Goofnuw Channel, or “Valley of the Rays”, is Yap’s seasonal manta diving area on the East side of the island.
Yesterday was our first dive there of the year, and it was a smokin’ log entry for all of us.
The start of my day’s take was a Manta coming to a complete stop facing the current and hovering right above me and my camera at the channel bottom.
Each manta dive site comes with it’s own experience or interaction with the rays. Here in Goofnuw Channel the action happens in outbound current. Rays whip around and bank here. During our safety stop a young male strafed our group and gave a guest the high-five pass at speed.
The summer months means calm seas, a lot of sun and a breeze. Flat water brings the vis up to spectacular and the entire island is divable.
Get Hooked Up…
There’s going to be some smokin’ deals going around soon that are full itineraries with dive plan and activities.
The first of these to roll out will be to fans of the Scuba Diver Girls – if you want blue water shark-rich Yap, this is your deal.
These packages will be available for booking anytime between now and December 2016. If you don’t feel like waiting to hear about these, I’m sure you can email bill@mantaray.com and ask him if you can get the details.
We stayed at the hotel and dove with Manta Ray divers in early December 2017. The hotel is very comfortable, well run and staffed with wonderful employees. During our visit my wife came down with an illness and the consideration and support from the hotel and dive staff could not have been better.read more
The best place to stay in Yap. The resort is really nice and clean, the scuba diving is great, and the docked ship that houses the bar, restaurant, and movie screen is very cool. I really enjoyed my stay here.read more
The whole place centers around the scuba diving operation. Probably better to find somewhere else if you're not a diver.
The dive operation was generally good, but a little too laid back - schedules weren't always clear, and sometimes would change without any notice. Sometimes it was hard to tell if this was really because of changing tides/weather or because of the island pace of life.
Pizza is a surprisingly good option at the restaurant.read more
We were from 11.08 to 18.08 at the Manta Ray Bay resort and had unforgettable days there 😍In total we made 12 dives with wonderful encounters. Highlights were, of course, the manta rays in the Goofnuw Channel and many white tip reef sharks in the Shark City 🦈 But also we saw eagle rays, turtles 🐢 and buffalo head parrotfish. The hotel is beautiful and the whole team does a great job there. The food on the ship Mnuw, as well as the home-brewed beer are excellent. Thank you again to the whole team of Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers 👏🏼We also did a one-day land tour to explore the many beautiful places of this unique island. The beach is like in paradise🏝, stone money and relics from the second world war very worth to see! You find there also culturally typical houses with different meaning and use! It would be nice if more visitors would come to this great island and appreciate the great work that is done there!
Anyway, we really enjoyed it and would come back anytime 🙏🏻✌🏼read more
Bill and his family run a great dive resort, rooms are spacious and comfortable. Restaurant and bar provide good range of food and drink. Bill and his dive guides know the reef intimately and the diving is spectacular. Bill and his family make for a very friendly and rewarding experience in Yap.read more
The highest level of dive service ever experienced! Fabulous dive operation from crew, boats, snacks, hot tea and water, warm towels etc. etc. and of course the Manta Rays!! Thank you for making my 100th dive so memorable. Accommodations 5 star! Food was fabulous! Can't say enough about this beautiful Island and it's people. Loved Yap! Deb & Glenn, London, Ontarioread more
MantaRayBay Resort, is THE dive resort. It is so obvious that this place was designed for divers, BY divers. The concept that all of the guests are part of the resort family seems to be the cornerstone of MRB Resort. The dive service is top notch; the wait staff spot-on, the resort staff super friendly and attentive. The dive sites are great, especially the southern walls, and of course the cleaning stations visited so often by the Manta Rays. I have gone scuba diving all over western Asia and the Caribbean, and MRB Resort is at the top!read more
May Mantas
Yesterday was our first dive there of the year, and it was a smokin’ log entry for all of us.
The start of my day’s take was a Manta coming to a complete stop facing the current and hovering right above me and my camera at the channel bottom.
Each manta dive site comes with it’s own experience or interaction with the rays. Here in Goofnuw Channel the action happens in outbound current. Rays whip around and bank here. During our safety stop a young male strafed our group and gave a guest the high-five pass at speed.
Get Hooked Up…
There’s going to be some smokin’ deals going around soon that are full itineraries with dive plan and activities.
The first of these to roll out will be to fans of the Scuba Diver Girls – if you want blue water shark-rich Yap, this is your deal.
These packages will be available for booking anytime between now and December 2016. If you don’t feel like waiting to hear about these, I’m sure you can email bill@mantaray.com and ask him if you can get the details.