I was recently sent to Majuro for work so I brought my gear.
Bako divers wasn't an option as the owner was in Hawaii while I was there. Before I knew this, I sent him an email which he didn't respond to after returning (I saw him my last day) and there was no answering machine to indicate he was gone.
I asked around but the only place anyone knew was Bako. I looked through the phone book (all 37 pages of yellow pages) and called those shops listed. The only one that seemed to be both in business and in town was Marshalls Dive Adventure (MDA).
MDA is the closest shop to the RRE hotel, it's across the parking lot and down a very short ways, within easy walking distance even lugging gear. MDA uses a covered boat with twin 50HP outboard motors. Exiting the boat is an easy backroll off with a short ladder to get back on.
Their market is primarily Japanese tourists who didn't dive any worse than the average tourist. Because of the lack of skill among the other divers, we kept to mostly easy sites in the lagoon. The first three sites were essentially all alike. Vis was high, the sun was bright, the fish were colorful but the coral wasn't. The landscape was pretty bland, sand and rock and table coral in earth tones, white to light brown. Much of the time was spent shallow which when combined with the clarity of the water, the sun and the pale surroundings, made photography difficult.
The fourth dive was done by myself, the main DM and one tourist and was called Aquarium. The site wasn't all that colorful but the depths (40-80 ft) made photography a bit easier in the clear waters. Of course sharks, tunas and rays don't usually sit still for long.
The SI sites were awesome, the islands were "fresh out of tourism brochures" quality. The owner even has built a few bungalows on one if someone really wants to get away from it all.
From what I saw, inside the lagoon isn't that great a place. We didn't see anything big, and the overall color was lacking. If you're going to be in the area, some diving is better than no diving but the lagoon isn't worth making a special trip for. Aquarium was nice since we don't have much in the way of big stuff at my normal dive sites.
Would I do it again? When work sends me back, sure but only if I couldn't do other sites. The owner of MDA only considers camera gear under equipment on his web site but the main DM (a Marshallise guy) had a broader interpretation. I wouldn't make a special trip for the lagoon though and I'd inquire closely if I was making a special trip.
Bako divers wasn't an option as the owner was in Hawaii while I was there. Before I knew this, I sent him an email which he didn't respond to after returning (I saw him my last day) and there was no answering machine to indicate he was gone.
I asked around but the only place anyone knew was Bako. I looked through the phone book (all 37 pages of yellow pages) and called those shops listed. The only one that seemed to be both in business and in town was Marshalls Dive Adventure (MDA).
MDA is the closest shop to the RRE hotel, it's across the parking lot and down a very short ways, within easy walking distance even lugging gear. MDA uses a covered boat with twin 50HP outboard motors. Exiting the boat is an easy backroll off with a short ladder to get back on.
Their market is primarily Japanese tourists who didn't dive any worse than the average tourist. Because of the lack of skill among the other divers, we kept to mostly easy sites in the lagoon. The first three sites were essentially all alike. Vis was high, the sun was bright, the fish were colorful but the coral wasn't. The landscape was pretty bland, sand and rock and table coral in earth tones, white to light brown. Much of the time was spent shallow which when combined with the clarity of the water, the sun and the pale surroundings, made photography difficult.
The fourth dive was done by myself, the main DM and one tourist and was called Aquarium. The site wasn't all that colorful but the depths (40-80 ft) made photography a bit easier in the clear waters. Of course sharks, tunas and rays don't usually sit still for long.
The SI sites were awesome, the islands were "fresh out of tourism brochures" quality. The owner even has built a few bungalows on one if someone really wants to get away from it all.
From what I saw, inside the lagoon isn't that great a place. We didn't see anything big, and the overall color was lacking. If you're going to be in the area, some diving is better than no diving but the lagoon isn't worth making a special trip for. Aquarium was nice since we don't have much in the way of big stuff at my normal dive sites.
Would I do it again? When work sends me back, sure but only if I couldn't do other sites. The owner of MDA only considers camera gear under equipment on his web site but the main DM (a Marshallise guy) had a broader interpretation. I wouldn't make a special trip for the lagoon though and I'd inquire closely if I was making a special trip.
