Anybody SCUBA Pohnpei?? Need insight...

Looking into diving in Pohnpei (Ponape) in So Pacific. Need feedback from anyone who has been there. Pros, cons, places to stay, diving ops, etc. I have a great need to get wet...somewhere I haven't been yet. When you have the need, you must feed, do it indeed!

I stayed and dove with the Village Hotel (www.thevillagehotel.com). The Village is located out of town (Kolonia) and is nicely rustic. You stay in thatched roofed bungalows with mosquito netting. The restaurant is excellent with an incredible view of the lagoon. The dive operation was basic but good. When I was there it was more of a two dive a day type operation.

The diving in Pohnpei is great but it can be very long trips to some of the best sites (Ant Atoll). It is typical Micronesian diving with hard corals and lots of fish, from Mantas to gray reefs.

If you want to stay in town, the Ocean View (www.fm/oceanview) is very good. More Western style of rooms. People I know who have stayed in town still dove with the Village.

Pohnpei is an excellent overall island experience. Besides the great diving there are also good land tours (Nan Madol) and other topside activities. The people and culture are nice. You'll have to island hop via Continental Micronesia from either Hawaii or Guam to get there. All the stops have diving.

By the way, Pohnpei is located north of the equator. Hope everythiong is great in Mendocino. I have friends who live in Ukiah.