By James
I wanted to share my adventures snorkeling in Yap Micronesia. I’m an avid island and snorkeling fan from China. I started to love snorkeling about 10 years ago, and then explored some different islands whenever I got a chance. I learned to freedive a bit. Although I was never lucky enough to pass the test, that little skill still helped me a lot when I explored the underwater world on different islands I visited.
Micronesia is a very remote and unique island country in the world. Most people have never heard of this place. Its full name is The Federated States of Micronesia. It’s located in the west of the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator.
Getting to Micronesia isn’t easy. As far as I know, there are flights from Hawaii and the Marshall Islands to Micronesia. United Airlines operates flights from Guam to Micronesia, too. That’s about all the common flight routes I’m aware of.
Micronesia consists of 607 islands, among which the four main ones are Yap, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Kosrae. Here are their characteristics for snorkeling:
Snorkeling in Yap Micronesia
Near Yap Island, there is the legendary M’il Channel, which is a favorite diving spot for manta rays. The waters here are rich in marine life. Snorkelers may have the opportunity to swim with manta rays and other large marine animals, feeling the magic of nature.
I paid a visit to Yap Island in October 2024. This was the rainy season of the West Pacific islands. We were lucky to meet no typhoon. I stayed there for three days and went snorkeling every afternoon. It seemed to me that there was no offshore snorkeling on Yap. The dive resort I stayed in took us to the outer reef by speed boat (15-20 minutes ride) to go snorkeling every time.
We went to the famous M’il Channel and other sites. Due to the rainy season, we didn’t see dozens of mantas swim around us. We only saw one manta, several black-tip sharks (the longest was about 1.5 meters), two turtles, and one stingray. There were some medium-sized fish but not that many. Most of the corals are hard corals. However, they are not the kind of dense coral colonies that are layered and spread out continuously. Instead, they are distributed relatively scattered on the seabed. The water clarity was perfect, 20-30 meters. The water temperature back then was 28 degrees Celsius, which was quite warm.
Talking about snorkeling, my general impression of Yap is average. Maybe I didn’t go there at the right time, or maybe I was not lucky enough to see the most beautiful part of the underwater world of Yap. What I liked about Yap was that it wasn’t overly crowded. There, you could enjoy a sense of tranquility and it felt like the whole expanse of water belonged just to you. It was such a unique and wonderful feeling that made my experience there truly memorable.
Snorkeling Pohnpei Island, Micronesia
The waters around Pohnpei Island are rich in coral reefs, with a wide variety of colorful corals and tropical fish. The island is also surrounded by mangrove swamps, and the combination of land and sea scenery is unique. Kepirohi Waterfall, on the island, is a great place to get close to nature. The clear water of the waterfall and the surrounding rain forest scenery provide a beautiful background for snorkeling.
Snorkeling Chuuk Island, Micronesia
Chuuk Island is famous for its World War II shipwrecks. There are at least 15 shallow-water wrecks and sunken planes from World War II that can be explored, such as the Gosei Maru, which is only 2.5 m deep with its propellers clearly visible. The lagoon here is calm, and the healthy corals provide a good habitat for sea turtles, tuna, and dolphins. Snorkelers can not only enjoy the beautiful underwater scenery but also feel the weight of history.
Snorkeling Kosrae Island, Micronesia
Kosrae Island is surrounded by a beautiful barrier reef, especially spectacular on the south side. The visibility is incredible, usually around 100 ft. At Hiroshi Point, the favorite dive site of many people, there is a shark nursery with 5 – 25 baby black – tip reef sharks. In addition, there are some World War II wrecks in Lelu Harbor. Snorkelers can enjoy the colorful coral scenery and have the opportunity to see the wreckage of the war – era.
James, thank you for sharing your adventures snorkeling in Yap Micronesia, and your wonderful photos. Folks will find them useful. Did you visit Pohnpei, Chuuk, or Kosrae Islands yourself?
It’s a great pleasure to share my snorkeling adventures with different islands. Thanks Galen and Nicole for your outstanding work building up this community for our snorkeling lovers.
I have not yet visited Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Kosrae islands. And I’m not sure if I will go in the future. The reason is that it’s too much trouble to fly to those islands. For example, I couldn’t fly from Yap to any of those islands, because no flights were available. I would have needed to fly back to Guam and fly from there to those islands, because United Airlines is the only operator to fly to those islands. Also, the airfare is quite expensive considering the distance.
But I will share my snorkeling experience in Guam with all of you later time. It’s also an interesting island worth visiting.
At the end of this month, I will visit the Cook Islands. I will also write something about my snorkeling experiences in the Cook Islands.
Cheers.