Guam diving with budget

[Jonky]

Hi Guys! Planning to go to Guam end of August for a once in a life time trip and would love to take a day of diving there. Where would you recommend a budget dive resort and which dive sites are a "must-see"? Any recommendations would help. Thanks in advance!

 

[01formulaaj]

Been living in Guam for about 3 months and have been diving every weekend. There's really no dive resort, per se, on the island. I'd recommend getting a hotel in Tumon Bay with a rental car. The best dive shop on the island in the Micronesian Dive Association (MDA) south of Tumon in the village of Piti. They are full up with nitrox, gear rental, etc. Every Saturday they have boats that leave out of Cabras or Agat to various sites around the island. As far as boat dives are concerned, I'd definately recommend either the Toki Maru/SMS Cormoran dive (a torpedoed WWII Japanese freighter is lying at 60 ft on top of a scuttled WWI sub at 110) or the Blue Hole just outside of Apra harbor (a natural limestone plateau w/ a verticle shaft starting at 60 ft). For beach dives, recommend either Gun Beach or Asan Cut (where the Marines invaded in 1944 and you can still see enormous stockpiles of used and unused ammo on the sandy bottom at 110 ft). Hope this helps...enjoy your trip.

 

[guamrider]

Go here for a list of many Guam boat divesites: • View forum - Guam Boat Dive sites

Also here for lots of Guam videos: http://avpguam.com/

 

[sanjac]

I've been here in Guam for two and a half years. Great dives in Guam - Blue Hole, The Crevice, Pete's Reef, Amphitheater, and many others. The key is to go outside the harbor. Once you get out there, the water is fantastic (visibility 100+). In the harbor are some wrecks, but visibility is hit and miss. Water is awesome. Shorts and t-shirt down to 130+ feet. Never needed a wet suit here.

MDA is the right place - cheaper than GTDS (Guam Tropical Dive Station), which is expensive and now seems to cater to Japanese tourists. And MDA does better dive tours (at least lately).

You'll love the diving here. It'll spoil you in no time. Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[pazz]

I used MDA when I dove Guam and I was happy with their service. Today, I was even wearing one of their T-shirts.

 

[Jonky]

Thanks for the advice guys! Will be there soon. If you have other dive tips, keep them coming!

 

[sanjac]

When you get out here, look me up on FaceBook (sanjac). We are building a network on FaceBook for diving and a lot of MDA staff are on there also. Look us up and we'll help you out. MDA also has their own page, so look that up too.

Jim

 

[bubble-head]

MDA is a great outfit! I used them for my diving needs while stationed on Guam in the Navy. Excellent staff and outfit. I sure miss Guam diving!

 

[Jonky]

Guys, around how much will I be spending per dive?

 

[bill22]

Here's a link to MDA: Guam & Micronesia Pacific Scuba Diving. I'd suggest signing up with their 5 Star Club. It's only $75 bucks and you'll get 6 free boat dives with it. That works out to about $12.50 per dive! You can find it on their web page. Even renting tanks and weights, you'll still be paying less than $20 per dive.

If you do more than 6 dives, then you will also get discounts on the regular price with your membership. I'd budget about $25 per dive including boat, tanks, and weights. Depending on the dive, it will likely be less than that. MDA is very reasonable

Shore diving, just be careful and make you sure you go with someone who has local knowledge (or at least talk to someone about your plans). There are some very strong currents there and someone can (and has) get themselves in trouble real quick. It's always good advice to not dive outside your comfort zone.

I'd also contact MDA ahead of time about reserving spots on the boat while you are there. The weekend trips are very popular and can fill up very fast. If you wait until you get there you may not be able to get a place on the boat. The monthly schedule is on their webpage.