Guam Scuba Diving Your New Secret Destination

Guam Scuba Diving is one of the Pacific’s best-kept secrets. Most of the divers that enjoy the underwater world here are US military personnel stationed on this remote island. Korean and Japanese tourists also come here to scuba dive.  There are over 80 dive sites around the island. They provide a mix of shipwrecks, shallow coral reefs, wall dives, caves, and drift dives. There are many excellent shore dives included in the list of dive sites. Most of the dive sites are located on the central west coast. A tropical climate keeps the water temperatures at a constant 82-86°F (28°C) year-round. There is no need to bring your heavy wetsuit, a rash guard is likely the most you will need.  

 Guam is about 30 miles long and between 4 and 12 miles wide, with over 25% of the land being military bases. The military and their families make up 14% of the population.

While the diving is excellent, many divers, use Guam as a stopping-off point headed to Palau, Yap, or other Micronesia destinations. They overlook the great diving available.

Gravesite of German Sailors SMS Cormoran Guam

TOKAI MARU AND SMS CORMORAN Guam’s Favorite Dive Site

This dive site has a very interesting history. The United States acquired Guam as a purchase, ending the Spanish-American War. Guam came under the administration of the US Navy, with a military governor.  The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba were also a part of that purchase. Germany bought much of the other Spanish holdings in the Pacific. At the onset of WWI, Japan started conquering German holdings in the Pacific. SMS Cormoran spent its time avoiding the Imperial Japanese Navy, which greatly outnumbered it. In early 1914, the SMS Cormoran made its way to Hong Kong. There it met up with another German ship that had a captured Russian freighter. The Hong Kong port refused to refuel the ship. The captain and crew of the SMS Cormoran transferred their weapons, other gear, and personal belonging to the Russian vessel which had more coal, renamed the vessel to the SMS Cormoran and fled the port.

The SMS Cormoran evaded the Japanese for months until they arrived in Guam in December 1914 nearly out of coal and supplies. The US at that point in time had not entered WWI, and was officially neutral. The military governor refused to resupply the ship and gave it 24 hours to leave, after which if they did not the ship would be interned. With nowhere to go and no way to leave, the ship, and crew were interned. Over the next 2 and a half years, the status of the crew changed based on the whim of the military governor. At times, they were confined to their ships, while other times, they were allowed to live ashore in specified areas.

On April 7, 1917, the US enters the war against Germany. The military governor sent a boat to the SMS Cormoran to demand the surrender of the ship and captain. In the process, a supply boat returning to the SMS Cormoran was told to leave too and when it did not a warning shot was fired. This became the first military action of the United States in WWI. Captain Adalbert Zuckschwerdt of the German ship was unwilling to surrender his vessel. He had prepared for this day by creating some crude explosives from coal dust and oil. After most of the crew had left the ship, he and a few others exploded their bombs and sunk the ship.

Fast forward to August 27, 1943. Japan had captured Guam. A Japanese freighter, Tokai Maru, was in Apra Harbor with an American Submarine waiting outside the harbor. When the freighter did not move for a few days, the submarine moved in closer and fired a pair of torpedoes that sunk the freighter. The Tokai Maru settles just feet from the SMS Cormoran.

The SMS Cormoran sits in 120 feet of water, with its shallowest part at 70 feet. The Tokai Maru is slightly shallower, with its deepest point at 100 feet and the top of the wreck at 42 feet. To navigate from one wreck to the other, you simply extend your hand as the ships are within arm’s reach of each other. Wreck divers will love these two wrecks, and penetration dives are possible. While the Maru has been cleared of ordnance, it is still possible that some may still exist, so caution is advised.

On a personal note, I was honored to have been invited to the 100th year anniversary celebration. While I was not a part of the wreath laying dive, I did dive the wreck the next day. During the time that the German sailors were in Guam before war was declared, many formed close ties with the locals. When the war was declared, they were sent to POW camps in the mainland US. After the war, they were repatriated back to Germany and many returned to Guam to live.

Guam Scuba Diving Other Top Dive Sites

While the  SMS Cormoran is considered the top dive site by most there are many others that make up what is available. Depending on your source, there are anywhere from 80 to 100 dive sites around the island, and only one that is remote, 11-mile reef. Apra Harbor has a dozen dive sites, with as many as a dozen more that are dived by different dive centers. There is a dozen dive centers on the island, however, a few of them are dedicated to Korean or Japanese divers. Here is a nice overview of Guam scuba diving

• American Tanker: One of the Apra Harbor dive sites that is great for beginner and advanced divers. This oil tanker is a concrete ship, not carrying concrete but made of it. During WWII, steel was in short supply and a design of oil barrages was created based on a proven method that created a framework of steel rods and a wire mesh. The frame was then covered in concrete.  The American Tanker is a B7-A1 ship that during the war would have a YO prefix. It is 366 foot long with a 55 foot beam. This tanker was supposed to have been sunk intentionally to help as a breakwater for the harbor. However, things did not go as planned as rough weather caused her to sink before reaching the designated location. The wreck starts in 50 feet of water and slopes down to around 100 feet. It sits alongside a shallow reef. The open areas of the wreck are perfect for wreck diving training. It is also a macro photographer's dream site. There are a number of these ferroconcrete barges around the world that have been sunk as breakwaters, and they are some of my favorite dives.

• Amtrack: A WWII Amtrack is located just offshore of the Agat cemetery and can be dived from shore or from a boat. The Amtrack is in 40 feet of water with visibility generally over 50 feet. It is in a sand channel surrounded by a reef.  This means it is also a great “wreck” for snorkelers.

• Blue Hole: This is a boat dive, with the hole starting at 60 feet and dropping beyond recreational diving limits. Advanced deep divers will find an exit at 125 feet, near the limit of recreational diving.

• Gab Gab I and II: A pair of dive sites located in the harbor that can be done as a beach dive or a boat dive. Gab Gab I is considered a beginner dive that starts as shallow as 5 feet and does go to 90 feet.  Gab Gab II is generally listed as an advanced dive starting at 50 feet and going down to 100. Gab Gab II is a seamount and is also used by the Atlantis tourist Submarine.

Guam, Where America Wakes Up

You may see the statement “Guam, Where America Wakes Up” and wonder what it means. It refers to the fact that Guam is the first place on American soil to see the sunrise.  Guam is an organized unincorporated territory of the United States.  While they are not represented in congress and are not able to vote, citizens of Guam are United States citizens, (if they change their residence to a US state, they are eligible to vote in federal and state elections.) Guam uses the Chamorro time zone (Chamorro being the name of the indigenous people of the region) which is UTC +10 hours. The US East Coast’s EST is UTC-5. So at midnight in New York, it is already 3pm in Guam. When the sun rises in Guam it is getting dark on the previous day in New York.  Another interesting sun comparison, In New York the hours of daylight in the winter is around 9 hours with the summer climbing to 15 hours. Guam being near the equator has less variation with hours of daylight being between 12 and 13 year-round.

In the US the superstore K-mart is gone, with one exception. Yes, Guam still has a K-mart. Not only that, local tour operators also run tours for Korean and Japanese guests that have the store as a shopping stop. It is also on the tourist shuttle route.

Guam Antonio B Won Pat International Airport (GUM) is serviced by 12 airlines providing transportation to regional airports, Philippines, Japan, and Korea. United Airlines provide direct flights to Honolulu. Traveling on these United flights do not require a passport for US citizens. This flight time is about 7 hours.

The dry season of December to June is said to be the best time of the year for Guam scuba diving. Visibility is the greatest at that time. December to April will have the most wind, however, as most dive sites are on the leeward side of the island it does not have much impact on diving. September to December will be the most rainy weather, but not enough to cancel days worth of diving. Many of the dive sites are great for photography. The bright sunlight and great visibility will allow you to take photographs deeper than many other destinations. While the light will still be strong, it may be lacking in some colors, so use a filter set with your ProShot dive case.