Mantas and More at Yap Foto Fest

Staff · Issue 32, Sep/Oct 2006 · pp. 44–45

The First Annual Yap Digital Foto Fest hosted by the Manta Ray Bay Hotel has been deemed a success as students turned out some stunning shots of manta rays, mandarinfish and some special reef creatures during the week long event. Tim Rock, Lonely Planet author/photographer of many books on Micronesia, Mike Veitch, head of Manta Visions at Yap Divers, Chris Bangs, Guam-based pro and assistant to Wyland and Bill Acker, Yap’s diving pioneer, were on the teaching staff. Some of Yap’s best guides also joined the group to find special creatures and the best conditions. The eager students from such locales as the US, Guam and Europe participated in a week’s worth of both close-up and wide angle adventures in the channels, on the reefs and along the walls of the island. This brought divers face-to-face with a number of curious manta rays. Reef sharks, sleeping crocodilefish, schools of bigeye ja…