Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers is doing a short tour of Europe.

We – Bill, Jan, Detlef and Daniel – are looking forward to meeting you at the following watersports shows in continental Europe:

FRANCE
13.-16. January, Salon de la Plongee, Paris, France (Key Largo booth)

GERMANY
21.-29. January, boot, Düsseldorf, Germany (Hall 3, E20, Quality Divers compound)

SWITZERLAND
26.-29. January, FESPO, Zürich, Switzerland (Schöner tauchen booth)

 

ALL THE BEST AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

The Sunntig’s Taucher (Sunday Divers in Swiss German) group of diving friends spent  7 days with us in late December.  This is a group of friends from Bern and Basel, who meet every Sunday to dive the lakes of Switzerland and to travel the world together.  While here, they certainly got their money’s worth as they did 30 additional dives on top of their hotel/dive package.  Thomas, the quite one of the group, and that’s really saying something for Swiss people, described the drift dive into Mi’l Channel as “Absolute Sennastionnal” (Absolutely Sensational).

Before leaving, the group let it be known that Truk Lagoon is high on their list for future trips and we are all hoping that they will add another stop in Yap when they visit our neighbors to the East.  After all, I wouldn’t want my pool training sessions to go to waste.

Lonely Planet author and photojournalist TIM ROCK just visited us this week and gave us some great news.

His beautiful books are now available in e-book format, to download to your iPhone or iPad.

He also has a NEW book out called the Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Palau & Yap. He highlights some of his favorite Yap dives in the book with beautiful color photos.

You can read through any of these online right now and download the e-Book from Blurb.com.

If you like you can also order the paper edition.

The Palau-Yap guide book will also be available soon on Amazon.com in paperback. We’ll alert you when that is ready to go.

Here’s a look at Tim’s Yap offerings. The list is extensive and they are all superbly illustrated. Just click to read.

DIVING GUIDE TO GUAM & YAP

YAP ENCHANTED ISLE, LAND OF STONE MONEY

YAP – MICRONESIAN MAGIC

MICRONESIA – PEOPLE, LAND & SEA

YAP’S OUTER ISLANDS – A DIVING GUIDE

It’s very hard to get all of the staff together at one time as we have a lot of staff, working in different divisions and those divisions never close.  The folks in this photo represent about 2/3 of the Manta Ray family and proudly represent their co-workers who were either working or off when the picture was taken.

All of us connected with the Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers wish to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe, Happy and Productive New Year.

Hopefully we will see you in Yap in 2012.

By Tim Rock
(all photos copyright the owners)

Manta Fest 2011 had some amazing entries this year and they weren’t all manta photos despite the name of our Fest. The judges commended beautiful shots of sea turtles, reef scenics, macro like mandarinfish and goby potraits, lots of reef shark shots and some beautiful sunrises and village dance shots. They were shown to all aboard the Mnuw on Saturday Night, September 10, 2011.

In the end, it is hard to unseat the Judy Bennet with her great photography and fun attitude about diving. Last year’s overall winner was also this year’s top photog and the creator of this year’s Best of Show with her great Grey Reef Shark portrait taken at Vertigo.

But she had plenty of competition and here’s how it shook out:

Category – Land, Culture and People

Honorable Mention

Mark Grantham – Yap Sunrise
Audrey Voronin – Coconut Girl

Third Place

Mark Grantham – Village Weavers

Second Place

Karen Axelrod – Mnuw Sunrise

First Place

Judy Bennett – Stick Dance Girl

Category – Macro

Honorable Mention

Judy Bennett – Yellow Goby & Shrimp
Audrey Voronin – Mandarinfish Dance

Third Place

Mike Martini – Clownfish in Anemone

Second Place

Judy Bennett – Wire Coral Shrimp

First Place

Judy Bennett – Spotted Coral Crab

Reef Scenics

Honorable Mention

Shirley DeMan – Open Water Turtle
Shirley DeMan – Giant Puffer
Audrey Voronin – Hawksbill

Third Place

Judy Bennett – Finger Corals & Boat

Second Place

Judy Bennett – Anthias and Crinoids

First Place

Audrey Voronin – Reef Wave

Mantas and/or Sharks

Honorable Mention

Daniel Flormann – Turning Shark

Third Place

Mike Martini – Manta Above!

Second Place

Daniel Flormann – Shark Pair

Tons of prizes including a week stay at Manta Ray for the First place winners.
Second Place winners got Tim Rock’s books on either Yap or Micronesia.
Third Place and Honorable Mention got a lot of various Manta Ray Bay and Yap Divers prizes.

And Judy’s Grand Prize was a Mares Icon HD net ready Dive Computer.

This year’s judges were Tim Rock of Double Blue Images/Lonely Planet Author, Marty Snyderman of Marty Snyderman Productions, Frank Schneider of Tauchen Magazine and Ray Bullion Dive Computer Specialist of Los Angeles.

Manta Fest for 2012 will be from August 26th through September 9th, 2012. We hope to see you in YAP!!!

The Manta Ray Bay Hotel has added some new and updated wall images to enhance the boutique atmosphere of the hotel. As you may already know, each room has a theme based on a sea creature. Every bed spread is a beautiful work based on the room name showing that creature or fish. The motif of the entire hotel is marine life with each of the rooms individually decorated in tropical elegance. Each room bears a fish name, and is decorated accordingly, with photographs and paintings of that fish, hand-carved door, hand carved key chains and handmade bedspreads.

And now all of the rooms have photographic art from Micronesia’s most prolific marine photographer, Tim Rock, who often visits the Manta Ray Bay Hotel and Yap Divers. The halls also sport new images from Rock and also other famous photogs like Carl Roessler, Geri Murphy and the late Paul Tzimoulis.

The most prominent may be the huge murals of a Yapese dancer (taken at the Manta Ray 20th Anniversary party) and the extreme manta close-up up taken at Miil Channel. This manta passed over Tim nose-to camera at the speed of light one afternoon on an incoming high tide as part of a manta train. He got one shot off. The resulting image of this manta and clear sky above is hard to replicate.

In all, nearly 40 new undersea images from Yap by Tim can be found in the new wing, the rooms and the halls and staircases of the MRBH. Take a walk through this amazing gallery and enjoy the incredible marine life of Yap.

By Tim Rock

I am now back home in Guam but the shooting continues today, the last photo contest day of Manta Fest in Yap and Manta Ray Bay Hotel.

I, of course, have not had time to edit everything and the images here are quick edits done in the room.

CLICK HERE to see some of my FAVORITES from the Fest.

Yap has such great variety and you see so many marine environments that the results are always pleasing.

I also look forward to see what other pros Frank Schneider, Marty Snyderman and Ray Bullion kick out here.

Stay tuned for the contest results soon.

Tim of the Deep

Story and Photos copyright Tim Rock

Believe it or not, Manta Fest isn’t all mantas. Yap has the most fascinating and intact culture in Micronesia and a visit to Kaday Village is the showcase of this unique culture. To get to Kaday, one can drive along the scenic west-central main road past traditional men’s houses and playing kids.

Finding both fruit and kids in trees is pretty standard stuff in Yap.

Upon arrival at Kaday Village, one gets to wander the ancient stone paths, get a taste of local fruits and see baskets being made.

Then a young boy will pick betel nut fresh from the high trees and scurry down. Guests are instructed by the affable village host Charles on how to have a chew. This is a staple in Yap. Some guests really like it. Others aren’t so sure. (check expressions on faces)

Then colorful fun starts. A traditional dance about a past historic event or person is performed by the village dancers.

The stick dance is an active, melodic affair full of well-choreographed movements that tell the story and entertain.

Young and old participate, making it a full village event.

Afterwards, people get to take photos of and with the dancers and enjoy more local treats.

A trip to see a real Pacific Island culture in action is a must in Yap. March 1 is always Yap Day and the whole island covenes for dances and events. It lasts about 3 days and can be combined with morning dives and afternoon trips to the dance grounds. Check for availability HERE as this is always a popular event.

Tim of the Deep

Story and Video by Tim Rock

Here’s a look at the mantas thrilling divers at Manta Fest this year.

The new cleaning station is a great place to watch cleaner behavior.

Click RIGHT HERE to see the Video:

More to come soon including village dancers.

Tim of the Deep

Story & Photos by Tim Rock

Divers had a wonderful sunrise this morning and scattered to all parts of Yap. Some will do Yap Caverns on an all day three-dive trip, a few will go back for mantas and others will try the northern reefs. That will be followed by a traditional village tour and trip to Kaday for Yapese dancing and some local food.

Last night Marty Snyderman gave a wonderful presentation aboard the Mnuw on the sea and its inhabitants called “10,000 Dives in an Hour or So”. It featured video and stills done by Snyderman throughout his storied career.

Tonight I’ll show the folks something about marine preserves in the region including Yap, Guam and Rota in the Marianas.

The judges are now all gathered and ready for the entries.

And Bill Acker is now back and in the mix. He is seen here with son O.P.

An added sidelight, longtime Manta Ray employee Detlef Trux in charge of keeping Mnuw in ship shape is now doing hydroponic gardening on the hotel grounds. They call the site the “Garden of Eatin’”!!
This means fresh herbs, salads, spinach and lots more is now coming out of the garden, through the kitchen and into the mouths of grateful guests.

Keep posted, more to come.

You’ll see stuff like this:

Tim of the Deep