What's NOT to love abut Yap? The diving is great, the people are friendly, the resort we stay at is fabulous . . . all right, it does take a while to get there. But it's a journey well worth making.

This will make our 8th trip back to this remote island-nation in the middle of Micronesia. I first heard of it when i was a kid and became aware of the stories about Stone Money and decided I HAD to go see that. Then a friend flying to Palau came back with stories raving about the manta encounters at a stopover on the way - Yap.

Yap is now known as one of the premiere manta-encounter destinations in the world. In 2012, we had manta encounters that can be described as nothing short of incredible. To put it in perspective, we complained about the day we ONLY had four mantas and we ONLY had them with us for half an hour.

On top of that, we'll be able to witness the nightly mating ritual of the tiny Mandarinfish, see sharks feeding on a frozen baitball, visit a shrimp cleaning station where they'll jump out and floss your teeth, and we'll explore the reefs and walls plus the macro sites that surround Yap.

This is absolutely one of our favorite trips and definitely a destination that should be on your Bucket List. Maybe 2013 will be the year you get to check it off???

READ THE 2013 TRIP REPORT           SEE THE 2013 VIDEO & PICTURES

We LOVE going to Bonaire (which is why we do it every year). We LOVE diving at Buddy Dive Resort (which is why we stay there every time we go). The diving is very good, the conditions are very reliable, and we get taken care of very nicely. (Plus there's an amazing number of really good restaurants in Bonaire.)

This trip combines the best of boat and shore diving. We'll do nine boat dives this year which means we'll have access to such sites as all of the ones on Klein Bonaire (right across from Buddy), Rappel, Somethin' Special, Thousand Steps, and others that you'd rather not do from shore. Plus we'll have ample time too dive the Buddy House Reef (which is excellent in and of itself) and explore other shore sites Like Andrea II, Ol' Bue (a personal favorite), Alice in Wonderland, the Hilma Hooker, and more

Although the trip starts on the 18th, we'll leave LA on the evening of the 17th, taking the redeye to Atlanta and then flying non-stop into Bonaire, arriving around 1PM. Once checked into the hotel, we'll have the afternoon and evening to relax, get gear set up, and be ready to hit the water first thing Sunday morning. We'll dive every day through Friday and then fly back to LA on Saturday afternoon, arriving home just before midnight.

This trip is limited to 12 divers and we've already got 8 confirmed so if Bonaire's on your list (and it should be) don't get left behind.

READ THE 2012 TRIP REPORT           SEE THE 2012 VIDEO & PICTURES

Ever dreamed of diving with a single Whale Shark? How about diving with over 100 of them?

Each year, for reasons still unknown, hundreds of Whale Sharks - the largest fish in the world - gather just north of Cancun off the tiny Isla Mujeres. And only recently has this become generally known and exploited (no other word to use) as a tourist attraction. The "season" starts in mid-May and runs through mid-September but August is usually a pretty good month.

And because the Whale Sharks seem to show their highest concentrations around the time of the full moon, we've timed this trip to coincide with that to maximize our opportunities.

Understand that the Mexican government has some very strict regulations about doing these dives:
     • Only two divers (with a guide) in the water from any one boat at a time
     • No touching
     • No flash photography
     • No scuba (snorkel only - but you can free-dive down)

Trip includes: 3 days of whale sharks (M/W/F - we'll have two boats), 1 day cenotes diving (Tues - includes ferry and transport), Sunday afternoon 2-tank scuba dive, Thursday 3-tank dive, possible night dive on one of the WS days, hotel (2-bed condos - 3 or 4 people/condo - each has kitchen facilities), RT airport xfer from Cancun airport, Crew/DM/hotel tips. $500 deposit holds a spot and we'll work out payment sked. A couple of people have expressed an interest in just doing the Whale Sharks and not doing the diving. Not a problem. The $2295 is for WS-ing and the diving. Let us know what you want to skip and we'll adjust accordingly. As far as airfare goes, it's around $700 on United (non-stop) leaving from LAX. But note that we can only take 14 divers and an additional 6 (max) snorkelers. We've already got 7 people committed to this trip so don't get left behind!!!