Who's been to the mariana islands??

[LEVIATHAN11]

i'm planning a dive trip for somewhere in the south pacific this coming may and was looking at a few different locations as possibilities. mariana jumped out at me as remote and possibly great for big palegics...
we'll want to rent a boat for a private group and already have a captain and crew.
any reviews of this area or advice anyone can give would be great! thanks!

 

[smellzlikefish]

I know a few people who have been and LOVED it. To the south is Guam while the northern end is a few islands collectively known as Maug (Guam spelled backwards). At Maug is a still-smoldering volcanic cauldera that has some incredible wildlife. Have fun!

 

[Deep Water Dan]

If you're going to go through the expense and trouble of flying out here (from wherever you are), don't waste your time diving Guam, Saipan, or the rest of the Marianas. Head for Palau, Yap, or Truk. Guam's good diving if you live here, but it's not a dive destination. We all go to those other places every chance we get.

Not really sure what good having your own captain and crew is going to do you if they don't know the waters/reefs/dive sites.

 

[Doubler]

Dan is correct. I lived on Guam for two years, good local diving but really just a stop over point for Truk and Palau. You would experience some of the best diving in the world with a Truk/Palau combo. If you do plan on Guam contact MDA, Micronesian Dive Association, for good site locations. Guam is the only place I know of that you can touch a WWI wreck (Comaran)and a WWII wreck (Tokai Maru) on the same dive.

 

[ASA400]

Just an FYI, but the Mariana Islands, including Truk and Palau are all in the Northern Pacific (i.e. north of the equator). The term I remember as being the most appropriate is Western Pacific.

Actually, while the above posters are correct in that Guam, Saipan and Rota diving doesn't measure up to the quality of Truk and Palau, the diving in Guam is pretty nice, especially if you are only familiar with mainland locales. The problem I have with Guam diving if you are a visitor is that it is a bit on the expensive side and as posted above, your money is better spent in Truk, Palau or Yap.

If you are unfamiliar with diving in the Western Pacific and you have the time, it might be an advantage to spend a couple or three days on Guam and do a day or two of diving before moving on to the other locations. That way, you can overcome any jet lag you might be feeling, get your weights right (if you are used to cold water diving) and get some local flavor. The dive on the Tokai and Cormoran is truly unique in the world.

 

[LEVIATHAN11]

thanks for the input on the marianas guys, still looking around and trying to narrow the search, so anyone with any locales out of the ordinary (palau, yap and truk are nice, but we don't want to have the scenery littered with bubbles and the bright fluorescent wet suits of 50+ geriatric divers) please feel free to throw down the name of somewhere you've been. looking for anywhere (atolls and uninhabited islands acceptable) we can get a boat that might possibly not have an operator already running it. we stay private primarily to avoid other divers.
we also don't care what geographic location in the pacific the island(s) are, as long as they've got good reef and lots of life! we've already done fiji, the barrier reef, french polynesian atolls, vietnam, hawaii, tonga, palau, and southern australia... just seeking something new that i might not have originally thought to check out... looking more towards northern PNG, new caledonia, vanuatu, or maybe further east.

 

[Deep Water Dan]

(palau, yap and truk are nice, but we don't want to have the scenery littered with bubbles and the bright fluorescent wet suits of 50+ geriatric divers) we stay private primarily to avoid other divers.

Couple of points to think about: Palau is busy, but Yap and Truk aren't so much. Chances are you could go to either Yap or Truk and be the only ones on the dive boat, and on Yap there are some smaller dive operations where you could guarantee it. We did Yap earlier this year and not only were my wife and I the only ones on the boat besides the guide and driver, we were the only ones at the manta station. And there's enough dive sites at Truk that you can always find a 5-star wreck with no other dive boats around. Figure anywhere you go out here where there AREN'T any other divers probably isn't worth diving to begin with, not to mention there will probably be issues with accessibility, lodging, transportation, gear/tank rental, etc.