The lagoon has had some nasty currents lately. My friends and I tried to kayak dive the wreck and Eagle Ray City two weeks ago but high waves dumped all our kayaks. Three of us managed to fight the current and waves enough to make it back to shore (minus lots of scuba equipment and camera gear) but two had to be rescued by a boat when the channel current swept them out to sea. Aquajet, run by a really knowledgeable guy named Scott, is the outfit used by most of the dive operators for boat dives. If he says it's OK to dive a site, I would trust his call over anybody elses. He doesn't make that decision until a few hours before hitting a site, depending on conditions. Even on calm days, there is a good current in the lagoon, so if your wife goes through air quickly the dive won't be very long as much of your effort is spent kicking to stay stationary while the eagle rays pass overhead. If you can do Eagle Ray City, bring something to anchor into the sand, like a long plastic tent spike attached to a lanyard/wrist. It really is a fantastic sight when the eagle rays soar just a few feet away from you. Typical day there is 15-30 eagle rays playing in the current. The main wreck (I think it's Ishi Maru or something like that) is good for someone just starting out. It's in about 30-40 feet of water and the CIA blew it up so there's really no place to get caught in a penetration dive. Mostly steel plates and girders that have fallen inward. Sharks often sleep under one of the large steel plates and you'll see lots of fish on all levels of the food chain congregating around the wreck.
The water is warm enough to dive with just bathing suits, but I would recommend at least a lycra skin or full length tropical wetsuit as protection from the jagged edges, as well as the unseen jellyfish stingers brought by the current.
Wing Beach is one of my favorite dives, but it's not usually diveable this time of year. It can be done as a beach dive if you're with an experienced guide. Car break-ins are a problem there and you have a 1/4 mile walk with full gear to the entry point. The entry/exit is a narrow channel that funnels water through it at a really good clip and you need to bring a 100' rope, attach it to a rock above and a rock below water, and use that to enter and exit the water. The last time we were able to do a beach entry was in August. If conditions are calm Scott will take you out there and you won't have to deal with the channel entry. As with any boat dive, when getting back onto the boat make sure the ladder doesn't smash your shins or any other part of your body (I learned the hard way). Because the site is rarely dived, there's lots of stuff to see. Saipan doesn't have the colorful corals found in places closer to the Equator, but the critters here are fairly abundant and colorful. I've seen reef sharks, large twin-spot snappers, tons of eels, squid, gorgonians, anemonefish, pyramid butterflyfish, leaf fish, lionfish, flounder, parrotfish and wrasses galore there.
Ice Cream is a mound of coral sitting in about 60 feet of water with its highest point around 30 feet. Fairly easy boat dive that sits 3/4 mile from shore, just beyond the reef line. It's directly offshore of the Grand Hotel (now called World Resort) in Chalan Kanoa. Coral is a drab gray/brown but it's all alive and in good shape. A resident eel there demands to be fed and he's bitten a few divers (fingers look like the Vienna sausages most people bring) so wear gloves if you plan on feeding it. Waves aren't usually a problem there because it sits on the leeward side of the island.
One of my other favorite dives is Naphtan Point. Beginners can dive there if on a boat, and if you go with a guide it can be dived from shore. Nice corals along a sloping shelf that becomes a wall. Excellent visibility and lots of curious critters. This time of year it's usually diveable. Beginning from Naphtan Point going west and north to Garapan is where the waves usually aren't a problem this time of year. Everywhere else it's usually rough, except Lau Lau Bay on the southeast portion of the island which offers some protection from sea swells and surf.
Definitely do the Grotto. Bringing a guide is wise, and it's also the law. In order to rent a tank without a guide you need a local driver's license. At the Grotto a security guard is supposed to check which dive company you're with, but that's not always enforced. Yes, getting back into the Grotto from the open ocean is tricky because the holes aren't readily visible. I've been diving it for the past year and only in the past few months have I been comfortable enough to lead a dive outside. I usually dive with my girlfriend and some friends -- all of us are going through divemaster training. We dive through Abracadabra Aquaventures. They're one of two "American" dive shops. They're conveniently located in Garapan, along Beach Road and are a PADI 5 Star facility. The other shop, Stingray Divers (NAUI), is harder to find, tucked into a neighborhood up on the hill. I've never dived with them but my friends have.
Places to stay? $50-100/night: Gold Beach Hotel, Summer Holiday Hotel. Basic accomodations, no view or pool. Abracadabra has a hotel/dive package for the Dai Ichi Hotel. Check out their website at
http://www.abracadabra-saipan.com
I'm not sure their listed email address is current though. If you can't reach them, let me know and I'll forward any requests to them.
I'm a lawyer in my day job, doing my best to break into the underwater photography profession. So far I've had assignments for Asian Diver (snorkel review and upcoming assignments on leaf fish and the Northern Islands) and All Nippon Airlines Wingspan magazine (January 2004 issue, story on Guam). But for now underwater photography has been a hobby for me that helps defray some of the expenses of the underwater world that everyone on this board seems to enjoy.
Let me know when you'll be in town and maybe we can get a few dives in together.
