News from Manta Ray Bay Resort
Wishing on a Star
Greetings from Bill at Manta Ray Bay Resort on Yap,
Hope all is well with you, your family, friends, and dive buddies. As for conquering the Covid-19 pandemic, the US is heading in the right direction, Europe seems to be getting things under control as well, while here on Yap we have about 40% of the population fully vaccinated. FSM president has set a 70% vaccination rate before stranded FSM citizens would be repatriated, however last week the first batch of stranded citizens were repatriated to Pohnpei. Although this by itself is a good sign, we do not anticipate reopening until early 2022.
With that knowledge I must announce that that MantaFest 2021 program is officially canceled. There is no way, in my opinion, that both the FSM Government and the Yap State Government are going to agree to open the borders anytime soon and even if they open, there will undoubtedly be all sorts of restrictions placed on arrivals that no one can affectively come for a vacation.
This breaks my heart as I miss everyone, and I miss the diving. Who could ever believe that I have been unable to travel and there is no end in sight? It is an extraordinary situation that I am still not used to. Every morning, instead of going to the resort and diving with our friends from all around the world, I am checking the news hoping that the end of the tunnel will be insight soon. There is light, but no green light yet and that is very frustrating. I’m very sorry having to email this message, but it wouldn’t be responsible and fair towards you to give you hope that we could all be together for MantaFest this year. Even the changed dates in October are just not realistic anymore. It is sad but that is the reality we are forced to deal with.
Please keep following my blog. I hope you are enjoying reading the updates from our beautiful island as I certainly enjoy updating you. I am very much looking forward to the day I write the blog with the headline “Yes, we’re open again”.
Although our reopening date is unknown, please have a look at our “Grand Re-opening Specials”. As a MantaFest participant in 2022, you can benefit from our “Get 3 Extra Nights for Free” offer when booking our 7, 11 or 14-night MantaFest package.
Finally, please help us spread the word that Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers IS the dive resort to visit once things are back to normal again. Cast your vote in the Scuba Diving magazine’s World's Best Diving Resorts & Liveaboards Reader's Awards by following this link
Friends, adopted family and buddies, please stay safe and healthy! My family and I, as well as our staff, cannot wait to have you as our guests again.
All the best,
Bill, family & staff
Palau and Yap
*** The Perfect Combination ***
Dive Buddies... thinking about where to go on your next dive trip? Are you looking for a once in a lifetime scuba diving experience?
Ever thought about Yap and Palau?
These two western Micronesian islands together offer the best diving in the Western Pacific.
Both have stunning natural beauty, fabulous coral gardens and guaranteed encounters with big ocean marine life like sharks and manta rays.
Palau is one of the world’s underwater wonders and Yap is both the most culturally intact isle in the region and a worthy diving and snorkeling mecca in its own right.
Two Islands, two marine sanctuaries, two dive experiences in one trip.
Explore Palau’s iconic dive sites and exclusive reef diving Yap offers.Palau has it all; big schools of fish, sharks, healthy reefs, WW II wrecks, and world-famous Blue Corner.
Yap has year-round Manta’s but has so much more to offer. Healthy reefs, great macro, sharks, mandarin fish, and caverns just to mention a few of Yap’s highlights.
Palau and Yap boast a staggering variety of things to do, sites to see, and cuisine to indulge in. Experience eco kayak tours, hiking, cultural tours, land tours, deep sea fishing, traditional sailing canoe trips, and an in-house spa.
We know that before you commit to an epic trip like this, you’ve probably got questions. . .
Well, we’ve got all the answers....! We work closely with Chris at Palau Dive Adventures and Bill at Manta Ray Bay Resort to get you the best deal on accommodations, diving and flights. Contact us now for answers to your questions...!
* * * Dive Trip of a Lifetime * * *
Manta Ray Bay Resort on Yap & Ocean Hunter Liveaboard Palau
|
Guaranteed big animals, clear water, schools of fish, healthy reefs and an exclusive diving experience at uncrowded sites.
Experience Palau on a liveaboard, and the exclusive dive sites in Yap to create a Micronesia adventure with just you and your dive buddy's bubbles.
Two-week packages starting at $4,764 - Contact us via Email for details and availability..!
|
OCEAN HUNTER 3
Manta Ray Bay Resort Pool View
Palau and Yap Combo Trip
2 Islands, 1 Amazing Trip
Check out our previous post for the Yap 30th Anniversary celebration and if that wets your taste buds for a trip to Micronesia, then you are probably ready to continue this adventure with a week in Palau.
Chris and Jason with Palau Dive Adventures with be joining Bill Acker and his staff at Manta Ray Bay Resort for the week of June 19-25 for the anniversary celebration. Then they will be leading a group from Yap back to Palau for another week of the best of Micronesia scuba diving.
Yap 30th Anniversary at Manta Ray Bay Resort starting at $1699 USD per person for Standard Room, Ocean View $1799 and Deluxe Room $2199 per person. June 19-25, 2016
Palau trip with Palau Dive Adventures starting at $1699 per person. June 25 to July 2, 2016.
Contact us for availability and additional details.
Manta Ray Bay Resort - Manta Mania 2016
Citizen Science Eco-Tourism Week - February 7-14, 2016
Get involved…! Join a manta ray conservation party on an upgraded luxury vacation package at Manta Ray Bay Resort. Yap is one of several research sites with Manta Trust - for one week leading manta ray and shark scientists will host a "hands-on" citizen science field research symposium and media event.
“This is an rare opportunity for divers to dive with manta rays together with the scientists who study them. You’ll get to see the type of equipment we use, how we gather information and how its processed. We planned this event to take place during manta mating season, the most active time of year where close interaction with multiple animals is nearly assured - we are hoping to get a lot of valuable information. During the day you’ll dive with mantas and over the pristine reefs surrounding Yap, in the afternoon you’ll attend workshops to learn about megafauna, and in the evening you get to see pictures of these amazing animals. Not only will you be learning about mantas but also their very close relatives the mobula, sharks and other marine mammals. We hope everyone will come away from this experience awed by the ocean and its creatures with a deep appreciation for Yap and love for it’s people and culture."
Join Julie Hartup, Guy Stevens, Vanessa Jaiteh, and Steve Lindfield for a week of diving, symposiums, and hand-on experiences with mantas and sharks around Yap.
Packages are $1699 for standard room, $1799 for ocean view and $1999 for deluxe ocean view. Rates are per person double diver occupancy. Contact us for complete details.
Package Includes:
- Manta ray awareness workshops, field research events and diving with leading scientists
- Shark feed specialty, mating Mandarin fish and night dives
- 1 three tank dive day with lunch in a Yapese village
- Complimentary Wake-up service w/ coffee & tea
- Culture Tour in a Yapese village center
- Private beach BBQ on Saturday
- Photo and video workshops
- Daily breakfast buffet
- Double occupancy room
- Airport transfers
- NITROX
- Taxes
The Best of Yap Dive Sites
Big Bend
Courtesy of Bill Acker at Manta Ray Bay Resort
Here's your chance for world class diving in Micronesia on the island of Yap, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with several of the best underwater photographers around. Plus the chance to win a photo prize worth over $10,000.
Join us at the Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers and discover the amazing undersea world of Micronesia. The big pelagics, manta rays and sharks and all the small critters are found around Yap. This is a bucket list dive destination.
Our packages include standard room or ocean view accommodation, breakfast, dives, and airport transfers.
7 nights Standard Room, 5 days diving = $1,359pp and Ocean View Room = $1,439pp
10 nights Standard Room, 8 days diving = $1,849pp and Ocean View Room = $1,949pp
14 nights Standard Room, 11 days diving = $2,469pp and Ocean View Room = $2,629pp
