The crew has been having so much fun at the resort with groups of divers and snorkelers, even a few of our repeat guests have made their way home to Yap in the past couple of months. The mantas have also been excited having their friends back to swim with them. We have had some great manta sightings, from just a couple to more than ten mantas at a time. As we're trying to better ourselves and our resort services, the island seems to be following suit as well, from great internet service to providing ESPN services.

In the past year, we have experienced a roller coaster ride, from finally opening in January with two flights a month to getting our first divers from Switzerland to our first snorkelers from the US. We celebrated when the island received a weekly Tuesday flight, which helped with travel movement and resulted in a second weekly flight commencing in April. There are no words to describe how wonderful it is to be able to welcome people back to the island and to have the ability to provide jobs to the community.

MantaFest 2023 We are extremely excited to be open again and have the privilege of welcoming back our friends and making new ones. The excitement just continues to grow with our upcoming 16th annual MantaFest (August 26 – September 9th, 2023) event and being able to have our photo/video pros back home with us along […]

Last month, I had the privilege of being the dive guide for a wonderful group of divers from the State of Utah. Mac Garrabrants, the owner of The Dive Shop, is a repeat guest and that always makes us feel very special as we know there are a lot of wonderful places in the world for divers to visit. When guests come back multiple times, we know we are doing it right.

I would be lying if I were to say to you that it’s been an easy three years. I feel like the captain of a ship that has transited a typhoon for 3 years, but I am safely in port now. I can’t properly express my feelings for how good it is to finally have guests back in the resort, guests on dive boats, and most importantly staff back at work.

A lot of our friends, including us, have been looking forward to the opening of the FSM borders, which was scheduled to happen on the 1st of August. However, due to a quick rise in positive covid cases on Yap from returning residents who proudly represented our island at the Micronesian Expo held in Pohnpei last month, resulted in Yap State implementing a government mandated 7-day quarantine for all travelers entering Yap. This mandate has since been rescinded by Yap's Governor, the Honorable Jesse Salalu, on the 20th of August in a letter to the FSM President. So Yap's borders are finally opened for all visitors!!!

When meeting people for the first time, the most asked question of me is "Why Yap – what is it about this place that made you make it your home"? The answer to this question, at least for me, is very simple – the people. The Yapese people are the nicest people I have ever been associated with and every day I am on this island, surrounded by my family, friends and co-workers is a blessing. Life has been very good to me. This brings me to today's main topic – Graduation Season.

Folks, I am not complaining at all. Despite all the setbacks and challenges, I consider myself a lucky man. In late November 2021, Patricia and I underwent surgery for her to receive one of my kidneys and we are still in the Philippines. She is doing really well and we are hoping to be approved for travel soon. Being able to travel again will be a relief, but the question is: "where to go"?

It’s good I’m not superstitious – or maybe I am – but having to write in my 13th blog post that we won’t be open this year, can’t be a coincidence can it? The President of the FSM has extended the declaration of public health emergency to January 31, 2022!

Among all the – almost depressing – news from around the world there’s also some good news that reaches our shores. We’re very proud to have been voted in the top 25 of resorts for the (South) Pacific region which included Australia and New Zealand. Knowing that there are more that 20,000 resorts/hotels in this […]

The situation here at Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers is strange. After more than 33 years in business there are no divers to dive and talk with. Most of the staff are at home and no happy hour sessions are taking place on the Mnuw.  Instead of a hectic, always changing schedule, I […]

“What a difference a day makes”………….Most of us know Dinah Washington’s hit from the 50’s, but for the Manta Ray Bay Family, that day was definitely January 31 of this year. While travelling back with Patricia from a very successful BOOT show in Germany, the news reached us that the FSM – to my knowledge […]