Still alive

After spending three weeks in the Outer Islands of Yap, I'm back again in Yap and 

waiting for my flight to Palau. Internet connection is very slow and sometimes not available.

So I try to work up my backlog before I'm home again. Only seven days from now :( !!!

That's the Route for today. Again United...shit Airline!

At the moment I' running out of luck, no great diving in Micronesia because of the weather and

it seems that te same will happen in Palau. Typhoon!

UPDATE: Added some posts from the past ;)

Spearfishing Ulithi part 1

Strong current and because of that not much diving. At the end got really badly stung

by a Portuguese man o' war. When I surfaced and put my snorkel back in my mouth it was tangled

around it and I got stung in my upper lip, one small peace on the lower lip, left side of my face (under my mask) and
during my try to remove it, also on my left knee.
I only saw some very very thin tentacles and some blue,

for sure a jellyfish, but I did not see any umbrella/head/body. 

Luckily I had at least the upper part of my body covered in neoprene. 

I waved with my speargun, as discussed with the people before, calling them like this

means fish or something wrong. It was paintful I can tell you. For me the best way to compare it with

something I experienced before, is eating a Ghost Chili or a Bhut Jolokia Chili.

This kind of pain you have in your mouth, muliplied maybe by two, on your skin.

They gave me on the boat some leafs (I gave them some before for chewing with betelnut) to rub it on my skin

I was thinking all the time about my epi-pen, which was in my guesthouse and about the time, how many minutes is 

it ago... hopefully not getting an anaphylaxis.

We went straight to the next bigger island (Isor) and they asked all the time about my situation.

Arrived on the island my lips felt like I had a collagen injection in or like you really got a hard punch on it ;)

The lips started getting better, but the situation with my knee changed. I felt like something

was moving up inside my thigh, probably the muscle or nerve I thought. It was now about 25 minutes ago

since this thing got me. And they found one part of it tangled in my floating line. Looked like

a small ballon, about 3cm long with blue on the belly.

90 minutes later, only my knee was still hurting a bit. Luckily nothing more happened.

For the first day, enough action.

Still thinking about how thin this tentacles been. I was not able spotting them under water,

only during the time when I hold my snorkel out of the water.

They told me, Mahi Mahi Season, plenty of them, but its not Mahi Mahi season ;)

Tomorrow we are going to Mogmog, one of the most traditional Islands here and after that,

some spearfishing on our way back. But this time, with my epi-pen in my backpac

Turtle hunt

Today they took me with them for spearfishing again, but primary for turtle hunting.

I told them that I'm not able shooting one, but at least tell them if I see one.

So I went for fish and they for turtle.

This spot where they took me, was not comparable with the last one. At the end I only saw

two bigger sized fish and a very (I mean VERY) big stingray. The Spadefish was for one of the guys 

from another village and the Sweetlips for sashimi (this kind of Sweetlips, forgot the name, is in 

Japan one of the most wanted and best sahimi fish, I do not agree;)). 

The turtle hunters have been also successful. Two good sized Green Turtles.

I thought shooting is the hardest part, but seeing how they kill and cook, was even harder!

They are turning the turtle on the back, stretching the neck over a peace of wood and then use a big aluminum/steel pipe

or crowbar for smashing the head. I asked why not using the machete and cutting of the head?

They told me they want and need the blood for the taste and for cooking later.

After killing, they leave it on the back and put some dried coconut husk around and on the belly,

start fire and cook it that way about one hour and then open the belly.

So there are different ways how you prepare the meat. The neck I tried sahimi with soy sauce

later I had some meat (don't know which part it was) normally cooked in a pan, like I cook chicken

and also some meat cooked with all the blood in the shell as kind of goulash.

To be honest, all three ways tasted good, specially the sashimi and the goulash.

What was hard to see and I still do not understand how this worked (they told me its every time like this)

is the beating heart. They opened the belly and the heart is still beating. I first thought

this poor animal is not dead at all, but after being cooked for one hour? Then it was also

beating after the removed it and put it separately on the table with all the other organs and meat.

For sure for over 15 minutes, very strange. The whole feast took about 5 hours

and I think there was still some meat left at the end.

Anyway, will never hunt turtles and to be honest, there is also no need for me eating it again.

It was good, but as one who loves them more alive in the water and seeing them swimming right in front

of my camera, like in Rarotonga, I probably will never eat again.

I hope Turtle Island on Ulithi will not be a big market place and butchery island ;), because 

for the Yapese it is one of there best delicacies

By the way, one of the days with the best weather since my stay on Yap.

Yap day 2014

Because there is so much to write, I keep it simple ;)

It was the best cultural experience I had so far.

Seeing all this traditional dresses, dances, food, cultural "artifacts", like stone money

or shell money or the even most expensive, the whale-tooth necklace.

Luckily I went with the right guys and I was introduced to the highest people as a 

good fisherman (still don't think so, but they are happy about having me fishing with them) and 

a visitor. And when they heard about my plan staying on Ulithi for three weeks, I got

even more attention from them ;)

The preparation dance I watched a couple of days ago, was at the end the winner dance.

I can not say what makes it a winner dance, because in my opinion there was at least on dance,

which was better. They told me, even an wink with an eye can be match winning.

Hard judgment in my opinion, but ok ;)

And about the typhoon I wrote, changed nearly 180 degrees!!! direction. WTF?

They have a "rainman" who kept Yap Day dry for the last 14 years and they ask him for his 

work, in the morning of the first day. Seems that it worked, even if I still not believe ;)

So here are some impressions of these two days.

My highlight, the bamboo and "dirty dance" the men performed. ;)

Irredeemably randy? ;-)

Spearfishing in Yap

Today I went out with some locals for spearfishing. The Chief of my village put some

pressure on me. "We need a lot of fish, better you are good!". ;-)

First by boat to another village for getting the permission to fish at the place the guys wanted to and 

then to the first spot. They all have handmade spearguns, which is impressive compared to my own 

facility made one.

The visibility was like 5m-7m, very bad. The first half an hour I had 

problems with my mask and I couldn't localize where it came from. All the time water was running 

into my mask at the right side. Like in the past at the Lake of Zurich during training, it was

the silicon which was not covering the glass 100%. After I fixed that, one of my best Spearfishing/Freediving

days started ;)

The locals did not went really deep for fish, they stayed between 3-10m. I spotted some Buffalo-Fish 

(better known as Humphead Parrotfish) and bigger Groupers at 15-17m and tried to get one of them. 

No chance getting in shooting distance, except once, but already counted 11 Grey Reef Sharks. Not 

worse it risking accidentally getting bitten by one of them. 

So many Sharks around there so I was watching my back all the time. That's also the reason why

the Eagle rays and even two Manta ray's!, scared the shit out of me when I saw that shadows not even

one meter above my head. One of my best moments in freediving!!!

Getting surprised by an Eagle ray during spearfishing (Tonga) is quite nice, but getting surprised by two 

Mantas, that's really cool!!!

You also have to know, that it is not allowed to do Freediving/Skindiving with Manta Ray's at that spot 

we've been in Yap, I already asked for that before. So I was very lucky!

Two Manta Ray's, seven Eagle Ray's, one Leopard Shark and Whitetip Reef and plenty of Grey Reefs.

Not easy shooting there something, specially when every one is hunting on there own, but

at the end the Chief was satisfied and I shared some of my fish with some Japanese in the Restaurant.

Fresh Bigeye Travelly sashimi and fried Spadefish, delicious!

During Dinner, the Dive Instructor (and owner of the Restaurant) told me, that I was fishing at a dive spot, which was 

voted a couple of years ago to one of the best diving sites, I can imagine why ;)

Looks like the storm is coming in 2-3 days.

All set for my trip to Ulithi Atoll

Today I finally set everything up for my travel to Ulithi in the Outer islands of Yap

Plane will leave Yap on the 3rd and return will be on the 21.03. Between 07.03 - 18.03, there is no chance

for getting a flight back to Yap. 

I now have my permission from the "Council of Tamoa", which allows me to stay on Falalop in Ulithi 

and some of the locals in my Village I'm staying, already gave me some names from people on some other

islands in Ulithi. I hope I can set something up when I'm there for some home stay on other islands.

The dive instructor told me, there is one place where he saw once over 60 Eagle Rays

at once ;). That’s what I'm searching for. I also hope there will be plenty of turtles to

see at Turtle Island and I will finally have a chance seeing a Tiger shark.

Hatching time is from July - October they told me, but their should be Turtles around all the year they 

are saying. Same for the Tiger sharks, which feed on the Turtles ;)

Some more exercises

I went out again for snorkeling in the inside of the lagoon. No Stingrays and Nurse sharks

that time, but a very good and hard training again.

Tried to go to the edge of the lagoon, but both, current and wind been very

strong. At one point I was only able to stay at the same spot with full leg power

and still estimated, 300+ meters to go. Have to check that on google maps some day.

I guess around 1km+ against the current and wind and return.

First day on Yap

First day on Yap and I already saw a Tawny nurse shark, Stingray and traditional dances.

It was like a preparation dance for the Yap day (which is the biggest event on Yap) 

all the people from there own village are judging them and give them some last

advises for Yap day. 

On Yap Day it self, all the Villages, even some from the outer islands, are 

competing against each others. Will probably fun seeing that ;) 

Sadly the weather is so bad, that there is no chance at the moment seeing some 

Manta Ray's mating, one of the main reasons I choose Yap as one of my destinations!

It looks like it will be the same as on Rarotonga. No chance going outside

the reef for freediving or diving at all. It also looks like there is potential for a 

big storm. Probably arriving in a couple of days.

From 4C° back to 31C°+

After loosing nearly all of my sun tan, thanks New Zealand and Japan!!!, I need a refreshment ;)

 Japan Airlines and United

Three days Manila, four hours Guam and over four weeks in Yap and around. 

I cannot wait to get back into the water.

I still had no chance checking my sinuses if everything is fine again...hope so!