I’d say it’s all the cleaning station’s fault: Five days of constant manta encounters take their too, especially if they take place in between 12 and 30 ft  depth and allow bottom times of 80+ minutes. Only in the afternoons, when the rays tend to be less active, the boats went out to different spots approved by our guests.
And what would make more sense to switch from XL to XS. Guided by our veteran photogs Tim Rock, Marty Snyderman and Frank Schneider, the photographing guests explored the macro spot „Slow & Easy“ in the resort’s backyard. Snow-white mantis shrimps, gobies & shrimps living in symbiosis, pipe fishes, cleaner shrimps on duty in a fat moray’s mouth and an array of nudibranches kept still and were shot from all sides.

True critter delicacies were brought up by Tim Rock later that day after he went on a little discovery next to the bow of Manta Ray’s restaurant ship Mnuw: Not only mandarinfishes and cowries were sighted, but a photogenic while strange species of shrimp with furry legs. Later on, there was much discussion about the species’s identity during dinner aboard the restaurant ship, but only until Manta Ray Bay’s very own rite of passage was due… One or two fresh beers from the resort’s own micro-brewery might have helped, but nearly every repeater will underline that vacation in Yap is just not the same without that dive off the 30ft high top deck into the lagoon….

Some photographic treats can be seen on the individual facebook sites of Tim Rock and Frank Schneider. Further information: www.mantafest.com, www.mantaray.com