Top 10 Best Diving Sites in Northern Mariana Islands (USA)
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is made up of 15 islands in the western Pacific Ocean's Micronesian area. The islands of Saipan, Rota, and ... read more...Tinian are permanently populated, with some of the greatest diving in the world.Let's have a look at Best Diving Sites in Northern Mariana Islands (USA).
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Lau Lau Beach is one of the most popular spots is located in Lau Lau Bay, with an easy beach access and one of the island's biggest reefs. Hundreds of tiny species may be seen at Lau Lau Beach, including wrasses, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, and more. Divers who want to take things easy will see nudibranchs, stone fish, and octopus on a regular basis.
Beginners and divers interested in smaller, more colorful species would like this dive spot. The most fascinating beach entry location is Lau Lau Beach, where you can nearly usually encounter friendly green sea turtles. This is one of Saipan's three greatest shore dives, with at least four unique entrance spots. The entry and exit are the simplest you'll find for any shore dive. The 15'-deep escape canal is marked with a rope.
The depths range from 5 to 110 feet. Hard and soft corals abound, as do vast schools of fish and regular sightings of big animals such as turtles, rays, Napoleon wrasses, and tiny white tip reef sharks. Excellent visibility, and just slightly inferior to Obyan for day or night diving. At deeper depths, the visibility ranges from near-zero at the rope exit point to >60'. There are a lot of clown fish colonies.
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This natural sinkhole is connected to the ocean by three subterranean tunnels, making it one of the world's best cavern diving locations. The Grotto is a must-see location for travelers and residents alike because of its unforgettable blue colors. Many visitors consider this to be one of the Best Diving Sites in Northern Mariana Islands (USA).
The Grotto is Saipan's most well-known attraction, and as such, its environment must be preserved and cherished. You must remove whatever you bring inside the Grotto. The powerful currents can be highly dangerous, so proceed with caution. The Grotto, a collapsed limestone cavern with spectacular light beams that pierce through breaches in the cavern walls, is Saipan's most popular dive spot.
It is also frequently rated one of the world's top diving sites and an underwater photographer's dream dive destination. The walls are covered in coral and macro marine life, and entry is by land after climbing 112 steps into the top of the cavern. Divers frequently spot turtles, schools of barracuda, and other fish near the three undersea entrances to the open ocean.
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Obyan Beach, near Naftan Point, with a visibility of over 150 feet on a good day. Following the first reef, there is a lovely patch reef with hundreds of little fish and intriguing critters all around. The second reef begins at 50 feet deep and is home to barracudas, sharks, and maybe eels.
This diving location is suitable for divers of all abilities, particularly photographers. It's even more stunning than you recall! It was fantastic to get sand between your toes while grilling with the family. It is not the most popular tourist attraction on Saipan, but if you can swim well and are a true nature lover, here is the spot for you.
To go to Obyan, you'll need to rent a vehicle or ride a bike because it's fairly distant from the hotel areas. When you swim into the coral reef from the shore, you'll be treated with a display of many gorgeous tropical species, including all of the fish you'd find in an aquirium. Many visitors consider this to be one of the Best Diving Sites in Northern Mariana Islands (USA).
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Dimple is a seamount on Saipan's western side. When you first step into the water, you'll notice a big school of red snappers out in the distance, and as you descend to the base, you'll witness hundreds of different animals. Surgeons, eels, and eagle rays are frequently seen. However, feeding the butterfly fish is the highlight of this dive. Many visitors consider this to be one of the Best Diving Sites in Northern Mariana Islands (USA).
The divers are surrounded by thousands of yellow and white butterfly fish as soon as the food hits the water. They'll get so near you'll be able to pet them. This dive has depths ranging from 40 to 130 feet, making it suited for divers of all ability levels. Beautiful corals are popular. Hundreds of pyramid butterflyfish, as well as a variety of other fish, may be found.
A diving store is also available in Dimple. PADI certification classes, daily guided boat dives, beach dives, rental equipment, and pick-ups from Saipan hotels are all available. They also write a blog virtually every day about their diving adventures, including what they observed, the conditions, class information, videos, and images. They provide Japanese classes and guided dives, and if they have bilingual teachers, they can also give other languages.
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Ice Cream, like Dimple, is a seamount on Saipan's west coast that is home to scores of newborn eels, many anemones. With the base of the seamount at 50 feet and the summit at 18 feet, this is a shallow dive. Eagle rays may frequently be found swimming around the top of the seamount when there is a current.
The name stems from the formation's resemblance to an ice cream scoop. Ice Cream is a famous diving spot called from the vivid ice cream cone corals that house even more spectacular fish life. In addition, the shops sell many souvenirs with very unique shapes.
Ice Cream dive spot is within a short distance from Banzai. This website is only available for a limited period of time each year. It's like a spotlight shining on a stage when the sun shines through a hole in the top of the cavern. Large fish and animals, like as turtles and sharks, are always possible to observe.
Large crevasses and spectacular drop-offs are some of the major geological characteristics here. At night, this location is famed for shark encounters and Spanish Dancers. The best way to perform this dive is from a boat drift dive. Many visitors consider this to be one of the Best Diving Sites in Northern Mariana Islands (USA).
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Saipan is frequently rated one of the world's top diving sites and an underwater photographer's dream dive destination. The walls are covered in coral and macro marine life, and entry is by land after climbing 112 steps into the top of the cavern.
Divers frequently spot turtles, schools of barracuda, and other fish near the three undersea entrances to the open ocean. The Chinsen Maru was an Imperial Japanese Navy cargo that was torpedoed during WWII and destroyed in 1944.
The shallow wreck stands on the bottom at only 35 feet deep, with part of it breaking the surface, making it a simple wreck to examine and ideal for beginner divers. On this wreck, octopuses are plentiful, jacks frequent the region, and white tip sharks are generally seen beneath the ship.
Lao Lao Bay, also on Saipan, is a terrific shore dive with amazing coral formations and many of turtles. Eagle Ray City is an excellent place to watch eagle rays, which can number in the hundreds. Ice Cream is a famous diving spot called from the vivid ice cream cone corals that house even more spectacular fish life. -
Naftan is often regarded as the greatest wall dive on the Northern Mariana Islands. It's on the island's southern tip, where you'll discover a stunning coral-encrusted cliff in 12 meters of water. The cliff eventually dips down to water as deep as 40 meters from here.
There's a lot of marine life here, and the bottom landscape is fantastic. Naftan, also known as Naftan Point, is one of the greatest wall dives in the CNMI, with excellent visibility and abundant fish life. It is located on the island's southern point. The top of the wall is 45 feet high and drops to nearly 130 feet below.
There are some fantastic coral formations on the upper half, which are home to enormous clams and other marine life. As one descends the cliff, one will come across spectacular fan coral and vibrant animal life. At the case of the wall or an octopus, there's always the risk of running across several Napoleon Wrasses. This dive is suitable for all levels of divers, however experienced dives will benefit the most.
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Ship Wreck's Apra Port features five big war-era wrecks, and there are at least 60 different sorts of military artifacts in the harbor, ranging from a Harley motorbike to amtracs and tractors to lost airplanes. A WW I-era German shipwreck sitting on the sea floor with a WWII Japanese wreckage resting above it is one of the most visited sights.
The Ship Wreck, which are relics of two world wars, collide at their aft parts. The wrecks not only give a glimpse into the past, but they also provide a home for a variety of fish species as well as a location for corals and sponges to thrive. The ship may be pierced from the starboard side (please follow a qualified guide) so divers can see the engine room.
The hatches in the engine room have been propped open, allowing penetration divers to investigate the engine and walkways. A lion claw bathtub may also be found deep within the ship. Disorientation is a possibility because the ship lies on its side, therefore divers must use caution. This is a more in-depth examination, yet it's still intriguing due to its older design. The ship was constructed in 1909.
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Tinian is a magnificent cavern dive that may be entered from the top and has two entrances towards the bottom that go out along a wall teeming with marine life. Two Coral Heads is a sight with two big coral heads adjacent to each other, as one might imagine.
Many reef fish species, including grouper, parrotfish, butterflyfish, and angelfish, rely on these healthy coral heads. Dump Cove, a popular WWII relic location, features planes, tanks, jeeps, and ammo from WWII, as well as turtles. Fleming is Tinian's greatest wall dive (and arguably the best wall dive in the CNMI), with visibility exceeding 200 feet.
With a short flight, Tinian is only five kilometers away from Saipan. The island's primary businesses are livestock and agriculture. Tinian tourism focuses on ocean-related activities and offers the opportunity to visit some remote, undeveloped locations.
Beautiful diving sites like Tinian Grotto, a fantastic underwater cave; "Fleming," a vertical wall 65 meters deep; and "Two Coral Head," a dive site ideal for underwater photographers because of its abundant marine life, can all be found on this beautiful island, which has the same shape as New York City.
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The Shoun Maru, a Japanese ship that was sunk in 1944 after being torpedoed, is one of Rota's WWII wrecks. It's 110 feet in the sand, with a 65-foot deck. The visibility is generally excellent, and the wreck is surrounded by a plethora of marine life. Inside are also bicycles, baths, and tanks.
Senhanon Cave, a cavern accessible at 40 feet, is Rota's most popular dive. Inside, there are schools of fish and lobster, and the penetrating light beams are popular with underwater photographers. Coral Garden, a shallow reef where octopus, turtles, and the odd shark may be seen, is another popular dive location. Table Top is two seamounts that are somewhat deeper and have a lot of life. The depth ranges from 90 to 15 feet.
Rota is the Northern Mariana Islands' southernmost island, located 136 kilometers south of Saipan. To get here, take a 30-minute trip from Saipan International Airport in a small plane. Visitors are delighted by crystal blue waters that draw divers from all over the world in search of lush farms and friendly locals.