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!
The resort is hopping with energy and full of new faces, repeat guests and this year’s pro presenters.
For the next two weeks you can ride shotgun with me and my Canon and look inside this year’s Manta Fest in and out of the water.
Things started off at the bar with a welcome cocktail and meet the managers meeting where Bill introduces himself and some of the folks behind the hospitality.
Manta Fest comes complete with a full itinerary of diving, education, entertainment, activities and tours.
Throughout the week the pros are offering classes, workshops, one-on-one training as well as evening presentations of their work with more photo tips and information.
One of the big deals here is that the contestants have virtually unlimited access to some of the best shooters in the world who are here to help you become a better photographer.
Your Hosts and Pros
From left to right is David Fleetham, Numie and Bill Acker, Tim Rock, Marty Snyderman and Frank Schneider, this year’s Manta Fest party hosts and pros.
Perfect weather kicked off the first official day of the diving.
Contestants can dive up to 5 times a day and will be entering up to 3 images for each photo category.
Big animals
Macro
Reef scenic
Land / Culture
So far, DSLR and point-and-shoot classes are the only ones – video and smartphones have yet to make the roster.
In the water
The lagoon was so glassy that the boat captain couldn’t see the reef in front of us and it actually slowed down our ride to our first site.
Today’s dive boat was with Tim Rock and his model as well as Judy Bennet, at her annual appearance – Judy’s never missed a Manta Fest, she made her reservation for 2014 on Sunday, the morning after she arrived.
Note to self… reserve your room for next year, now.
Ever wonder where those pictures come from with the model that never exhales in hot pink 1980’s gear? Probably Tim’s hard drive.
Tim has been shooting Micronesia since people have been shooting Micronesia… he’s one of the originals here.
Today we got to watch him work and see where those magazine pictures come from.
Pro Support
Another benefit that the pros bring is on-site technical expertise.
Tim is also a rep for Aquatica and performed surgery on Judy’s 7-year old Nikon housing right there in the dive shop.
He’s also testing an unreleased D7100 housing this week, which Judy is upgrading to – so she’s getting to test drive some of the latest equipment at this year’s party.
Whatever you want to get it on is happening; from drinks in the pool, shooting models in the lagoon, developing RAWs at the bar and gear talk in the shop. The poolside game is strong during Manta Fest as well.
Education
Kicking off the classes is Marty with a gear prep and maintenance workshop.
He’s made his life’s work underwater photography and has yet to flood a camera – tonight he’s sharing his secrets to success in the conference room.
We’re getting the inside scoop on how photography equipment dies, from flooded housings, to cut synch cords and dead strobes – and how to avoid this in our photography future.
Pro Media
Each night one of the pros presents their work on the Mnuw.
Marty kicked off with a dinner lecture explaining how he gets the best images.
This covered everything from shutter speeds to composition, lighting and knowing your wildlife.
The third deck of the restaurant is full, cocktails poured and dinner being served with one of the foremost professional wildlife photographers there is, handing down his experience.
Get on it
This is a good time to be here with or without Manta Fest – the whole island dive map is open and we have calm seas.
When you book during Manta Fest, you get the same diving, plus a guaranteed great international crowd and some of the hottest photography information going by the best in the business.
The resort is hopping with energy and full of new faces, repeat guests and this year’s pro presenters.
For the next two weeks you can ride shotgun with me and my Canon and look inside this year’s Manta Fest in and out of the water.
Things started off at the bar with a welcome cocktail and meet the managers meeting where Bill introduces himself and some of the folks behind the hospitality.
Manta Fest comes complete with a full itinerary of diving, education, entertainment, activities and tours.
Throughout the week the pros are offering classes, workshops, one-on-one training as well as evening presentations of their work with more photo tips and information.
One of the big deals here is that the contestants have virtually unlimited access to some of the best shooters in the world who are here to help you become a better photographer.
Perfect weather kicked off the first official day of the diving.
Contestants can dive up to 5 times a day and will be entering up to 3 images for each photo category.
The lagoon was so glassy that the boat captain couldn’t see the reef in front of us and it actually slowed down our ride to our first site.
Today’s dive boat was with Tim Rock and his model as well as Judy Bennet, at her annual appearance – Judy’s never missed a Manta Fest, she made her reservation for 2014 on Sunday, the morning after she arrived.
Note to self… reserve your room for next year, now.
Ever wonder where those pictures come from with the model that never exhales in hot pink 1980’s gear? Probably Tim’s hard drive.
Tim has been shooting Micronesia since people have been shooting Micronesia… he’s one of the originals here.
Today we got to watch him work and see where those magazine pictures come from.
Another benefit that the pros bring is on-site technical expertise.
Tim is also a rep for Aquatica and performed surgery on Judy’s 7-year old Nikon housing right there in the dive shop.
He’s also testing an unreleased D7100 housing this week, which Judy is upgrading to – so she’s getting to test drive some of the latest equipment at this year’s party.
Whatever you want to get it on is happening; from drinks in the pool, shooting models in the lagoon, developing RAWs at the bar and gear talk in the shop. The poolside game is strong during Manta Fest as well.
Kicking off the classes is Marty with a gear prep and maintenance workshop.
He’s made his life’s work underwater photography and has yet to flood a camera – tonight he’s sharing his secrets to success in the conference room.
We’re getting the inside scoop on how photography equipment dies, from flooded housings, to cut synch cords and dead strobes – and how to avoid this in our photography future.
Each night one of the pros presents their work on the Mnuw.
Marty kicked off with a dinner lecture explaining how he gets the best images.
This covered everything from shutter speeds to composition, lighting and knowing your wildlife.
The third deck of the restaurant is full, cocktails poured and dinner being served with one of the foremost professional wildlife photographers there is, handing down his experience.
This is a good time to be here with or without Manta Fest – the whole island dive map is open and we have calm seas.
When you book during Manta Fest, you get the same diving, plus a guaranteed great international crowd and some of the hottest photography information going by the best in the business.