Travel
Yap to host Pacific’s premier dive photography events in August and September
Yap Visitors Bureau
September 3, 2024
Vibrantly colored Mandarinfish spotted on Yap’s Reefs. (Photo: David Fleetham)
In August and September, Yap will play host to two (2) of the Pacific’s premier dive photography events, MantaFest and BlackwaterFest. Both events are organized by the island’s leading hotel and diving facility Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers, with MantaFest running from August 24th to September 8th and BlackwaterFest from September 7th – 15th.
Manta Fest is in its 17th edition and brings together amateur and professional underwater photographers and other scuba diving enthusiasts from around the world. They compete for prizes, attend workshops led by experts in the field, and take tours of the island to experience the unique attractions and culture of Yap. Daily dive trips will provide opportunities to view and photograph a variety of species in Yap’s amazing underwater world - from manta rays to sharks, turtles to bumphead parrotfish, and mandarinfish to gobies. Special night dives will also be available to provide further glimpses into Yap’s underwater hidden assets.
Japanese Flying Squid photographed on a Blackwater Dive in Yap. (Photo: David Fleetham)
Along with the usual stellar lineup of regular photo coaches attending, this year’s MantaFest will welcome Logan Wood, a well-known video producer at Ikelite. Logan is an experienced cinematographer who blends his passion for storytelling with adventure, creating content that educates and inspires an ever-growing community of underwater photographers and videographers. His work drops him into some of the most stunning environments to film, test new equipment, and hear first-hand how people are re-defining what it means to be a modern-day creative.
Following on the heels of MantaFest will be the 2nd edition of BlackwaterFest, which will run from September 7-15th and focus on deep ocean night diving. Participants will explore the waters of the “Yap Trench” in the Pacific Ocean, which reaches depths of over 9,000 meters. Here they will discover exotic creatures of the deep blue sea that are rarely seen and experience them in their natural habitat. This event will be co-hosted by Mike Bartick, a world renowned underwater photographer and a bona fide pioneer of blackwater diving. Also on hand to assist with this event will be David Fleetham, another blackwater diving expert and one of the most published underwater photographers in the world.
ABOUT YAP:
Yap is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia, in the Pacific Ocean that is ringed by spectacular coral reefs and famous for its scuba diving with giant manta rays, sharks and mandarin fish. Other key activities on the island include kayaking, hiking, deep-sea fishing and exploring the many World War II historical sites. Yap is also uniquely famous for its stone money (huge disks of stone, which are still used today in major transactions), strong traditional culture and way of life, and welcoming residents. A short flight away from Guam or Palau, this Pacific gem is one of the tourism industry’s best kept secrets. For more information: www.visityap.com.