Take a journey through the wonders of Yap. From stone money, to cultural dances, to Yapese "highways", to traditional fishing and anciant mariners, you will be sure to experince the richness of Yapese life.
Yap is belived to have been settled by a seafaring people from the area today known as eastern Indonesia and the southern part of the Philippines sometime around 1500 B.C.
Yap is probably best known among non-divers as the Land of Stone Money. Up to 12 feet in diameter these massive stone discs rate, without competition, as the largest coins in the world.
The Yapese have managed to maintain their ancient culture better than anywhere else in Micronesia. The heritage and traditions of the Yapese people are carefully nourished to preserve the Micronesian way of life.
Bill Acker, founder of the Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers, is proud to share his love of Yap and diving with guests from all over the world. A resident of Yap for almost 30 years, Bill is eminently qualified to make your Micronesian dive experience one that you’ll never forget. Bill and his family own and operate the Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers.
Welcome to The Manta Ray Bay Resort. We are a small, 4-star resort located on the wonderful island of Yap in Micronesia. Enjoy your stay in our luxurious, individually themed rooms. Delight your tastes at our floating restaurant, the Mnuw Restaurant and Bar. Dive in to adventure with our expericed dive team. Relax into bliss at our Taro Leaf Spa. Welcome to paradise.
Our resort offers many different package and activities for everyone to enjoy the wonders of Yap. From our hotel & diving packages to island tours to kayak adventures to spa treatments, our resort offers packages individually tailored to you.
There are many special times to visit Yap and the Manta Ray Bay Resort, like Yap Day, MantaFest, and during the manta ray mating season. Plus, we have partnered with the best resort operators and vessels in the region to offer truly unique and luxurious experiences.
The Mnuw is the most unique restaurant and bar in Micronesia if not the world. She is a 170ft (55m) Phinisi schooner from Indonesia with 3 dining decks, 2 bars and her kitchen all on board.
The Manta Ray Bay Resort was built FOR divers, BY divers. Our harborside dive center, Yap Divers, has everything you’d expect from a PADI 5-star facility and SSI Platinum Dive Center, and so much more. Yap Divers is a full-service facility with modern boats, rental gear, dive shop, camera bays, gear rinse and storage.
The Taro Leaf Spa takes the best of everything that is Yapese to bring you an experience that will, relax, energize, invigorate, revitalize and harmonize you.
Come experience all that Yap has to offer. From exclusive, world-class diving to vibrant mangroves to pristine beaches to a fascinating history to a rich, anciant culture, Yap truly is a wonder to behold.
Serving only 1,000 divers a year, we offer our guests crowd-free dive sites and VIP service. Yap has a resident population of manta rays and several shallow cleaning stations where divers can see mantas year-round. And, Yap is more than just mantas! We have great blue water diving, shark diving, wall diving, critter diving, black water diving and large schools of big game fish!
Among the mangroves you will go were none can go but by kayak. There are no roads, no way to bring a powered boat in and no habitation, there is but you and nature. This is the perfect way to explore one of the few ecosystems on this planet that remains untouched by man.
Imagine looking over the side of the boat into ink blue water so clear that you can see fish swimming 100 feet below you. Imagine being on a boat 20 yards from the edge of the reef, looking across the turquoise colored lagoon to the verdant, green tropical island in the background. You cast your lure into the surf breaking on the edge of the reef and then boom – a huge black Giant Trevally comes from the surf line and attacks your wooden bait. The fight is on.
The Manta Ray Bay Hotel’s Concierge staff offer a complete range of land tours specifically designed to showcase the unique island culture of Yap. Everything from the famous stone money and stone money banks, to traditional thatched roof men’s houses, centuries old stone paths which are still used to connect the various villages, to the flora and fauna.
On Yap you can spend all day on a private beach with your partner, dive buddy or group in the village with no one else around. We arrange private beach trips, group events, parties and BBQs.
The Taro Leaf Spa takes the best of everything that is Yapese to bring you an experience that will, relax, energize, invigorate, revitalize and harmonize you.
Here you will find out the latest goings on in Yap, photo galleries of visiting pros and visitors alike. Plus, a library of wallpapers for your desktop and mobile devices.
Give a big welcome to Kudakwashe “Kuda” Lusinga, Manta Ray Bay Resort’s new head chef, blends Zimbabwean and Yapese flavors with standout dishes like Stuffed Pork and Dovi Chicken. Inspired by his uncle and a passion for cooking, Chef Kuda brings creativity, culture, and fresh ideas to the Mnuw restaurant, delighting guests with innovative cuisine.
Throughout the years we have been honored to host several top professional photographers and videographers. From Paul Tzimoulis to William "Bill" Macdonald. From Marty Snyderman to Andy Schumacher. From David Doubilet to David Fleetham plus many, many more. We are very honored to be able to share some of the images captured in Yap by these great friends.
Imagine the thousands of divers who have visited us over the years. Now imagine the wonderful memories they captured via photographs both above and below water. We want to share these with you and ask you to consider posting your memories of Yap and the Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers.
We know it can be a daunting task to book travel to Yap with diffeent time zones, the International Date Line and often confusing flight schedules. Let us help you make getting to Yap a warm, tropical breeze. Ask Bill!
Here you will find the latest information about the latest on flights to Yap. There are both international and regional carries currently servicing the island. And, for flight help you can always Ask Bill!
Over the years, we have been fortunate to host several dignitaries including Presidents, United States Senators, Ambassadors from several countries, Lawrence Fishburn the movie star; however the latest happened a few weeks ago and it was special. I have delayed reporting on this event for security reasons for the individuals involved. Now that they are well out of the region, I can tell you about our day with the Prince and Princess of Monaco.
Yes, his royal highness Prince Albert and his wife Princess Charlene of Monaco flew in for a day with us. They arrived with their delegation aboard the royal Monaco jet and were immediately brought to the hotel by our concierge staff.
Jan Sledsens, John Pakailug and I took the group to Stammtisch for a dive with the manta rays. No one was disappointed as we placed everyone in prime positions and each had multiple, close passes from the rays for the entire dive.
Upon returning to the resort, I discovered that Prince Albert was fond of beer so I helped introduce him to the products of the Stone Money Brewing Company over a special lunch prepared by Detlef and our staff on the S/V Mnuw. After sampling the choices, the Prince decided he liked the mixture of our Manta Gold and Hammerhead Amber which we call the Texas Two Step. Lunch included fresh salad from our hydroponic garden, Tuna Poke, Sashimi and Blackened Sashimi accompanied by fresh grilled fish, grilled chicken and an assortment of fresh fruits. The conversation ranged from the Princes’ various environmental protection efforts to the history of the Manta Ray and the diving industry of Yap.
Following lunch, Helen Limed and Richard F’low took the Monaco delegation to Kaday Village for a private Village Cultural Tour. On the tour the Prince enjoyed a healthy snack of fresh coconut meat served by the villagers at the local meeting house, while the Princess was particularly fond of our betelnut and was quite taken by it after having one handed to her by a village elder for her to try.
Everyone enjoyed watching the traditional dance while Prince Albert continued with his local snack of coconut meat, which by the way he was carving out of the coconut shell by himself after a village elder showed him how to do it.
For myself and the rest of our staff, this was a very special day indeed and we wish nothing but the best for Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, their families and the Principality of Monaco. We hope they will return someday.
Cool, what an honour! Wasn’t it is his grandfather who founded the oceanographic institute in Monaco in 1901. Rachel and I recived an award named after him in 2004 in Antibe/France for our sharkfinning documentary.
Hugs, peter the vidiot
What others say
Cool, what an honour! Wasn’t it is his grandfather who founded the oceanographic institute in Monaco in 1901. Rachel and I recived an award named after him in 2004 in Antibe/France for our sharkfinning documentary.
Hugs, peter the vidiot
Even Royalty know where the best spots to dive and relax are. Keep it up folks.