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!
Things to do on Your Surface Interval in Yap, Micronesia
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 Kern from Dallas, Texas. This was the group’s third visit to Yap and they spent 14 days with us on this trip.
The festivities kicked off with a Bachelorette Party at the Manta Ray private beach and a Bachelor party on board Popou with Bill and his fishing buddies. Don’t tell anyone but the ladies won this round.
After lunch aboard the S/V Mnuw, our staff drove the bachelorettes to the beach, where they proceeded to share a couple bottles of wine and frolic in the clear waters of the lagoon. The ladies also played on the sandy beach, which they had all to themselves, and took turns on our rope swing between bouts of sunbathing. The only soul they encountered was a friendly dog, hoping to share their wine.
The guys went fishing with Bill and his oldest son Nathan but the weather turned really stormy south of Yap so the guys decided to turn back and proceeded to O’Keefe’s Island where they anchored, shared a keg of beer from our Stone Money Brewery and told stories.
The wedding was performed by Judge Cyprian Manmaw, the Chief Justice of the Yap State Court and the Honorable Henry Falan, Speaker of the Yap State Legislature was also on-hand.
The day turned out to be bright and sunny with a calm lagoon for the backdrop. Not many places are prettier when the weather cooperates as it did. A lighthearted moment came when Steve was trying to get Evelyn’s ring off his finger and Mike Jenkerson, a member of the group, inadvertently said “lick it” loud enough to be caught on the official wedding film. From the time Bill heard that, he gave Steve the nick name of “Lick It”.
The wedding was not only a treat for Evelyn & Steve and their group but also a treat for our staff and families who enjoyed fixing flowers, being part of the ceremony and in general helping two people celebrate one of the most important days of their lives. The decorations were done by Numie Acker, Helen Limed, Mayvene Gallen, Louise Pedrosa, Mercy Tinnigmow, OP Acker, Richard F’low, Francis Tamam, Thomas Beengin, April Laabrug, Jade Gilippin and Jude Pedrosa. In addition to helping decorate with our staff, Tionna Fenenigog and Julianna Piyon served as flower girls during the actual ceremony.
This was our 4th wedding ceremony catered by our staff and we would be happy to do this for you or your friends. We are absolutely sure that all 4 of these couples wouldn’t trade the experience provided by our staff for any amount of money. Please contact Numie Acker at numie@mantaray.com if you would like information about what we could do for you.
Our group cannot thank you enough for your hospitality. The decorations were exceptional, I was so impressed by all the hard work that went into making the area so beautiful! It was amazing!
What others say
Our group cannot thank you enough for your hospitality. The decorations were exceptional, I was so impressed by all the hard work that went into making the area so beautiful! It was amazing!