{"id":596,"date":"2026-06-16T21:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/?p=596"},"modified":"2026-06-16T21:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:38:22","slug":"manta-ray-bay-resort-and-yap-divers-celebrate-40-years-as-one-of-the-worlds-leading-dive-resorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/yapblog\/manta-ray-bay-resort-and-yap-divers-celebrate-40-years-as-one-of-the-worlds-leading-dive-resorts\/","title":{"rendered":"Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers celebrate 40 Years as one of the world\u2019s leading Dive Resorts!!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July, 2026, Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers celebrate a milestone forty years in the making.&nbsp;What began as a small, harbor-side dive center founded by a young Peace Corps volunteer has grown into one of the world\u2019s longest-running, family-owned dive resorts. To mark this anniversary, we invite divers, underwater photographers, adventurers, and long-time friends of Yap to join us for a year filled with special offerings, island experiences, and a weeklong celebration honoring four decades of diving with purpose, passion, and family stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you have visited us many times or are discovering Yap for the first time, 2026 is the perfect year to experience everything that makes Manta Ray Bay Resort unique \u2013 our manta-filled channels, our warm island hospitality, our commitment to Yapese culture, and the diver-focused approach that has guided us from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For four decades, Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers have stood among the world\u2019s longest-running, family-operated dive centers and resorts.&nbsp;Founded in 1986 by Bill Acker and still guided by the Acker family today, the resort joins a select group of pioneering, privately run dive operations whose histories stretch back into the 1960s and 1970s, including Small Hope Bay Lodge in the Bahamas, Anthony\u2019s Key Resort in Roat\u00e1n, Blue Lagoon in Chuuk, and Fish \u2019n Fins in Palau. These longstanding operations helped define modern dive tourism, each shaped by a founder\u2019s vision and a lifetime of stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manta Ray Bay Resort is proudly part of this lineage&nbsp;\u2013 a rare example of a diver-built, diver-run resort that has remained true to its purpose for forty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">email for more information;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"mailto:yapdivers@mantaray.com\">yapdivers@mantaray.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40a.avif\" alt=\"Bill and Patricia Acker\" class=\"wp-image-597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40a.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40a-300x201.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"596\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40b-1024x596.avif\" alt=\"Manta Ray Divers' home in Yap\" class=\"wp-image-598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40b-1024x596.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40b-300x175.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40b-768x447.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40b.avif 1241w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40d.avif\" alt=\"Manta Rays in Yap\" class=\"wp-image-600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40d.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40d-300x224.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40e.avif\" alt=\"Yap island paradises \" class=\"wp-image-601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40e.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40e-300x224.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40f.avif\" alt=\"Manta Ray you can dive with year round\" class=\"wp-image-602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40f.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40f-300x225.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40g.avif\" alt=\"dive with sharks in Yap\" class=\"wp-image-603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40g.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40g-300x218.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40h.avif\" alt=\"Mandarin fish flourish in Yao\" class=\"wp-image-604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40h.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40h-300x225.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"485\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40i.avif\" alt=\"sometimes the sunrise is all you need\" class=\"wp-image-606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40i.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40i-300x224.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40j.avif\" alt=\"find new wealth here\" class=\"wp-image-607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40j.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40j-300x199.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40k.avif\" alt=\"Yapese have always been colorful\" class=\"wp-image-608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40k.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40k-300x210.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40l.avif\" alt=\"dances with sticks\" class=\"wp-image-609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40l.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40l-300x201.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40m.avif\" alt=\"every Manta Ray is unique in Yao\" class=\"wp-image-610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40m.avif 650w, https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/mantaray-40m-300x200.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In July, 2026, Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers celebrate a milestone forty years in the making.&nbsp;What began as a small, harbor-side dive center founded by a young Peace Corps volunteer has grown into one of the world\u2019s longest-running, family-owned dive resorts. To mark this anniversary, we invite divers, underwater photographers, adventurers, and long-time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-yapblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":611,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596\/revisions\/611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityap.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}