Dive Industry Profile Series
Bill Acker – Manta Ray Bay Hotel & Yap Divers
In the Words of Bill Acker
with Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

If there is one thing that diving pioneers have in common is that they are all living the dream.  Some diving pioneers get to where they got by following a Dream.  Others discovered their passion in life by finding their dream.  Then there are the diving pioneers we all love in the diving community who create their dreams.  Bill Acker, of Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers, from Yap, Micronesia is one of those people.  When we looked closer at Bill’s history, we see that he is actually a combination of all three types of diving pioneer, and then some.  Bill followed a dream.  He found a dream.  He built his dream.  And now he is sharing his dream with the world.  Bill Acker is what we call a Dream Maker.

Born on November 19, 1952 in Austin, Texas, Bill Acker’s oceanic adventure of a lifetime began at the age of 26 when he joined the Peace Corps in 1976.  “I went to Yap as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1976 and was an avid snorkeler.  I LOVED the ocean and the beauty of the reef and marine life.  One day, I was snorkeling while a Yapese friend of mine (one of the first 3 Yapese to be certified and the eventual two-term Governor of Yap) was diving.  I became very jealous that he could go down to the bottom and sit there while I was going up and down for what seemed like the entire day.  This ability to join nature up close and personal and be in a place where man was not made to be, really intrigued me.  When the Australian Navy helped make it a reality, it made it easy for me years later.  I’ve never regretted jumping at the chance to learn the sport…in fact you could say I’m Aussie certified.”

Bill Acker went to work for WA’AB Transportation in 1977 and started diving.  “We had an oxygen and acetylene plant on the dock that I managed as the Port Manger of Yap.  There was a group of Navy Divers onboard an Australian Navy ship that stopped in Yap one day.  We got a question about filling SCUBA tanks from the divers after seeing our compressor for the O2 plant.  When I told them we didn’t know about this, they said they’d set it up for us.”

“The port also had a tugboat and barge to dredge sand, so I thought it would be good for comradery among the staff to certify as many of them that wanted to learn.  I got in touch with Pete Peterson, the owner of Micronesian Diver’s Association (MDA), who sent three instructors to Yap so 45 of us took dive classes and got certified.  This included my wife.”  So, Bill Acker gets certified in Yap in 1985 and his dream gets better and better.

“After we became divers, I decided we’d take the tugboat out on weekends to spearfish, barbecue, and drink beer.  That was the mid-80’s, and nobody knew better than to spear fish on SCUBA.  Sometimes, after doing this a few times, we’d get stray tourists who happened to come to Yap after a dive trip to Palau.  We always said yes to their requests to go diving when they heard we were diving.  I had the bright idea that if we used my motorboat and opened a dive shop, we could charge tourists for diving and that would pay for our beer.  It’s true, Yap Divers was started for beer money.”  That was in 1986.

It didn’t take Bill long to upgrade his professional diving status.  He became a PADI Instructor in 1988.  I wish I had known Bill then.  I visited Yap briefly on my way to a three-week U.S. Navy salvage project in Palau but we never hooked up.  It’s strange how many times Dive Industry Professionals seem to pass by each other, like ships in the night over the years and never connect.  Two years later on March 1, 1990, Bill opened the Manta Ray Bay Hotel.  By this time Bill had become the General Manager of WA’AB Transportation.  It was time to take his dream to the next level.   “In July of 1991, I left WA’AB and purchased Yap Divers and the Manta Ray Bay Hotel from the company.  Since then we have opened Yap Planet Blue Kayak Company, Yap Anglers catch and release fishing company, the Taro Leaf Spa, a hydroponics garden and the Stone Money Brewing Company which brews world-class beer.” 

We asked Bill what his favorite diving specialty was and of course he said, “Manta Rays.  I am eternally biased as I believe the diving in Yap compares very well with any place I have ever dived.  My favorite dive spot in Yap is Yap Caverns on the Southern tip of the island.  There is everything there including very clear water, swim throughs, walls, shark cleaning station, macro critters, schools of fish and it’s never boring.” 

Jacques Cousteau and Lloyd Bridges may be Bill Acker’s most favorite diving people but, “The late Hall of Famer, Mr. Paul Tzimoulis was my mentor in all things diving.  Paul knew more about dive travel than the rest of the industry combined and to my great joy and benefit, he took a liking to me, my family, and Yap.  The rest is history.” 

You might wonder what type of an inner circle of influence does a diving pioneer have?  My question would be more like, who influences whom?  Bill Acker’s list of favorite diving people he has dived with is, “Way too many to name.  I have been extremely fortunate to have dived with lots of great people.  Paul Tzimoulis and his wife Geri Murphy would certainly be included in any list.  My wife and 4 kids have done hundreds, if not a thousand dives with me, and then there is Tim Rock, David Fleetham, Steve Miller, Marty Snyderman, Ray Bullion, Stefan Michi & Steven Lamphear from Mares, Frank Schnieder, Andreas Schumacher, Amos Nachoum to name a few but there are lots more.  Some famous and some just good people.  Diving is my passion and I love diving with different people.”

And people love diving with Bill Acker and Yap Divers.  Bill was inducted as an SSI Platinum Pro in their first selection class and is a 2014 member of the International SCUBA Diving Hall of Fame.  Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers has received numerous awards from Scuba Diving Magazine over the years for Readers’ Choice, Top 10 Destinations for Big Animals, Top 10 Value Dive Destinations, Top 10 World’s Best Marine Life, Top 10 Best Place for Phot Ops, and Top 10 World’s Best Place for Small Animals.

But what good is being a successful Diving Pioneer and Industry Leader if you are not giving back to the Global Diving Community that has given you so much success, enjoyment, and fulfillment?  Bill has our respect when it comes to Phillanthropy.  “I do not have a particular NGO that I would call my “favorite”, but I have contributed in one way or another to various NGO’s that have reached out for my expertise or assistance.  I help organizations that I believe are there to better the planet and its Inhabitants. 

Philanthropy holds a different meaning to me than I am sure some people.  I have lived most of my adult life in an island nation where the core belief is that one’s actions must be for the good of all.  So, although my family and I have a business, we have not only done it to benefit ourselves, but have done so to help our island communities.  Since being in business, we have been involved in summer training of Yap’s youth, offered opportunities for locals to network with visitors and contributing to anything that will help my island home in improving the standard of living of its citizens.”

Bill Acker is still as active as a Dive Industry Professional can get.  “I have dived Yap, Chuuk, Palau, Kosrae, Majuro, all over the Philippines, Bali, and Raja Ampat and I have discovered and named over 50 sites in Yap.  I have over 18,300 dives and still love it.”   Bill is thankful for the good work that is done by divers in the global diving community.  “I love the work we do every day throughout the world in protecting our oceans.”    Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers are Members of the Dive Industry Association (# 0433).

Since 2006, Bill Acker and Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap divers have produced the Annual MantaFest Photography School & Contest.  “Our MantaFest program has brought underwater photographers, both amateur and professional, to this small island and its protected reef to compete for prizes, attend workshops, take tours of the island, and experience the unique culture of Yap, which is considered to be among the best preserved in the Pacific region.”  The 17^th annual program is scheduled for August 24, 2024 – September 8, 2024. 

A new edition to the annual MantaFest program is the 2^nd Annual BlackwaterFest 2024 Photography School.  Unique to the Underwater Photography circuit is an opportunity to photograph Mantas by day and Blackwater by night.  “Each night, we’ll explore the water over the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the “Yap Trench”, that reaches depths of over 9,000 meters.  Discover exotic creatures of the deep blue sea that are rarely seen and experience their sighting in their natural habit.  This exceptional experience will change your outlook of the ocean’s wonders and will give you an up-close insight of her dark secrets.” 

Bill concluded our interview with these comments.  “I have been so very blessed throughout my life in all respects and this opportunity to be featured here in The Dive Industry Professional is a part of the blessing. I truly believe I have made a positive difference in the lives of many people, and I thank God daily for the blessings bestowed on my family and me and our business and co-workers.” 

For more information visit Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers or email Bill at bill@mantaray.com   

###