We constantly promote several events here at the Manta Ray Bay Resort and it has dawned on me that maybe we have not explained these as well as we should have so please bear with me while I try to expound on 4 annual events and what they really are:

• Kids Sea Camp is held in June each year for 1 week. This is an event sold and promoted by Family Divers www.familydivers.com and www.kidsseacamp.com where a group of families spend 7 days with us. The week involves adults going diving, diving certified teenagers going on their own boat (or with their parents as they choose), various dive classes for younger kids and then a very exciting program for the little kids and kids who don't dive. We have several local kids join the program and each year has gotten better. All of this can be found on the above websites or on our own www.mantaray.com site but what isn't explained is that we are happy to offer the same program for individual families visiting us anytime of the year. If you are unable to join the week in June, don't worry. Just let us know when you can come, how old the kids are, what their interests are and we will put on a private Kids Sea Camp for you. These individual weeks throughout the year can be booked with Margo at [email protected] or if you want to, you can feel free to book with your favorite travel company or with us directly. We don't care how you get here, we just want you to consider us and we want you to know that we are family friendly with unique programs just for you.
• MantaFest www.mantafest.com is a two week program held the last week of August and the first week of September each year. In the past it has been promoted as a photo contest with lots of great prizes. It is that BUT it's much more as we bring in some of the world's best underwater photographers to make presentations to our guests. These photographers are chosen because of their skill with a camera but more importantly their skill at dealing with people. There are daily free classroom presentations on various aspects of photography and/or Photoshop. There are nightly presentations on our big screen. There are afternoon pool parties and in general, it's a great time to interact with lots of wonderful people. There are NO professional photographers in the program so you are not competing with pros. There are two categories with equal prizes available: Point and shoot and Digital SLR so even if you are shooting a phone, you have a chance to win wonderful prizes.
• Canoe Festival is a 2 day festival held in November celebrating Yap's history of outrigger sailing canoes. The Yap Visitors Bureau www.visityap.com is the driving force behind this and we offer special packages that include room, diving and the festival. If you are interested in riding a sailing canoe, seeing them built or just interacting with the traditional navigators, this is an event you should consider.
• Yap Day is the most famous holiday in Yap and has been running continuously for some 40 odd years. This is a celebration for the locals but the locals are such nice people that they gladly open their arms to outsiders. Yap Day is March 1st each year and the celebration lasts for two days. You need to contact us to be sure which two days the event will be held as it's not always the 1st and 2nd. This event has been compared to the Highlands Festival in New Guinea and for people interested in island cultures it's a must. We are generally fully booked, as not only Yap Day but manta mating season is in full swing so advance reservations are a must.

We are coming up on our annual summer photography workshop and dive party, Manta Fest.

Photogs of all levels from GoPro's to dSLR rigs will have the opportunity to learn from today's top professional and editorial photographers who will be giving classes as well as one-on-one training every day.

Learn about camera equipment, exposure scenarios, lighting, shooting silhouettes, animal behavior and pro secrets on nailing the shot.

This is an exclusive deal to the Scuba Diver Girls' network that you can take advantage of - a week-long blue water safari with activities and tours in your dive plan.

Frozen Crabs & the Blonde Stewardess

A lawyer boarded an airplane in New Orleans with a box of frozen crab and asked a blonde stewardess to take care of them for him. She took the box and promised to put it in the crew's refrigerator. He advised her that he was holding her personally responsible for the crab delicacy staying frozen, mentioning in a very haughty manner that he was a lawyer, and proceeding to rant at her about what would happen if she let them thaw out.

Needless to say, she was annoyed by his behavior. Shortly before landing in New York, she used the intercom to announce to the entire cabin, "Would the gentleman who gave me the crabs in New Orleans please raise your hand?" Not one hand went up...so she took them home and ate them.

Two lessons here:

1. Lawyers aren't as smart as they think they are.

2. Blondes aren't as dumb as most folks think.

This is the time of year with the calmest seas, clearest water and most available dive sites.

When the trade winds die down for the season the entire island is open for diving with smooth boat rides.

Mantas are being seen on both the Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean sides of the islands.

Sharks are swarming at Vertigo daily