Long before Yap became famous in the dive community for its Manta Rays, it was known as the 'Island of Stone Money'. Stone Money is still used today in major transactions, with the value of these huge disks of crystalline calcite based on the type of rock, the size, shape, history, method of transportation and the tools that were used for quarrying. Take a tour and find yourself a thousand years back in time, as you encounter ancient village pathways, stone money banks, ceremonial platforms, and 'Men’s Houses'. 

The dances of Yap tell stories and relate the history of the island. By learning the dances, children learn about the ancient heritage of their people. There are 4 main types of dances: sifting dances, standing dances, marching dances, and bamboo dances. While the island has modem facilities, many Yapese still live an idyllic traditional lifestyle.

Every village has a Men’s House made of large logs, bamboo and thatch erected on platforms of coral stone. The men meet in the evening to tell stories and educate the village boys in the arts of fishing, sailing and crafts. Yap has only recently opened itself to tourism (Rumung, the northern­most island in Yap Proper is still off-limits to all outsiders), so you will be experiencing first hand a way of life that has largely disappeared in other parts of Micronesia. Catch a rare glimpse of the unique and surprisingly complex culture of the Yapese, which they struggle to preserve against the inroads of the outside world. 

Manta Ray Bay Hotel is only a few steps from the boat dock and is completely integrated with Yap Divers, Yap Anglers, Manta Visions, and Planet Blue Sea Kayak Tours. The Manta Ray Bay Hotel has 23 very spacious rooms, which comprises 13 Ocean Views, and 1 Deluxe Ocean View (featuring a Jacuzzi in a private deck area), and 9 Garden View rooms.

Each room was completely remodeled in 2000 with our guests’ comfort foremost in mind and is truly a work of art. All rooms are air conditioned and have a ceiling fan, color TV with VCR, international direct dialing telephone, a refrigerator, private bath room with hot water and a built-in hair dryer, as well as a private balcony for the Ocean View rooms.

Our spacious rooms are decorated in tropical elegance, Furniture is natural rattan with a tropical pastel fabric, and pots of exotic tropical plants can be found all over the hotel.

The motif of the entire hotel is marine life; each room bears a fish name, and is decorated accordingly, with photographs and paintings of that particular fish, right down to the hand carved key chain.  

The historic, wooden South Seas sailing schooner Mnuw (Sea Hawk) arrived in Yap in September 2001 from Indonesia.

This 150 foot sailing ship is permanently moored just steps away from the hotel and Yap Divers and is the new home of the Manta Bistro, the Nautical Weaver Bar, the Crow’s Nest Bar, and an Internet Café.  She will also be the home of Manta Brew, a micro brewery set-up to continue brewing Bill Acker’s secret recipe as well as the liveliest Happy Hour in the Pacific

The Manta Bistro features Pacific Rim and international cuisine prepared fresh daily our Chef de Cuisine, Mr. Bill Munn and his team. We are pleased to present - our Executive Chef, Mr. Bill Munn along with his wife Caroline, a certified Pastry Chef.  We are excited to offer truly world-class food and service in a comfortable atmosphere.  Bill, the 4^th generation son of a Jamaican plantation owner, has over 20 years experience as a chef, mainly in the Pan Pacific Hotel organization, including 5 years as the Executive Chef of the Palau Pacific Resort. 

Our menu features European, Asian and American food, utilizing fresh seafood and produce from Yap along with the finest imported foods.  Our fully stocked bar features a variety of beer, wine, and premium brand liquors. The Bistro on the top floor overlooks the lagoon and makes for that perfect day after many hours of activities. Polish off your meal with a scrumptious dessert created by Caroline Munn. The Bistro’s opening hours is specially designed to fit the schedule of the sport enthusiast.

The Nautical Weaver Bar featuring a happy hour every afternoon from 5:00 ‘til 7:00 also has a new home onboard the Mnuw. Barbecues and slide shows are held regularly and you can have meals served in the bar or just enjoy the cool Trade Wind breezes blowing in from the Pacific Ocean.  The Nautical Weaver is a fully stocked international Bar, located on the second deck of Mnuw which is adjacent to the dive dock and is a wonderful place to relax while others are cleaning dive gear or preparing to board dive boats.

Bill Acker, owner of Manta Ray Bay Hotel, founded Yap Divers in 1986, he first dive operation in Yap, and has pioneered the dive industry in Yap ever since. Most of the dive sites were dis­covered and named by Bill, and no one knows - or will ever know - Yap’s reefs like our staff. Yap Divers has a program of continually exploring and evaluating exciting new dive experiences for our guests. Although we have a host of charted dive sites and an ongoing program to find more, the fun part is that more then 80% of Yap’s reefs remain unexplored. Yap Divers is a PADI 5-Star Dive Center, with our entire operation located on the hotel premises, right by the ocean, with our own private docks.

Yap Divers has invested in a fleet of 6 fast, modern, twin-engine dive boats - ranging in size from 21 to 38 feet (6.4 to 11.6 meters). These boats allow us to accommodate individual needs and are crewed by experienced Yapese boat drivers who know our waters by heart. All boats carry radios, oxygen and emergency medical kits, and delicious packed meals and ice cold refreshments are provided to all guests.

Yap is a diver’s paradise, and no island can better exemplify all of the best that Micronesia has to offer. The Scuba Diving in Yap is world class. That phrase tends to be a bit over-used, however, when you have giant Manta Rays hovering inches above your head, we think that you will agree with us.

While the Mantas are the attraction that puts Yap on the map as a prime Micronesian Scuba location, our pristine reefs and walls are the icing on the cake. We have over 90 miles of coral reefs and walls to tempt you.

While the popular reefs at some of Yap’s neighboring Micronesian islands see as many as 100 divers/day, many of our beautiful reefs see fewer divers than that in an entire year. Our reefs are home to over 150 species of Corals and over 750 species of vibrant colored tropical fish.

Another dimension of our resort is Yap Anglers.  For a number of years, we have been asked by guests to offer optional fishing charters. Our specialty is whipping for Giant Trevally off the reefs of Yap.  Using 20-pound test line, these fish offer a good fight and provide for an exciting day.  Yap Anglers is dedicated to 'catch and release' fishing only, thus saving this resource for our future guests.  We allow one fish to be brought aboard and prepared in the restaurant for dinner but all others are returned to the sea.

Yap’s Planet Blue Kayak Tours, has proven over the past three years to be a tremendous success.  Want to see something that very few people have ever seen?  Get a different look at the island and enter a living mangrove ecosystem?  Then these guided kayak tours are for you.  Using nothing but the world’s finest equipment – Perception Kayaks and Werner Paddles, Yap’s Planet Blue Kayak Tours offers half and full day tours personally led by Patricia Acker.  At present there are 5 different tours available with more to be added.  This is truly a unique opportunity to see nature up close and personal – a very good compliment to your Yap vacation.

If you are looking for a place to enjoy some of the finest diving in the world and a place where 'everyone has not been', Yap was made for you.  Continental Airlines’ 737 jets serve Yap regularly from Guam and Palau. There are currently 4 flights a week: Wednesday the itinerary is Guam, Yap, Palau, Manila, Palau, Yap and back to Guam.  On Thursday and Saturday nights the itinerary is Guam, Palau, Yap, Palau and back to Guam (arriving Friday and Sunday mornings). All of our flights now connect better with the U.S. mainland, Japan, Hong Kong, Manila and other parts of Micronesia. To most people, a dive trip to Micronesia is considered to be a 'once in a lifetime trip'.  The diving is that spectacular but with modern jet service; Micronesia is much closer than one normally thinks.

The entire staff looks forward to meeting you and introducing you to the Mantas of Yap, plus our walls, our spectacular hard coral formations and the multitude of other outstanding dive sites. Yap is the only place in the world where you are guaranteed to dive with manta rays.

Visit our website or call toll-free 1-877-707-3483
Email