Yap & Palau Expedition 2020
Reef sharks, underwater measurement and manta ray encounters in Micronesia
In 2020, Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza brought shark science into an Ocean First diving expedition to Yap and Palau. Participants observed reef wildlife in the water and learned how shark researchers use lasers to estimate an animal’s length from an image.
Header photo: Jellyfish Lake, Palau, from Ocean First’s 2020 trip report.
Yap: Shark dives and manta cleaning stations
Yap was the first stop. The group spent four days diving, including dives at manta cleaning stations, where small fish remove parasites from visiting rays. The group also made dedicated shark dives.
Palau: Reef sharks and underwater measurement
From the Palau Aggressor II, participants explored reefs and wrecks and saw gray reef, blacktip and whitetip sharks. At German Channel, they watched manta rays feed and visit cleaning stations.
McComb-Kobza gave a talk on sharks and shared her underwater laser equipment with participants. With two parallel lasers a known distance apart, the dots in a photograph provide a scale for estimating length without handling the shark.
Photos from the expedition
Trip report photos courtesy of Ocean First.