Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers

Yap offers travelers a very special experience with clear warm water diving with an exotic island culture in an uncrowded and undeveloped tropical setting. This is where the modern world mixes with ancient traditional people in an unspoiled paradise void of mass tourism. Less than 1,000 divers a year visit Yap, offering travelers outer reef diving in small groups on exclusive dive sites in the world’s first manta ray and big animal sanctuary. Tourism in Yap was founded on manta ray diving and since 2008 the state’s water is the world’s first government-backed manta sanctuary. Every day there is an opportunity to dive with resident manta rays at one of many cleaning stations. Diving with mantas here is a personal experience where the interaction happens just overhead within arm’s reach. Mating season brings the most exciting manta diving, December through April is when trains of mantas in courtship display take over the dive sites and put on a very special performance, groups of manta rays dance over the reef directly in front of divers. Young males enter the dive site trailing a large female that will spin and twirl with courting rays mirroring her movements. This is the season for the most exciting manta behavior and consistent encounters with multiple animals. Sharks Yap sharks benefit from the habitat protection of the manta rays. The Island’s populations of grey, black tip and white tip reef sharks are healthy and strong. Every dive includes a shark encounter with the exception of one of the manta ray cleaning stations. Along with reef shark sightings divers interact with larger species such as tiger, silky, silvertip, leopard and nurse sharks with less frequency.

Yap Divers is the original and most knowledgable dive operation in Yap, established in 1986 by Scuba Diving Hall of Fame dive pioneer, Bill Acker. Yap Divers is an SSI Platinum Dive Center, PADI Gold Palm Resort and Mares Premium DC offering all levels of dive training, Nitrox and rental gear. Yap Divers is equipped with a fleet of 6 to 8 pax custom dive boats with an 18 pax boat for large groups. Family diving packages are available year-round with activities for diving and non-diving children. Every June Yap Divers hosts Kids Sea Camp by Family Divers with a complete itinerary of diving, activities, tours and entertainment for all ages. All you have to do is dive - Yap Divers offers VIP gear services where you don’t have to touch your dive equipment all week. Gear is stored in large dry lockers and will be loaded on the boat for you each morning - after each dive day your gear is unloaded, rinsed and put back in your personal equipment locker by our dive staff. Clean towels, fresh baked snacks as well as hot and cold beverages are served after each dive. Our photo/video shop and secure camera bays with 110 and 220v charging stations offer photographers luxurious personal equipment preparation space. All of our dive boats are equipped with radios, oxygen, emergency medical equipment and well-trained staff.

Manta Ray Bay Resort Built by divers, for divers. The Manta Ray Bay Resort was designed for hospitality luxury and dive convenience, and is the only dedicated dive facility on the island. Each of the 35 individually themed rooms are just a few steps from the dive shop, boat dock and the operation’s unique restaurant & bar. Standard double-occupancy and ocean view rooms are available as well as deluxe ocean view suites with private plunge pools or a rooftop jacuzzi. All rooms are equipped with air conditioning and a ceiling fan, DVD player, an International Direct Dialing phone, in-room internet connection, optional refrigerator, and a large private bathroom with built-in hair dryer. Five star service meets island traditions at the Taro Leaf in-house spa and shopping boutique.