Beyond the Reef
Beyond the Reef
4.5
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Yap, Federated States of Micronesia

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Beyond the Reef
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles17 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
3
Average
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Terrible
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meandros
St. Pete Beach, FL686 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Couples
Beyond the Reef is the only locally owned dive shop, they are also the cheapest. After spending a week on Yap I am confident they are the best choice. Our dives were simply fantastic. The staff was incredibly attentive and thoughtful. This is an excellent operation.

My husband and I are dive masters, who live in Florida. We have a lot of dive experience and have dove in many parts of the world. If I take the time and spend the money to go all the way to Yap I want to insure my dives are the best possible. Whereas some operators on the island take boats of a dozen or so divers, and up to 35 I am told in the high season,Beyond the Reef specializes in small groups. In fact for our entire time it was just the two of us on the boat I believe they will take up to four. We had an amazing crew of a captain and a dive guide Roman and Bryan who knew the sites and the local reefs and waterways inside out. This means when we saw a manta at a cleaning station it was us and the manta, not us and a couple dozen people jockeying for position. It also means we could take our time and have nice dives, not having to rush back to the boat when the least experienced of 15 burns through his tank in 25 minutes. Surprisingly this level of quality was actually less expensive, making this choice very easy.

Safety is, of course, the top concern. In my experience problems often happen when you are in large groups or feeling rushed, neither of these are an issue with Beyond the Reef. In my mind safety and large groups are not easily correlated especially if you are in current like that which we experienced at times watching mantas.

Beyond the Reef has been around for a long time, they are well equipped, experienced and were cautious divers. We were fully briefed on sites and the staff is knowledgeable in diving as well as being respectful of local nature. The dive days were so enjoyable. In the boat we were very well tended to, served hot chocolate and snacks even! We were never rushed, never felt like we had to hurry up and go, hurry up and eat, etc. It was very relaxing. This I feel is also a big component of safety, if people are feeling too rushed, mistakes happen. They took surface intervals seriously and cautiously even after shallower dives. We had a great time chatting with Bryan and Roman. We learned so much about the island in addition to diving.

We dove most areas of the island and did 3 tanks a day. We saw Mantas everyday except for the day we only went south, which we knew did not have mantas. Despite the lack of mantas the southern sites are very worth doing. The coral was stunning and we saw a lot of rarer fish. We have our dive guides to thank for this as Bryan is excellent at finding hard to spot creatures like leaf fish. There is a lot of life on those southern reefs, just so many fish! We even had an amazing muck dive near the harbor, the diversity of dives available on Yap is great and makes for a nice well rounded dive trip. Another reason to go with a smaller group is you can influence the dive site choices!

Please do not hesitate to support this local business while insuring yourselves the best dives possible. I really want to see this smaller, well established company, without the marketing budget of their competitors succeed in the new internet marketplace where American and Chinese owned companies have an advantage. This company does not have a fancy website. I found communicating with them via Facebook/Facebook messenger to be quick and easy.

Please feel free to PM me with any questions. I have never offered this before, that is how highly I recommend this company.
Written 20 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ridgetop1
Santa Cruz, Ca.49 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2014 • Couples
We dove 2 consecutive days with beyond the Reef on December 2014. Our Dive Master was Keoni. Key differentiators:

They promise no more than 4 divers on the boat. In our case, it was just the 2 of us, but it would have been difficult for the boat to accommodate more than 4 divers.

Flexibility on dive locations. Most operations we dive with have a narrow set of sites they want to dive. Often they will tell us they have selected the "best site" for that day, but often I think it's just for their convenience. Keoni asked us what we wanted to see, and would take us there.

Flexibility on dive time. With the exception of trying to allow for tide changes, Keoni and the rest of the staff were perfectly willing to adjust departure time to whatever worked for us. If there had been other divers, this might have been more difficult, but the staff (DM, boat driver, helper) never put limitations on us.

Inexpensive. Their rates were attractive relative to the other highly rated dive operations in Colonia.

Location. Right next to ESA. Colonia is tiny, and nearly everything is walking distance, but BTR was the closest to our accommodations.

Personable. Keoni was very forthcoming about the local activities in Colonia, and Yap in general. he was like a spare local guide, and didn't seem to be beholden to any local interests. He gave us a good recommendation for several car rental agencies, and filled us in on local history during the boat rides.

The only drawback we had was contacting them before traveling was difficult. For some reason, I didn't seem to get emails from their office. I had to resort to skypeout calls to reach the office to confirm our reservations before traveling.
Written 26 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RTWTripping
Australia137 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2013 • Couples
Nice small company running a friendly, professional dive shop. We had a great time. The guides were so patient and made sure we had seen as much as we wanted.

We loved the fact that only a few people came each day. No crowds, very personal and fun.

Highly recommended.
Written 14 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ScubaBucky
Madison, WI178 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2012 • Couples
We decided to go with Beyond the Reef over Manta Ray Bay despite MR being next door based on positive comments online and were happy with our choice. The boats carry a maximum of 4 divers and the week we were there we were the only 2 people on the boat so we got extremely customized service which is awesome. I’d heard that small groups are particularly important on Yap because sometimes you can get stuck on a boat with people who have different feeling about just how often they want to do manta dives but from what we saw Manta Ray was sending out quite a few boats themselves with most of the groups being extremely small as well (including one guy who got a boat to himself the whole week, maybe because he was really annoying, which we discovered later on a land tour with him) but I don’t think that’s normal. That said it’s still going to be better doing the manta dives with smaller groups even if there are other boats at the cleaning station.

The boats themselves are very small with just a pull up canopy which doesn’t always provide lots of shade. The small size can make a trip down south a little rough but it wasn’t too bad. No rinse buckets or anything like that but they did have a nice huge area you could put stuff in to keep it dry. We were comfortable on the boats but it does seem like they might be a little cramped with 4 people. They were valet style and set up our gear and took care of everything except our wetsuits. They had plenty of drinking water and hot chocolate on the boat as well as snacks in the form of fruit, bread, or cookies.

We set up our diving through Okeefe’s and they told us nitrox was free and we asked to have nitrox through them but that never happened. We never mentioned it to BTR since it said nitrox cost extra on their price sheet, and it wasn’t really necessary when you were only doing two dives and one of them was the shallow manta dive, but it would’ve been nice when we went down south.

The dive briefings weren’t the greatest and left out important things like signals and sometimes didn’t even tell us whether or not we were diving live boat or coming back to the same mooring. That said, I wasn’t really happy with the briefings we received on Palau or Chuuk either.

What made BTR a great dive operation was the staff, they were both very friendly, fun to talk to, and really seemed to want to make it a good experience for us. I always felt safe, and they were both good guides who did the dives at a nice slow pace how I like it. They had two people acting as captain or divemaster so that one person could stay on the boat like you’re supposed to when people are diving, which isn’t always the case on small boats (I’m looking at you Grand Cayman).

We obviously had plenty of control over which dive sites we dove but we let them suggest the sites most of the time. The reef sites near the mantas were subpar for Micronesia although Vertigo was great for seeing lots of sharks (and the captain drove the boat around in circles and reved the engine a lot to attract them). The southern reefs are much better, and in particular lionfish wall was amazing, it was better than most of our dives in Palau or Chuuk and was particularly good for photography because there was lots of good backgrounds for pictures (for example I got some nice firefish pictures with a field of pom-pom coral behind them instead of the rubble I have in all my other firefish pictures).

If you like dive operators with small groups this is the obvious choice in Yap. I wanted to give them a 5 but it was hard for me to get past the first reef dive when my wife was worried and trying to signal half a tank to the divemaster so we could turn around because the briefing didn’t mention that we were doing a live boat dive.
Written 24 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julie Adams
Keighley, UK60 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2012 • Couples
We have recently returned form a trip to Yap and I have to say Beyond the Reef certainly made it a memorable one!
Our dive guide Keoni knew the dive sites like the back of his hand and always gave us his best on every dive. BTR are a realitively small setup and only take out small groups (maximum of 4 divers/snorkelers on a dive, they always ask what you wanted out of the dive and then made sure you got exactly that!!
We stayed at the beautiful O'Keefe's Waterfront Inn and, sitting on the balcony next door to the faceless Manta Bay hotel it was wonderful to watch dive boats from Yap divers with 10+ people onbard going out safe in the knowledge that our trips would be limited to four people (although it was usuall just my partner and me).
Mantas were in abundance and we were usually surfacing from our first dive with these beatiful creatures just as other dive boats were arriving.
I have many happy memories of Yap and the fantastic sea life. If you want good diving with a local professinal team then look no further than Beyond the Reef!!
Written 19 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

nickmc
East Sussex, UK71 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2015 • Couples
Recently, we spent a couple of weeks diving with Beyond the Reef, while staying at the adjacent ESA Bay View Hotel - both operations being located in the heart of the capital, Colonia.

Beyond the Reef is not a large operation, of the type offered Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers. Instead, their boats are small and they focus on taking out just four divers at a time. From our perspective, the perfect way to dive Yap!

We received great personal attention from all the staff, nothing was too much trouble, and they welcomed us staying down for a couple of hours whenever the dive conditions permitted.

During surface intervals, they would take us of in search of dolphins - wonderful.

If you're not looking for the big-operator experience, Beyond the Reef is for you - we loved them!

The ESA hotel is easy to make use of, the location is perfect for BTR, being right next door. The rooms and food are perfectly acceptable, and very competitively priced. One thing, if you find yourself in a room with noisy AC or flaking paint, don't be shy to ask for another, most are in great condition.

A video of our trip is online at Vimeo. You can find it by searching for: vimeo Manta rays and sharks in Yap - 2015
Written 1 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mcleanlaw
Los Angeles83 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2015 • Friends
Beyond the Reef Charters is the most personal and friendly dive operation on Yap. The owner, Jesse, was the first dive guide on Yap, and opened Beyond the Reef in 1993.

This is a small operation with two dive boats. Jesse's philosophy is the limit the divers on the boat to four divers. This is to protect the reef and the divers enjoyment. It is so much more comfortable than going diving on a boat with 8-10 divers.

The dive sites surrounding Yap are simply spectacular. Pretty much a cornucopia of animal and reef life. Great muck and reef fish, large pelagics, mantas and all in between. Each of our 17 dives over the course of a week was unique and spectacular. Photographers and videographers will go crazy here. Plus the staff understands the photographers desire sometimes to stay in one spot for a while to get the right shot.

The staff is excellent. We dove with the first woman dive guide on Yap. Also, diving with us was Keunie, who is one of the best dive guides in Yap State. We also had a chase boat for our dive boat which assisted in supplying extra tanks and food for us while we were doing three dives a day.

Check out their Facebook page and website to see some of their pictures, etc. I'm going back to Yap and diving with Beyond the Reef Charters.
Written 24 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cmud
Saint Louis, MO243 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2015 • Couples
We spent a week diving with Beyond the Reef (we stayed at O'Keefe's which is about a 10-minute walk away, although the hotels and dive shop are happy to provide transportation) and were thrilled with the decision.

First, it's important to mention that Beyond the Reef is not a large operator. Their boats are small and I believe they can only take out four divers at a time. With that said, we thought it was a perfect way to dive in Yap, and were happy with the personal attention we received.

Apologies in advance for what I'm sure will be misspellings, but we like both Fritz and Enos as our captains, and Kyoni was a great dive master. They never seemed rushed and were very attentive to what we wanted to do (asked what we wanted to see, even offered to take some "free time" to let us interact with a pod of dolphins as we were boating out). They even took great pains to accommodate a rather pushy couple insisting on a very short-notice snorkel trip; it caused them to somehow come up with a new boat, but they worked hard to make it happen.

If you want to avoid the big-boat experience, Beyond the Reef is a great shop to use; we loved our experience with them.
Written 16 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

angel hunt
Tumon, Mariana Islands135 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019 • Couples
My husband and I went to Yap for a dive trip during MantaFest in September. We went diving for 5 days with Beyond the Reef and had a great experience.

First of all, email communication with their office staff (Lyzanne is her name) was quick. She answered my questions promptly with helpful details before I made my decision to choose between Yap Diver and Beyond the Reef.

Our boat captain and dive guide was Brian for our entire trip. He had a young assistant Merson. They took care of us on the boat and cleaned our gear and wetsuits at the end of the day. Brian is very knowledgeable. Their boat can carry up to four divers but my husband and I were the only two customers for the whole trip ( 5 days). Brian helped us find mantas at Goofnow channel. We took some awesome pictures during this trip.

We were very happy with Beyond the Reef and we would recommend to anyone who comes to Yap for a good diving experience.
Written 11 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tvtnguyen
San Jose, CA69 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2014 • Couples
Best thing about this group: great service.

My husband and I learned a great deal from our guides. The boat looks a little dinky, but it'll take you everywhere you need to go. Their new office is right next to ESA hotel-- a really nice place to have breakfast right before your adventure.

We went for the snorkel full day tour. I'd say this is the best adventure we've been on so far (and that's including other snorkel 'destinations'). They took us to the cleaning station, vertigo, and two other open ocean snorkel spots. TONS of corral and biodiversity. Yes, there were giant manta rays, but there were also eagle rays, sharks, turtles, conchs, giant clams, etc. The current was kicking so there was a point where they could just drop us off at the entry way and waited for us at the current's exit. Most important thing I've learned from them: DON'T FIGHT THE CURRENT. Yes, it seems really simple, but the current can creep up and tire you out sooner than you know.

Our guides were very attentive. If we were in the water, there would always be one person manning the boat and one person in the water showing us around or making sure we didn't drown. (completely necessary because I got caught in a bad spot and they helped me get out of it and back to snorkeling, fast)

They were happy and adventurous which fueled our excitement and eagerness. See a floating coconut on the ocean? Go ahead, pick it up and take it aboard! They taught us how to husk a coconut and open it with nothing more than a screw driver and brute force. Very refreshing and makes for a nice snack while out in the ocean the entire day.

They do not provide meals. Snacks are available-- but selection may be limited to fresh bananas, hot chocolate, and maybe some crackers. If you're planning on a whole day trip as we did, just ask them to pack another thermos of hot water and bring some instant noodle packs/cups. It's a lot easier than trying to pack a fresh lunch and worrying whether or not it'll spoil in the sun.

I couldn't complain about these guys even if I wanted to. Surpassed all our expectations and showed us how amazing Yap can be!
Written 19 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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