Bill Macdonald
Independent Film Maker, Photographer, Ocean Advocate
Bill Macdonald is an award-winning filmmaker, underwater photographer, and lifelong ocean advocate whose career has spanned more than five decades. As a member of Jacques Cousteau’s legendary dive and film team during the 1970s and early 1980s, Bill served aboard the Calypso as a still photographer and lecturer, contributing to landmark expeditions across the globe. Working alongside Jacques and Philippe Cousteau, he helped document everything from the giant kelp forests of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea to elusive saltwater crocodiles in Australia, and he mastered a unique diving technique known as “slipstream diving” under the mentorship of Cousteau’s top divers.
In the decades since, Bill has continued his mission through Macdonald Productions, a film company focused on marine life, underwater environments, and ecological storytelling. His documentaries—Freedom in Depth, Secrets of California Waters, Diving California’s Channel Islands, and many others—have introduced audiences to the wonders and vulnerabilities of the ocean. In 2000, after attending a lecture on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Bill collaborated with Captain Charles Moore to produce Synthetic Sea, a powerful short film that helped launch public awareness of plastic pollution in the ocean. The film’s impact was immediate and far-reaching, earning international attention and triggering a wave of activism. He later served on the board of the Algalita Marine Research Institute and produced The Synthetic Sea Story, footage from which was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Earth Day special.
In recognition of his environmental advocacy and contributions to underwater media, Bill was honored with the NOGI Award for Environment in 2014, one of the most prestigious awards in the diving community.
Bill’s connection to Yap runs deep, both professionally and personally. He has returned many times to dive, film, and reconnect with the culture and underwater beauty that make the island so unique. “In Yap a cameraman must be ready for most anything, large or small,” he says. “My best manta experiences have been with Yap Divers.”
To learn more about Bill’s films and ocean advocacy, visit macdonaldproductions.com.
Manta Rays, the Gentle Geniuses
In the sunny shallow waters of Yap, Micronesia, manta rays reveal their intelligence and curiosity. Recognized as the most intelligent of all fish species, Yap’s mantas are born and raised in these waters, where they know their territory and interact closely with divers.
These gentle giants display problem solving, memory, and social connections. They often glide within inches of still divers, gazing with large, expressive eyes that seem to look deep inside. Docile and stinger-free, mantas begin life in Yap’s mangroves before joining the reefs. Observing them in their native environment is to experience one of the ocean’s most extraordinary companions.
Bill Acker The Manta Man 360VR
Shark Serenity in Yap 360VR
Fishes of Yap Island
Yap aerials
Yap as a Summer Dive Destination
Critters of Yap
Shark Feeding Frenzy (wild)
Sharks of Yap
