SAIPAN

Once the site of a historic World War II invasion, this island has been transformed into a tropical vacation paradise.

Best known for its WWII artifacts, including sunken tanks, planes and ships, it is also home of the world famous Blue Grotto.

Blue Grotto (9-32m./ 30-105 Feet)

Saipan's most unusual dive experience and truly an extraordinary natural formation is at the northwest corner of the island. This site is reached by dive van or car.

A walk down 103 stone steps carved into the rock formation leads to an awesome underground cavern with a high, domed ceiling.

The bottom part of the cavern is a luminescent blue pool of seawater - lit by sunlight streaming through two underwater tunnels.

The pool is roughly 100 feet in diameter and slopes down to a depth of 60 feet.

The tunnels lead from the pool to the open ocean, where they exit onto the face of a vertical wall. Underwater visibility in the pool and on the outside wall is generally 150 feet.

The outside vertical wall has an interesting array of seafans and marine life, including schooling jacks and whitetip sharks.

Tanapag Harbor

The major wreck diving area is Tanapag Harbor. An estimated 18 Japanese ships were sunk around this island and many remain undiscovered. Diving depths in Tanapag Harbor range from 17 to 35 feet. It is an excellent area for snorkeling, beginning divers and underwater photographers. The seafloor of this harbor is littered with World II wrecks, including a Japanese Seaplane, a Multi-engine Bomber, a Sub Chaser, a Zero Fighter and a Landing Craft.

Shoan Maru

The most interesting shipwreck is the Shoan Maru - a 407 foot long WWII Japanese freighter torpedoed in 1944. The other big wreck in the area is the Cement wreck - a 350 foot long concrete supply barge that lies in 20 feet of water with parts of the deck awash. Underwater visibility in the harbor area is generally 70 feet.

There are also many interesting snorkeling opportunities in the ocean lagoon along Saipan's hotel row. These include the two American tanks sitting in eight feet of water off the Diamond Hotel.