A very special dive
The mandarin fish or mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus), is a small, max. 6cm/2.3 inch, brightly-colored member of the dragonet family and native to the Pacific. It is named after the colorful attire of the Chinese Mandarin (bureaucrat in imperial China).
Only a few minutes boat ride from our dive center lays Rainbow Reef, a reef falling from about 2 m/6 ft down to 18 m/60 ft.
At dusk (we leave the dive shop between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm) these beautiful little creatures come out of their coral homes (4 – 10 m/12 – 30 ft depth) and start to show themselves.
The spectacle starts with feeding and hiding between finger corals – the later the evening, the more relaxed these sweet little vivid colored fishes. Boy meets girl and the unique mating dance of these psychedelic colored fishes starts – this is the time for all photographers – mandarin close ups!
This dive is an absolute must – and suitable for everyone
Scuba Magazine rates Rainbow Reef as the best dive site in the world to observe mandarin fish
Our dive operations manager Dieter Kudler dives the reefs of Yap since 2005. He currently works on an interactive Reef Guide for Yap Island, which will describe Yap Island's dive sites in word and picture.
Certifications: SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor, SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Diver, SSI DCI, PADI MSDT, TDI Extended Range, TDI SCR, Decompression Chamber Operator
Favorite Dives: Vertigo (Yap Island), Brother Islands (Red Sea), Umbria (Sudan), Verde Island (Philippines)
Amount of Dives: #5483+
Dives made in: Austria (Lakes & Ice), Croatia, Maldives, Egypt, Sudan, Philippines, Palau & Yap
Specialties: Deep Diving, Wreck Diving, Navigation, Search & Recovery, Night & Limited Visibility, Dry Suite, UW Naturlist, Boat Diving, Waves & Current, NITROX (40%), Advanced NITROX (100%), Decompression Procedures, SCR Draeger Dolphin, UW Photography
Special Courses offered: Dieter offers a Photo Specialty Course for advanced photographers, please inquire in case of interest - see more of Dieter's photos from Yap Island.
