Saipan

Northern Mariana Islands



Saipan. Drive to site and descend 110 concrete steps to drop in point

The Grotto

The northernmost edge of this beach is a flat rock/coral slope, rather like a boat-loading ramp.  It's a cut in an otherwise uninterrupted coral wall, so naturally it will have a strong outgoing rip current when waves are high.  Follow the right wall outward.  It will lead to gradually increasing depths, until finally you reach a massive tower beside an equally impressive 90' sea cliff that starts at 15' below the surface and goes down from there.  Beside the tower is a 60' long deep "notch" or "valley" or "crack" that is as deep as the sea-cliff itself.  Corals, morays, and a scattering of fishes make this site nice.  It's not nearly as impressive or dramatic as other beach dives on Saipan, but offers a nice alternative if you just want to be utterly alone in crystal-clear water.  Bring gloves, because you will have to stick your fingers into sharp holes to clamber back the last 60' shoreward against the rip-current.

Head North.  You'll pass the Nikko Hotel on the left, and then on the left, you'll see a dirt road (tough on a rent-a-car).  Follow this dirt road to its northernmost extremity.  You'll see that you're paralleling a loooong empty white pebble beach.  This is Wing Beach.  You're only interested in the Northernmost end, where there's a small empty field to park, adjacent to the beach.  Gear up at your car, and walk down to the water.  THERE ARE NO FACILITIES OF ANY KIND HERE.  No bathroom, no other people, no phone, no water, no electricity.

Wing Beach, Saipan

This is Saipan's easiest dive spot.  It's a bit boring for snorkelers or licensed SCUBA divers, but perfectly safe and entertaining for intro-divers.  You practice your skills in the currentless shallows, then follow a rope out for the duration of the dive.  You follow the rope to a series of coral heads inhabited by small blue fish like kissing gourami, helicopter-like tiny boxfish, sea anemone and clownfish, sea cucumbers, and stonefish.  Depths don't exceed 15'/5m.  Bright, sandy bottoms and strong sunlight make this exceptionally well-lit.  Visibility is a comforting 20 to 40 feet on all but the worst days.  Short golf-greens type grass and tall palm trees along the beach make this an ideal place to picnic.  Locals here can be a little edgy, and there's often a government-paid security guard at the site to watch over cars.  This is THE PERFECT spot for someone's first intro or certification dive, particularly if the diver lacks skill or confidence.

Head North, leaping the water on your left, from [].  After passing the garbage dump and the boat harbor, you'll see a very small tan-sand beach on your left.  It'll usually be inhabited by 2 or 3 dive vehicles.  Park anywhere except on the sand.

Tanapag Beach, Saipan

Outstanding features include a "fish ball" of schooling Bigeye Scad and a bunch of World War II junk including some big ship anchors and chains and a Japanese fuel pipeline

Easy parking on slabs leftover from old building. 

Lau Lau Bay is also known as Lao Lao Bay.

Lau Lau Bay

Gear up at your car, then walk 30' to knee-deep water, and follow a cable/pipe channel straight out. Returning, expect to clutch this cable/pipe to resist the rip tide in this cut. Once outside, head LEFT toward the hotels. Rightward is boring, and devastated by crown-of-thorns starfish who've killed the reef. Leftward is a paradise of candlestick corals, gradually sloping from 15' to 100' deep before becoming a sandy plain.  Lots of spider-shells, large animals, & reef fish.  Very pleasant dive.  Far better than anything in Hawaii, but not as good as Saipan, and unworthy to be mentioned in the same sentence as Palau.  Re-entry through a riptide, and the lack of a bathroom or shower, keep this from being perfect... but it's nearly perfect. Avoid snorkeling here if there are waves. Use thick-soled felt booties on this and all Micronesian shore dives, because spiny urchins and sharp rocks abound in the corals which you walk across in the shallows. Visibility is typically 60 feet/18 meters.

This is one of the easiest shore dives on Guam. Located at the far-right side of the tourist strip, Tumon Bay. Go as far right as possible on the paved road, past the Nikko Hotel, then follow a fairly good dirt road down to a small beach alongside the Nikko Hotel.  There are no facilities (no phone, bathroom, or anything else) at this beach, but in case of emergency, the hotel's nearby & willing to help out.

Gun Beach

Advanced dive (or higher cert.), due to very rough conditions on entry/exit. Dive itself is pleasant, as you can see a variety of sea life to include sharks, rays, lion fish, and stone fish to name a few. Visibility is average ranging from 20-60 ft most days. Recommend that you wear rash guard/gloves (especially for exiting the site) due to heavy surge/currents. It is also recommended not to dive this site until you have an instructor/guide to take you there first.

Drive down Marine Drive heading south until you enter Asan. There will be a tee-shirt store on the right (just before memorial park). Dive site is right behind the store.

Asan Cut

A very easy reef dive close to shore and containing an abundance of tropical fish species for this part of the Pacific Ocean.  

A 20 minute drive from the main Beach area of Guam called Tumon.  Travelling south on the coast road.

Piti Bomb Hole

At the end of the pier is a round, hollow building, with windows UNDER WATER.  Entry into this building is not free, but is the ideal chance for non-swimmers to watch & photograph you while you're diving.  Entry is via the beach, and a long walk in shallow water alongside the pier.  Around 3/4 of the way out, the bottom becomes sandy and filled with pleasant finger corals.  Light is abundant, and depths reach no more than 30'.  You are more than welcome to "buzz" the windows of the manmade underwater building, and look at the displays set up on "windowsills" there.  Excellent for non-divers, snorkelers, night diving...anything.  Aside from the long walk through shallow water, this is a nearly perfect, utterly tame and safe, relaxing dive.

Drive South-East from Tumon Bay.  Pass Hagatna (the capitol city) and continue until you pass MDA, a large red barn like dive shop on the left side of the road.  You'll see a looooong manmade pier on the right, and a large SCUBA/restaurant/wedding resort across the street from the pier.  Along the beach adjacent to this pier is a ribbon like parking lot, adequate for 60 cars.  There're pavilions with benches, and a stinky bathroom.

Piti Bomb Holes Preserve

The SMS Cormoran was a German merchant raider built by German in 1909. In april 1917, just before the end of the war with Germany the captain of the Cormoran scuttled the ship instead of turning her over to the Americans.

The 88 meters long SMS Cormoran lays in 38 meters of water on her starboard side, just side to the   Tokai Maru.

NE of Apra Harbor.
Side to the Tokai Maru.

SMS Cormoran is also known as Rjasan.

SMS Cormoran

The Tokai Maru was a 135m long Japanese passenger-cargo freighter built in 1930. She was re-commissioned as a freighter by the Japanese Imperial Navy in October, 1941, and was used to transport war materials and personnel throughout the pacific.

She was torpeadoed by the US Flying Fish submarine in january 1943.

NE of Apra Harbor.
Side to the SMS Cormoran.

Tokai Maru

Easy dive site to find during the day.

Once tied off, easy to find wreck.  Followed line to bow of American Tanker.

Tanker has numerous penetration points, ranging from easy swim through access points to multi level penetrations.

Northern side of Apra Harbor, Guam.

Orange dive bouy ( tied off of bow of Tanker ), next to two other dive sites.

The Grotto

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at The Grotto