Guam, Saipan, Truk

[bikefox]

I leave for a trip to Maui, Guam, Saipan and Truk in two weeks. I have planned this trip for over a year and I'm so excited.

1 week in Maui' (Kihei)
2 days in Guam (Fiesta Resort)
3 days in Saipan (Aquarius Resort)
2 days land based in Truk
7 days Odyssey liveaboard
1 day Guam (Fiesta Resort)
1 day Maui

Any suggestions beyond the obvious I should bring? I have never been to the S. Pacific or on a liveaboard.

Any must see dive sites? What about things to see or do on the surface. I'm going with some history teachers, so war sites are a must.

I've done Maui before and one of the guys going with me lived there for several years. We have nothing planned yet for Guam, but we do have a car. In Saipan we are set for a day of shorediving (Grotto) and we have a car there as well.

Thanks

 

[deepstops]

In Guam, I dove with Micronesian Divers Association and we dove in Apra Harbor on Kitsugawa and Tokai Maru ships (both WW2 vessels) as well as a WW1 vessel, the SMS Cormoran. The SMS Cormoran and the Tokai are literally an arm's length from each other and it's the only place in the world you dive a WW1 and a WW2 ship on the same dive.

Prior to diving in Guam, I did a week on the Truk Aggressor II (now the North Sulawesi Aggressor) and three days diving with Blue Lagoon. I wrote a very detailed report on this trip that located here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/pacific-islands/28819-truk-report.html

I really enjoyed diving with both operations there. I will warn you: I can't suggest walking the streets in Truk as a tourist. While a wreck diving mecca, there's little else you'll enjoy outside confines of the resort. It's kind of sad to see.

 

[bikefox]

I've been in contact with MDA. We are diving in Guam midweek, so they don't have a set schedule. We decided not to make a reservation, but will more than likely use them to dive when in Guam.

Were also staying at Blue Lagoon for a few days before the liveaboard. We're thinking these two days might be a great time to just relax and rest before heading off for some diving on the Odyssey.

Thanks for the report.

 

[marpacifica]

If you're into military history, you might want to check out the old Japanese cannons at the south end of Saipan at Naftan Point. Some pillboxes there too. A bit hard to find, so you might want to ask how to get there.

Grotto is a nice dive. The "hike" down into the Grotto with full gear is a bit of a chore, so make sure you're in good shape and have stretched your muscles before and after going down. This time of year you may be able to dive Banzai Cliff, nice pelagic action and upwellings that bring lots of fish.

 

[alykitcat]

Dive if you can the Tokai Maru and Cormorant..a WWII ship and a WWI ship right next to each other there is a spot where with one hand you can touch the tokai and the other the cormorant. It is the only place in the world you can touch wrecks from both world wars at the same time. Also Dive Gun Beach if you have the time and the surf is right...its a beautiful dive and we have seen everything from lionfish to moray eels, to manta rays to turtles there. Follow the pipes in and out but be careful cuz there is a fire coral that made its home on them.

 

[akdeepdiver]

In guam use MDA. If you get a chance dive the Kitagawa Maru, American tanker, or Seabee Junkyard. All are good. There is great shore diving to. I like the Piti Bomb Holes, which are litterally right across the streat from the MDA shop.

 

[bikefox]

Just returned from the trip. We had a great time. The diving in Guam, Saipan and Truk was amazing. We met up with some other scubaboard members along the way. I would write a report, but I'm still trying to recover from jetlag.

 

[CARHILL]

Where is the Trip Report???

Dale Still on a little rock in the Pacific next to the pineapple under the sea

 

[bikefox]

Where is the Trip Report???

Dale Still on a little rock in the Pacific next to the pineapple under the sea

Alright, here it is:

Maui:

We stayed at the Kamaole Beach Royale. It was a great place with plenty of room and a good location. We used the rooftop grill often. We only did shore dives this time. It's hard to beat a $6 dive. Dove Ulua beach, Ahihi and Wailea beach. We saw plenty of fish, turtles, eels, nudis and flatworms. Vis was decent and the water tepms in the high 70's.

We also hiked from Maalaea (?) toward Lihaina (the mountain with the windmills) and did the drive to Haleakala

Guam:

We stayed at the Fiesta Resort. The rooms were nice and the resort was modern. There were mainly Japanese tourist staying here. We rented some tanks from MDA and again did some shore dives. Piti bomb and Cemetary Ledge were both very good. Piti bomb was a bit shallow at times, but the colors were brilliant. Cemetary Ledge was a long walk out, but the best shore dive I have ever done. Great coral and life everywhere. We found out later there is an Amtrax there, but we missed it.

Saipan:

We stayed at Aquarius Beach resort. It had huge rooms, but it is not really a resort. I believe it was apartments converted to a hotel. There was not much for amenities, but then again, we didn't need much. It is close to two grocery stores and had a great beach.

We dove with Aquasmith. Our divemaster was an American named Rusty. He did a great job. We dove the Grotto and Obyan beach(?). The Grotto was a blast. We zig and zag in and out of swim throughs. Obyan beach had great coral and good vis. We saw a huge octopus.

Of course we had to see the WWII sites as well. We met up with Dale (CARHILL) and checked out Bonzi Cliff and Bird Island. He showed us around and shared some Asahi. It was interesting to hear about life on the rock in the Pacific

We also kayaked out to the sherman tanks and did some snorkeling. Overall, I liked Saipan the most. The Flame trees were blooming, the island is laid back and the diving was great.

Chuuk:

We arrived a couple of days before we boarded the Odyssey. I was surprised at how rundown and poor Weno was. We stayed at the Blue Lagoon. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, it had a decent restrauant, and an outdoor bar that opens at 4pm. The rooms were nice, except for the lack of water pressure. We dove one day with Blue Lagoon Dive. They ran a boat for just the three of us and we picked the sites. During our surface interval, we snorkeled on a Zero and ate a nice lunch.

The Odyssey is amazing. Nice rooms, great food and a fantastic staff. We did 13 wrecks in 6 days. All of them were great. My favorites were the San Francisco Maru and the Fujikawa Maru.

4 weeks of sun, diving, beer and food. What more could you ask for?