Manta Ray Bay Resort - Yap, Micronesia

Yap Anyone?

I flew over 17 hours on Continental Airlines from Newark, NJ to scuba dive in Yap's warm Pacific waters in search of the giant manta rays that frequent the area. Yap, a lush tropical island, is one of four islands of the Federated States of Micronesia, and offers the traveler ancient traditions, fascinating legends, and one of the most distinctive cultures in Micronesia.

Yap is probably best known among non-divers as the Land of Stone Money. Massive stone discs, called Rai, measure up to 12 feet in diameter and are the largest coins in the world. While the US dollar is the common currency in Yap, the locals still use stone money for major transactions like dowry payments or land purchases. When a Rai is spent for a land transaction or a wedding, the locals know that that particular piece has a new owner, even though it may be too large and heavy to physically move.

During my 10 day visit to Yap, I stayed at the 28 room Manta Ray Bay Hotel. Manta Ray Bay is located alongside a lagoon with a view of the mangroves and the Pacific Ocean and features its own stone money collection on its front lawn.

According to owner Bill Acker, he's adding 10 guest rooms, an infinity swimming pool, a new dive shop and guest lobby. He is also starting a hydroponics farm to grow vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant that is located on the main deck of the SV Mnuw. The SV Mnuw is a 100 year-old South Seas Schooner docked behind the hotel.

Each guest room is named after a specific species of marine life. The theme starts with a carving on the door and key chain then continues throughout the room's interior. My room contained two beds with brightly-colored bedspreads decorated with the fairy basslet - a tiny purple and yellow fish that's found in many of the world's oceans. The bedspreads, shower curtain, and pictures on the wall all show the fairy basslet in various underwater scenes.

The room's chairs are made from natural rattan with tropical floral fabric cushions. Other furnishings include a handmade teak table, ornately carved wardrobes and leaf-patterned headboards, table lamps and reading lights above the beds. The guest rooms are configured with either two queen-sized beds or one king. All rooms use US voltage and include an adjustable ceiling fan, air conditioner, mini refrigerator, hairdryer, alarm clock, and TV with a VCR for in-room movie viewing (a selection of rental videos are available at the front desk).

The sink area is separate from the shower and toilet and is furnished with white bath sheets, hand towels and wash cloths. Complimentary amenities consist of shampoo, conditioner, body powder, and Rai-shaped hand soap.

Ocean-view rooms have a private balcony that is great for watching the sunset over the lagoon. First-floor ocean-view rooms have plunge pools that hotel owner Bill Acker is rebuilding after damage caused by the last typhoon.

Internet access is available at a very reasonable rate on the computer located in the hotel lobby. The hotel offers wake-up service that comes with complimentary coffee or tea. With advanced booking, you can buy a meal plan (recommended).

Guests can order Continental, American, or Yapese style breakfasts that feature fried rice, fish, Spam and fresh coconut. Made-to-order omelets are served with toast and fresh fruit. Lunch and dinner selections change daily.

Lunch choices include burgers, freshly caught fish served as grilled sandwiches or entrees, homemade soups and sashimi, either blackened or traditional, served with wasabi. Dinner selections include "catch of the day," coconut chicken, spiced fish, homemade soups, sashimi, fried calamari, ham and roast pork to name some of the foods served during my visit. Homemade pizza is available for lunch and dinner with an assortment of topping choices. As it's the only pizza made on the island, locals came from all over to have it.

One evening, I sampled a typical Yapese dinner that featured steamed mangrove crab served with lemon-butter sauce and local hot sauce, baked taro balls, and a serving of local squash.

Manta Ray Bay Hotel is the island's only dedicated dive hotel. It's a PADI Gold Palm Resort and Yap Divers is a PADI five-star dive center. Yap Divers has seven dive boats certified to hold 15 divers, but the company sets limits of six divers per boat. As a PADI five-star dive center, they offer all the PADI certification courses including Nitrox and their own specialty - Manta Awareness.

The main goal of my trip was to see the resident Manta Rays. Unfortunately, during most of my dives, the water in Mi'l Channel (the location of the mantas' winter cleaning station) was very murky. It was on my last day of diving that I finally saw several mantas. They swam overhead as I knelt in the sand 70 feet below the surface. Mantas come to the cleaning stations where small specialized reef fish eat the tiny parasites attached to their skin. Small mantas are generally eight feet from wingtip to wingtip while larger rays have wingspans up to 14 feet across.

Yap's outer reefs are made up of more than 200 species of hard and soft corals that are home to many tropical fish including the lionfish, clownfish and crocodile fish -an exciting sight. Make sure you dive at Rainbow Reef in the early-evening to watch the beautifully-colored mandarin fish. Photographing them was a challenge, as these two-inch long fish darted about very quickly.

For non-divers, the hotel offers kayak tours of the mangroves along with cultural, land and walking tours. The hotel provides transportation to and from the island's beach along with a picnic lunch and drinks. Yap is a great place to relax, enjoy the sea breezes, read a book, take a nap, or swim. Yap does not offer discos, bars, or shopping. It is a very safe island and I felt at ease wherever I went.

For more information:

Manta Ray Bay Hotel
PO Box MR
Yap, FSM 96943

Phone: +691-350-2300
US toll free: (800-DIVE-YAP) or 800-348-3927
Fax: 691-350-4567 or 3841

E-mail: yapdivers@mantaray.com
Web: http://www.mantaray.com/

Yap Visitors Bureau: http://www.visit-fsm.org/yap/