This is today's status straight from the boat to your browser. This morning was a classic Bill Acker tour of the Pacific reef. We've been getting outstanding conditions with great vis and a strong wildlife presence. Yesterday a group came back from Goofnuw channel and all the chatter was about Yap's clear blue water, even...

Here is the midweek Manta Fest photography samples, mostly all macro shots with one wide angle submission from Frank. Two presenters and two content participants loaded up my USB drive to share with you all here. Yap marine life has never looked better... enjoy. Marty Snyderman   Frank Schneider Judy Bennett Anke Rohrbach

Spätestens seit sich die Mantarochen bis in die Kiemenspalten blicken lassen, ist das Fotografen-Fieber voll entbrannt. Die Boote rollen praktisch den ganzen Tag vom Jetty zu den Tauchplätzen und zurück - und die Auslöser drückende Fraktion ist nicht schüchtern wenn es um Bills „non-limit-diving“ zum MantaFest geht: Kommen ein, zwei Taucher, die zusammen rauswollen, ist...

Clear blue water has greeted divers out on the reef. Before rolling in at southern dive sites we could see anemone fish 70+ feet below from inside the boat. Yap's dive conditions have been pretty solid lately which everyone is enjoying. Boats are rolling out steady all day and the photographers have not been shy...

[caption id="attachment_2290" align="aligncenter" width="625" caption="Archiv-Foto: Weißspitzenriffhai an Yap Caverns"][/caption] Kollege Frank Schneider über den ersten Double Tank Dive: "Die ersten Tauchgänge kurz darauf gingen in den Süden an die Yap Caverns und waren für die Fotografinnen Anke und Judy für den ersten Tauchtag schon ganz ergiebig. Nebenbei ist uns ein großer Weißspitzenhai begegnet (ziemlich nahe),...

  Endlich - das Mantafest 2012 ist am Abend in Yap - der Abend dort findet acht Stunden vor dem in Deutschland statt… offiziell von Bill Acker eröffnet worden. Bill, Chef und Gründer der Yap Divers und des Manta Ray Bay Hotels hielt seine kleine Eröffnungsrede auf dem Oberdeck des Restaurantschiffs Mnuw. Unter den Gästen,...

Manta Ray Bay has been transformed into a Yap-size Top Gun academy of the underwater photo world - the best of the best from around the world are here. Presenting from the United States we have Marty Snyderman, from Europe, Frank Schneider and Japan we have Masa Michishiro. For the next couple weeks Bill will...

This is what it's looking like between the dock and the reef this week. When it's this good, the 25 minute boat rides could be longer and nobody would mind. One of the nicest features of Yap is the relaxed diving pace on uncrowded dive sites with small boat groups. Today was no exception and...

This is the Manta encounter of the year, and a Yap Divers exclusive story and why. Bill and his team have been doing this almost 20 years longer than anyone else on the Island and this week that fact can be demonstrated. Manta Rays feeding in clear shallow water, 25 minutes from the hotel room......

Anyone know what day it is? Things are firing over here, it's a full house, full dock, full boats and a full reef... with Mantas that is. Stewart donated his photos from yesterday where he and his wife were in a Yap Manta ball at the Stomfitch cleaning station. This is about as up close...

In July we had the great good fortune to play a role in the wedding of Evelyn & Steve VanAntwerp who came to dive with the Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers and during a break from diving, got married. The newlyweds were part of the Executive Scuba Group led by Ted & Pam...

Here's how to kill an afternoon after the morning dives, tell Bill you want to go catch fish. The flagship dive boat, Popou, was quickly converted into a private charter fishing boat and parked on the dock awaiting anglers. Bill captained the boat, Detlef set up the gear and Derek was in charge of having...