Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers

Dive resort · Micronesia · Colonia, Yap, Micronesia · Official Website

Booking by Tour Leader Club

3 room types · More than 30 dive sites

Manta Ray Bay sits on the waterfront of Colonia, the main town on Yap in western Micronesia, between Palau and Guam. The airport is a ten-minute drive away and the shops, banks and post office are within walking distance. The resort opened in 1986 and is owned by the Acker family: it was built by divers, for divers.

The main reason to come to Yap is mantas. This is one of the few places in the world where you have a real chance of diving with a manta on any day of the year: the island has a resident population and several shallow cleaning stations where reef fish come to clean the rays. From December to April the mating season runs — mantas are then seen in groups, forming “trains” and circling the divers. Yap is a field research site for the Manta Trust: the rays here are identified and logged in a database.

The second story is sharks. Reef sharks turn up on almost every site, and at Vertigo the resort runs a feed: divers settle on a balcony of dead hard coral and watch a dozen and a half grey and blacktip reef sharks come in to the bait.

Then come the walls, the channels and the macro. Yap’s barrier reef runs for almost a hundred miles, the channels give drift dives, and the outer walls begin at six metres and drop vertically past a hundred and twenty. Inside the lagoon there is macro and night diving: mandarinfish spawn every evening, and on the eastern side, at the rim of the Mariana Trench, the resort is developing blackwater diving.

Diving is run by Yap Divers — a PADI 5 Star and SSI Platinum centre on the property with its own dock a few steps from the rooms. Valet service: your gear is carried to the boat and hung to dry after the dive, every diver has a marked bay, and cameras have their own bays with lamps and power. Nitrox comes from a membrane system and is offered on all dives.

Accommodation is 35 rooms, each themed on its own sea creature, from the Spotted Dolphin to the Golden Cowry. Three categories: Standard looking out over the hills, Ocean View over the lagoon, and Deluxe Ocean View — the largest, with king beds, private patios and, in some, a plunge pool or an island-rock shower inside the room.

Meals are aboard the S/V Mnuw, a 170-foot Indonesian Phinisi schooner moored at the resort. She carries three decks, two bars and the kitchen: the Manta Ray Restaurant on the main deck, the Nautical Weaver on the bridge deck and the Crow’s Nest bar on top, where films play on a big screen in the evenings. The beer is brewed on site — the Stone Money Brewing Company microbrewery stands in the hotel lobby.

No markup

You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.

We run the deal

Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.

Card payment

We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.

Support all the way

We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.

The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.

About the resort

Country: Micronesia
Location: Colonia, Yap, Micronesia
Nearest airport: Yap International Airport — about a 10-minute drive
Transfer: Airport transfers both ways are included in the packages and in the room-only rate
Dive sites: More than 30
Dive centre: Yap Divers — the resort's own PADI 5 Star and SSI Platinum centre with its own dock
Nitrox: Yes, membrane system; included in packages, otherwise from $9 per tank
Rooms: 35
Internet: Free Wi-Fi 24/7 in the rooms, lobby, by the pool, in the restaurant and bar
Languages: [English German Dutch Japanese]

At the resort

Restaurant and two bars aboard the schooner S/V Mnuw

Stone Money Brewing microbrewery in the lobby

Infinity pool with stone mantas on the bottom and a waterfall

Taro Leaf Spa with two treatment rooms

Yap Divers dive centre on the property

The resort's own dock for the dive boats

Three gear rinse tanks and two more for camera gear

Six locking camera bays

A marked gear bay for every diver

The resort's own hydrostatic tank testing machine

Conference room

Hydroponic greenhouse and organic garden

Solar panels covering more than half the resort's power

Drinkable water from the tap in the rooms

Diving

Mantas year round, cleaning stations minutes from the dock

Manta mating season from December to April

Yap is a Manta Trust field research site

Shark feed at Vertigo with a dozen and a half reef sharks

A barrier reef almost 100 miles long, channels and outer walls

Walls beginning at 6 metres and dropping past 120

Mandarinfish spawning every evening

Blackwater diving on the east side, at the rim of the Mariana Trench

Wartime plane and ship wrecks

Up to 5 dives a day, night dives included

Yap Divers is a PADI 5 Star and SSI Platinum centre on the property. The morning two-tank trip leaves between 7 and 10 depending on the plan, with a third and fourth dive in the afternoon, the shark dive at 15:00 and night dives on request. Eight divers per boat is the norm. There is no shore diving on Yap: the best channels, gardens and walls are more than a mile out and the shoreline itself is mangrove. Tanks are 80 cu ft aluminium, with 63 cu ft available. The resort takes about a thousand divers a year, so you are almost always alone on the site. The number of sites is given differently across the site: the diving page says "over 30 known", the FAQ says "over 50 named", and 38 have pages of their own.

Dining

The Manta Ray Restaurant on the main deck of the S/V Mnuw

The Nautical Weaver bar on the bridge deck

The Crow's Nest bar on the open top deck

Films on a big screen in the evenings

Asian, local and European cooking

Pizza oven, burgers, fresh fish sandwiches

Fish and seafood from the waters around Yap

Salad and greens from the resort's hydroponic greenhouse

House-brewed Manta Gold and Hammerhead Amber

Breakfast included in both the packages and the room-only rate

The restaurant opens at 6 in the morning — this is a dive resort. The kitchen closes at 21:30 and the bar usually around 23:00. The beer is brewed by the resort's own Stone Money Brewing Company: a 600-litre plant stands in the hotel lobby, and the Manta Gold lager took silver at the 2020 Concours International de Lyon. Lunch and dinner are not part of the packages and are bought separately: lunch and dinner $78 a day, dinner only $39. On diving days lunch is packed and served on the boat.

Things to do

Snorkelling from the dive boats and dedicated snorkelling trips

Kayaking the mangrove channels, half day and full day

Island tours — stone money, men's houses, stone paths

Tours of wartime sites and wreckage

Trips to secluded beaches and beach BBQs

Game fishing on 28- and 38-foot boats

Taro Leaf Spa with massage and treatments made from local plants

Infinity pool with stone mantas on the bottom

Palm-leaf weaving and other crafts

Kids programmes and nannies while parents are diving

The resort keeps 9 single and 4 double Perception kayaks; the doubles have rudders. Island tours run any day, morning or afternoon, with a guide, driver and air-conditioned transport — half a day is $79 per person for two, a full day $129. A full day of fishing is $2,409 per boat and half a day $1,209; the 28-foot boats take up to four anglers, the 38-foot one up to ten. The Taro Leaf Spa is open from noon to six and has two treatment rooms — Frangipani with two beds, and Kokoris with the Almeria stone bath and a door onto a garden with a waterfall. Children under 8 stay free in their parents' room, from 8 to 18 they pay a quarter of the adult rate, and a diving course can be started at 11.

Rooms

Room

109.5

View: The hills and greenery behind the resort

Beds: One or two queen beds

Rooms on the far side of the resort from the lagoon, looking out over the hills. Appointed in tropical style, each themed on its own sea creature: antique Indonesian furniture or Philippine rattan, tiled floors, a large work desk and plenty of room for luggage and gear. Three of them have a balcony.

Air conditioning and ceiling fan One or two queen beds Direct-dial international telephone In-room high-speed internet Drinkable water from the tap Hair dryer and a spacious shower Non-smoking

Room

134.5

View: The lagoon and the schooner Mnuw

Beds: One or two queen beds, water beds in some rooms

Rooms facing the lagoon, with the sunrise reflecting off still water right outside the window. Appointed in tropical style, each with its own sea theme; some have a balcony looking over the Mnuw and the bay. A few rooms have water beds. Room 308 is a two-room suite, and 301 can be joined to the room next door.

Lagoon view, balcony in some rooms Air conditioning and ceiling fan Refrigerator Direct-dial international telephone In-room high-speed internet Drinkable water from the tap Hair dryer and a spacious shower

Room

194.5

View: The lagoon and the bay

Beds: King bed

The finest rooms at the resort: water views, king beds, a private patio and something different in each. Rooms 106 and 107 have an open plunge pool under a gazebo in a tropical garden overlooking the bay. Rooms 200 and 300 have an indoor island-rock shower hung with vines, so that washing feels like standing in the jungle; 200 sits farthest from the dive shop, restaurant and pool and is the quietest of them.

King bed, some with a carved four-poster frame Plunge pool under a gazebo or an island-rock shower indoors Private patio over the bay Refrigerator Colour TV with a DVD player Air conditioning and ceiling fan Direct-dial telephone and in-room internet Drinkable water from the tap

Rates

Hotel and diving packages 2026–2027

	3 nights / 6 dives	4 nights / 9 dives	7 nights / 15 dives	10 nights / 24 dives	14 nights / 33 dives
Standard, per diver	$899	$1,169	$1,889	$2,639	$3,409
Standard, non-diver sharing with a diver	$299	$349	$509	$659	$859
Ocean View, per diver	$959	$1,269	$2,019	$2,809	$3,579
Ocean View, non-diver sharing with a diver	$359	$429	$649	$859	$1,139
Deluxe Ocean View, per diver	$1,069	$1,469	$2,389	$3,289	$4,219
Deluxe Ocean View, non-diver sharing with a diver	$419	$509	$789	$1,059	$1,419

Prices in US dollars per diver, double occupancy. Valid from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027. The package covers the room, the 10% government room tax, diving, nitrox, a morning wake-up call with coffee or tea delivered to the room, breakfast, a packed lunch served on the boat on diving days, Wi-Fi, late check-out and airport transfers.

Room only

	Single	Per person, double occupancy
Standard Room	$199	$109.50
Ocean View Room	$239	$134.50
Deluxe Ocean View Room	$349	$194.50

Prices per night in US dollars, before the 10% Yap State hotel tax. They include airport transfers, breakfast and Wi-Fi. Maximum occupancy is two adults and two children. Late check-out outside a package is $89 plus tax per room.

Stay and snorkelling packages

	Standard	Ocean View	Deluxe Ocean View
3 nights / 2 days guided snorkelling	$869	$909	$949
4 nights / 3 days guided snorkelling	$999	$1,039	$1,079
7 nights / 5 days guided snorkelling	$1,779	$1,819	$1,859

Prices per person, double occupancy. They include accommodation, transfers, taxes, Wi-Fi, late check-out and daily breakfast. Each package also adds a half-day kayak trip, an island tour and a two-hour trail hike.

Diving and gear outside a package

	Price
Single-tank dive	$109
Two-tank dive	$199
Mandarinfish dive	$109
Night dive	$119
Shark feed, minimum 8 divers	$119
Guided snorkelling, snack included	$129
Private boat with captain and dive guide	$649
Private dive guide, per day	$129
Nitrox 32%, 10–12 l tank, per day	$9
Nitrox 32%, 10–12 l tank, 5 days	$69
Nitrox 32%, 15 l tank, per day	$19
Full scuba gear, per day	$55
Full scuba gear, per week	$265

Prices in US dollars. Dives include tanks, weights and belt, towel, hot tea, water, snacks, a guide and the boat; two-tank trips include the same plus a packed lunch but not nitrox. Gear rental is charged separately.

Tours, kayaks and fishing

	Price
Half-day island tour, per person for two	$79
Half-day island tour, private	$119
Full-day island tour, per person for two	$129
Full-day island tour, private	$239
Day at the beach with lunch, per person	$49
Half-day kayak trip, per person	$109
Full-day kayak trip, per person	$209
Beach BBQ, minimum 8 people, per person	$69
Full-day fishing, 8 hours, per boat	$2,409
Half-day fishing, 4 hours, per boat	$1,209

Prices in US dollars. Island tours and fishing run any day, morning or afternoon. Full-day tours and fishing include lunch and soft drinks; kayak trips include water, drinks and fruit, and the full day adds lunch.

Rates and availability can change. Message us — we will confirm current dates and prices.

When to go

Best time: Year round; manta mating season December to April, calmest seas May to September
Water temperature: About 28 °C year round
Air temperature: 27 °C on average, about 6 °C between night and day
Visibility: Often over 50 m on the reefs and walls, 10 to 30 m in the manta channels

The climate is tropical, hot and humid. North-east tradewinds blow from November to May, bringing less rain and lower humidity; annual rainfall is 3,090 mm. Typhoons are uncommon: those crossing the western Pacific usually pass north of Yap. Mantas are around all year, but the December-to-April mating season is the time for groups and "trains". From May to September the seas are calmest and nearly every site is reachable. Yap Day falls on 1 March, the MantaFest photography festival runs in August and September, and the traditional canoe festival is in November. The water temperature is given differently across the site: 28 °C on the weather page, 28 °C in the FAQ and 29 °C on the courses page.

Getting there

Yap lies in the south-western corner of Micronesia, between Palau (360 miles) and Guam (550 miles) and about 600 miles east of the Philippines. It is four main islands linked by road: 17 miles long, 6 wide, 39 square miles of land ringed by mangroves, sheltered lagoons and a barrier reef.

United flies to Yap twice a week direct from Guam — an hour and a quarter in the air. PMA runs twice a week from Palau, with charters available. Guam and Palau connect to the USA, Japan, Germany, Australia and beyond.

The resort is a ten-minute drive from the airport, and transfers both ways are included in the packages and in the room-only rate. Every package includes a late check-out: the room stays yours until you leave for the airport.

The resort stands on the waterfront in the middle of Colonia. Shops, banks, the post office and cafés are all within walking distance. Taxis are plentiful and cheap, so a rental car is not necessary.

The currency is the US dollar, there is no currency exchange on the island, and dollars are best bought beforehand. Bank of Guam and Bank of FSM ATMs are minutes from the hotel, though some European cards do not work in them. The resort takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB. Everybody on Yap speaks English.