Bill Acker is the owner of Yap Divers and Manta Ray Bay Hotel, in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Bill first came to this paradise in 1976 from Austin, Texas, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He moved to Hawaii after spending two years on Yap, but returned at the behest of friends and family in Yap, staying for 13 years while running the WAAB transportation Company and along the way, learning to dive.
Like so many of us in the diving industry, Bill turned his hobby into a career, opening Yap Divers, Yap’s first dive store, conceived in the fall of 1985 and opened by summer of 1986.
With guidance from the late Paul Tzimoulis, (Inductee into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame), Bill developed dives with manta rays, turning Yap into one of the top international dive tourist destinations. His dedication to this sport and to the lifestyle it inspires can be seen in his constant attention to detail and his presence at the operations 7 days a week. There, he is ready to help with diving, photography, fishing or just relaxing on the back deck. As a family owned and operated dive resort, you can be sure that your satisfaction is taken very seriously and that the "boss" is around to help you in the event assistance is required.
One of the most important results of Bill Acker’s activities has been the effect he and Yap Divers/Manta Ray Bay Hotel have had on the local economy. Not only have the local people benefitted from the revenues of Manta Ray Bay, but Yap’s growing reputation has attracted all kinds of development into what is still a rather small community.