Trip Report: Rota (CNMI - Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands)

[Drew]

Just got done diving here on Rota. The shop we used Rota Scuba Center Rubin, run by Rubin Yamamoto:

rotarubin DOT com​

rubin AT pticom DOT com​

I can recommend this dive shop without reservation! Rubin is very safety conscious, explains every dive plan in great detail on a whiteboard, maintains all of his equipment extremely well, and is very polite and enjoyable as a Divemaster.

The shop itself is very nice, by any standard. It's much nicer than many 5-star PADI shops I've been to. There is a large, covered patio in front where you spend most of your time hanging out. There are 3 dunk tanks, a hose with great pressure, plenty of places to hang your gear in the shade, and 2 big tables with plenty of chairs. The shop is about 150 yards from the harbor, which is always dead quiet (as is the island of Rota itself).

There are over 30 dive sites, including caverns, wrecks, and steep/deep walls. Most sites are just 5-15 minutes away on the boat. The boat is meticulously maintained, relatively new, and very nice. They thoroughly rinse the entire boat and the motor after each dive. They also thoroughly rinse all of the dive gear and hang it up during the surface intervals. The rental gear is nice; the regulators breathe very easily.

The island of Rota is very charming and quiet. There are zero crowds here. Your dive group will be your group plus Rubin. The price for dives was: $65 for one, $100 for two, and $135 for three.

If you're near Guam or Saipan on a trip, consider spending a few days on Rota. We're exceptionally fortunate to have friends who live on Rota, which is why we're here. I would love to come back again and stay longer, especially for the diving!

 

[ScubaSaipan]

Drew, what sites did you dive? I live on Saipan and would like to dive Rota.

 

[DSR-3]

Thanks for posting the report.
Can you tell a little about getting there?

 

[Banyan]

Thanks for posting the report.
Can you tell a little about getting there?

Rota is the southernmost of the chain comprising the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI). On a clear day, you can see Rota from the northern coast of Guam.

30 minute flight from Guam [most of which I imagine is taxiing around runways] on a two-prop plane with either Freedom Air or Continental Connection for $100-110, or so. CNMI is a territory of the U.S., like Guam, so visas, etc will not be an issue if you've already reached Guam.

Thanks to the OP. It's neat to hear that there's new diving options so close.

 

[Drew]

I did 3 dives, but can only remember one site name: Grotto. It's a gorgeous cavern dive. Not difficult but the light angles from above and from the entrance are amazing!

 

[don'tpanic_it'swater]

i wholeheartedly second the recommendation for scuba center rubin. i ended up doing a four-dive day with two japanese tourists who had the same dive experience as me (60+ dives). it was an incredibly well-organized, thoughtful, and peaceful experience. the only thing that bummed me out is that we maxed out at 45 minutes per dive, but i'm sure that if you work with rubin you can arrange for something longer.

@ scubasaipan: you can check out dive site descriptions here: Diving Sites Around the Island of Rota - Northern Mariana Islands - Micronesia. i did senhanom drop-off, the rota grotto (an amazing light show underwater, and perfect for any would-be cave divers who want to get a sense of enclosed spaces without it being too challenging--physically or psychologically), jerry's reef, and table top. jerry's reef starts on a sandy bottom and is, as rubin put it, as close to "flying in the sky" as you can get. it's also a really good dive to start for those who are reorienting to the water; you can only bottom out at 65 ft. or so, and you still have a spectacular views of blue, blue water and garden eels all around. table top drops to about 200 or so feet and we dove it at 60; from that height the topography resembles canyons.

the marine life won't vary much from anything you might see in guam; however, the fish that ARE there are more numerous, big, and skittish. on the dives i've already referenced, the reefs are flats and don't contain much in the way of soft corals or dramatically extended fans. that being said, i'm sure there are other places on island which do.

for those who have been newly certified, i also think this would be an excellent first-time trip as the dives are relatively easy (few currents, 150+ visibility), accessible (5-10 minute boat rides), and diverse in terrain. because the operation is small, much attention is lavished on divers. i regret that i found out about night dives too late to try one. rubin won't go unless there are at least two divers committed, but these areas seem like excellent, excellent areas to get started on night diving.

rota tourism has been hit pretty hard by the discontinuation of flights by air micronesia/cape air and the federalization of its immigration, so i do hope that guam-based divers will make it a priority to get these at least once. it's not a rockin' place, but for those who want to watch some birds, chill out, take in the stars, and experience water so blue photoshop filters could never improve it, it's great.

 

[don'tpanic_it'swater]

Thanks for posting the report.
Can you tell a little about getting there?

freedom air flies twice daily, in the morning and at night. they are prop planes that could either be a 30 or 7-seater; you won't know until you show up. round-trip is running about $200 now, but given that the only other option i heard about is a VERY rough six to seven hour boat ride (where apparently they actually have to tie you to the boat), this is a good option for those who get seasick and/or like to get to places in a short window of time.

because freedom air is a super small operation, there is also a remote possibility that you may not get to rota due to staffing. this year during golden week (a major week for japanese tourism), freedom couldn't find an alternate pilot and so flights were cancelled for a few days.

cultural note: ROTA FIESTA IS IN OCTOBER AND MARCH. check before you go, because a whole bunch of cnmi and guam chamorros descend on the island and potentially run out the rooms and rental cars. on the flipside, a few more flights are scheduled in october.