chuuk) and the legendary Manta Ray dives in M’il Channel to start with. The warm water and high visibility seal the deal. FSM is a grouping of 607 small islands in the Western Pacific about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, lying just above the Equator. They include Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap, four main island groups of the Caroline Islands. Palau, part of the Caroline Islands, is now an independent nation, and is not considered part of Micronesia. While the country’s total land area amounts to only 270.8 square miles, it occupies more than one million square miles of the Pacific Ocean, and ranges 1,700 miles from East (Kosrae) to West (Yap). Each of the four States centers around one or more “high islands,” and all but Kosrae include numerous atolls.
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Mark H.S.
Great view from my balcony of the old ship which is permanently docked in front of the resort. It has been converted into a restaurant and bar where they serve their own brews of beer. The people were lovely and all knew my name within a day. Food was decent, but not great. The service was excellent. The diving operation is wonderful and the boat captains and the dive guides worked together around weather conditions (wind, rain and tides) to provide the best experience possible.
Mike
Manta Bay Resort was Outstanding! My room was Amazing! Deluxe ocean view room with stone shower is the best room on the resort. The staff was excellent, the dive operation first class. The diving was solid, had a great manta dive but not as many mantas as I was expecting.
Dave
Manta Ray Bay. The rooms are very nice, comfortable with good AC and have comfortable beds. The staff is friendly and efficient. The downside is their on site food, on a good day it's only fair and mostly not even that. We quickly learned to eat at other locations, along with many of the other guests.
The dive operation was also friendly and the dive guides were competent and cooperative. We had some poor vis compared to prior trips, and heard that they'd had rough weather that had caused it, especially inside on the Manta Ray trips. We dove NITROX, and were surprised to find that their tanks were consistently testing for less 02 than rated. I think it was around 28% when they were rated at 32%. Interestingly the dive ops hadn't caught that their self mixing NITROX maker was malfunctioning and we were the first to catch it. When we showed the manager he was very appologetic and embarrassed and didn't charge us the mark up for the mixed gas for the week. They also couldn't change/fix the mixture because they had to contact the manufacturer in Germany for guidance and there was a slow turn around.
Dave
Manta Ray Bay. The rooms are very nice, comfortable with good AC and have comfortable beds. The staff is friendly and efficient. The downside is their on site food, on a good day it's only fair and mostly not even that. We quickly learned to eat at other locations, along with many of the other guests. The dive operation was also friendly and the dive guides were competent and cooperative. We had some poor vis compared to prior trips, and heard that they'd had rough weather that had caused it, especially inside on the Manta Ray trips. We dove NITROX, and were surprised to find that their tanks were consistently testing for less 02 than rated. I think it was around 28% when they were rated at 32%. Interestingly the dive ops hadn't caught that their self mixing NITROX maker was malfunctioning and we were the first to catch it. When we showed the manager he was very appologetic and embarrassed and didn't charge us the mark up for the mixed gas for the week. They also couldn't change/fix the mixture because they had to contact the manufacturer in Germany for guidance and there was a slow turn around.
Mike
Manta Bay Resort was Outstanding! My room was Amazing! Deluxe ocean view room with stone shower is the best room on the resort. The staff was excellent, the dive operation first class. The diving was solid, had a great manta dive but not as many mantas as I was expecting.
Curtis
Had a very good time. Could not ask for a better location to stay. All employee's where pleased to help. Dive masters were helpful and safety first. Asked what dive sites you wanted. Rooms were very clean and very clean. Saw Mantra Ray's. Food was Good and fair priced.
Liz
Manta Ray Bay and all its employees were above our expectations. We had a wonderful room overlooking the bay which was clean and comfortable. Contrary to some reports I had read before the trip we thought the food was outstanding, and the restaurant staff very accommodating to our group of 11. Our 2 dive guides, Mike and Nico, were with our group for almost all dives. They were good spotters and very helpful, pulling up my BC so I could climb the ladder "unencumbered." Backroll entry, 1 hour+ dives, nothing very deep (about 70 feet max). A great time while there, but very long plane ride.
The Mantas of Yap
The Mantas of Yap
If you are lucky, you may have seen a manta or two while diving, but in the waters off the island of Yap, it’s not uncommon to see a dozen or so 12-18ft wide mantas slowly going past you or hovering just above the nearby coral as wrasse and other small fish dart back and forth while cleaning parasites off the mantas. There are over 100 resident mantas in the waters of Yap...
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