Unforgettable experiences and comfortable accommodations make the diving easy in Yap Stately Lionfish at Lionfish Wall, Yap. Bill Acker is a tall, handsome American who fell in love with Yap during his Peace Corps stint there in the 1980s. Today he is a Yapese family man who has built Yap Divers and its sister hotel, Manta Ray Bay Resort, from the ground up. Acker also is known as "Mr. Manta" - a moniker earned from the years he has spent diving with and studying Yap's plentiful population of manta rays. Upon arriving at the Manta Ray Bay Resort at the conclusion of a recent trip halfway around the world, I instantly felt at home. The international dive club stickers, the gorgeous underwater photographs and, of course, the dive shop barely 20 paces away - this arrangement worked for me. We were greeted by Yap Divers manager Geof Loe, a gregarious, sun-bleached, rough-hewn ex-British military diver who told us that the dive operation was ready to take us out as soon as we could get "kitted up." While walking from my comfortable bayside room to the waiting dive boat, Geof headed me off and asked if I had any special requests that he could help me with during the time that I would be diving here. "I'd like to fly with the mantas, see them being cleaned and then photograph some unusual macro critters," I replied with hesitation. "Piece of cake, mate," Geo said with a smile. His words defined the ease with which I enjoyed unlimited diving, amazing manta rays and great critters during the dream-like days that I spent diving in Yap. MANTA RAY BAY RESORT & YAP DIVERSLocated on a tropical island between Guam and Palau in the Western Pacific, the Manta Ray Bay Resort is a cozy retreat "designed for divers." Its 23 air-conditioned guestrooms include satellite TV, a VCR and a mini-refrigerator. Nearby Yap Divers is the island's only PADI 5-Star Dive Facility. It offers an array of PADI training courses, including the Manta Ray Awareness class. Underwater photo and video services, Nitrox and a variety of diving experiences are available. For more information, and reservations, for Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers, click on the home page below.