What Lurkes Beneath the Ocean

Now I can officially say that I have experienced diving on all three islands in the Marianas. I went on a dive trip to Rota Island this past March and this past Sunday we took the Aqua Jet Dive Boat to Tinian Island. Rain or shine we still go diving unless of course the water conditions are too crazy. Cancelling a trip is rare. Gray skies and rain doesn't necesarily mean crummy dive conditions. By the time we get to the dive spots the rain has ceased and the water is like glass. What I have learned is to not let rain and gray skies predict what type of dive you will have because you never know! We had a great run on Sunday. Here's a picture of Crystal and our dive buddies from Guam: Eric and Dixie Fly. I love diving with them.

















Its a one eyed winking creature lurking underneath the waters of Tinian! Oh wait, thats Harry Blalock! Thank goodness Harry didn't get seasick thanks to Crystal's sea sick pills. I would have never heard the end of it if he got sick! I had to remind Harry that he couldn't stay underwater for two hours like he was use to otherwise we would leave him. J/k Harry!






Our first dive site was the Tinian Grotto. Definitely not as grand as the Grotto here in Saipan but it truly has its unique features. It was nice to dive something different other than what we are use to. We found it pretty easy to navigate despite that we had never been there before. Of course my divemaster friend, Atsuko, was a great underwater tour guide. We swam through the underwater caves and crevices of the Tinian Grotto and discovered alot of macro life. You know what we were all searching for! Or atleast I was searching for Nudibranchs duriing the entire dive.



When we first dropped into the ocean the first thing we saw was about a six foot Sting Ray just resting on the bottom of the surface! What a cool sight and how lucky were we to see it! It was beautiful but all I kept thinking of was how this doesn't really compare to the huge Manta Rays we saw in Palau! Words cannot describe the feeling when a fifeteen foot wing span creature is cruisin above you! Its true that if you dive Palau you are spoiled maybe forever . . . and nothing else may compare. The scuba life in the Marianas is still really great.



Right in front of the entrance to the Tinian Grotto were Clown Fish. I think these are clown fish! My pictures of their eggs didn't turn out that great (big surprise) but you could see their beaded little black eyes.

Here's a picture of a a Halgerda Guahan Nudibranch. This is one that I see most of the time when I am diving the Grotto in Saipan.
This is a Halgerda Malesso Nudibranch. So far one of my favorites that I have seen! I love its intricate design. Can you believe there are over 100 types of Nudibranchs?! I have so much more to see!


Our second dive site was called Dump site. This second dive is unique because it has alot of plane wreckage and bullets from WWII. We were told that we could handle the bullets underwater but we couldn't bring it above the water with us. Apparently something about phosphurus and igniting a fire on the boat may occur. I didn't quite hear the entire explanation. We made sure Harry didn't put any in his pockets.
Atsuko found this Nudibranch and I have no idea what its name is! The ones that I have seen in the Saipan Grotto was more purple. This one was more on the bluish side.
I saw alot of deadly Scorpian Fish at this dive site. Love the colors and how sometimes it blends into the coral. You gotta watch out where you place your hands.
Hmmm, its a Moretti diving below me.

Phew, I'm tired. I may just relax and snorkel this upcoming weekend=)

The Boat Snob and The Triple Threat

Some of my buddies refer to me as the “boat snob”. I love shore diving but I love boat diving even more. I think we’re really spoiled with the scuba life in Saipan. Saipan has got the triple threat: Great visibility, sunny skies, and abundant marine life. I love it here.



So since my dive buddy, Greg, is slacking on posting pictures I will go ahead and post his pictures for him! We rode the Aqua Jet Boat out on a Sunday morning to Naftan Point and Obyan Beach. Mayuki was our divemaster for the morning.

Our first dive was at Naftan point. The deepest we dropped down to was 125 ft in search of the Gobi. The first Gobi we found Greg scared away because he got too close. We found another one and took some pictures of it. Mine turned out blurry. Big surprise I know! But it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea to sit there at 125 ft for 10 minutes trying to get a good picture of that Gobi. So this picture will have to do.



We slowly made our way back up and found some Nudibranchs. The dive was really relaxing for me. There was no current to fight and no vertigo spells. We were just cruising over the coral snapping pictures of random things. It was so relaxing I could almost imagine that song by Bach –Vivance in the background. I’ve been listening to a lot of Bach lately.

The second dive was at Obyan Beach. On the way to that dive spot the waves were really rough! Some of the divers were starting to get sick. It started to drizzle a little bit. We dropped in and located the Black Spot Garden Eels and the No spot Garden Eels. You can’t get too close or they’ll disappear. I love my camera because it zooms in so closely.




Oh, so I start feeling narced around 100 ft. So there you have it . . . another adventure and tale told. Here are some more pictures. Photos were taken by Greg Moretti. My pictures sucked! (sigh)

Drop In The Ocean

These days it doesn’t take much to make me happy. Besides the obvious bare essentials all I’m really interested in right now are warm sun and scuba life. Scuba diving in Saipan has become a weekly thing for me. Luckily I am fortunate to have so many dive buddies to share my passion and adventures with like the Piersons, Tammy and Mark James, Judy & Dennis, Missy, Atsuko Eck, Harry, Angelo, Mike T . . . the list goes on and on.

This past Sunday I set out on the Aqua jet boat with Moretti and Mayuki. Because it had been raining the whole day on Saturday I didn’t know what type of diving conditions we would have the next morning. It turned out to be an amazing day of diving after all. A blue sky was more than I could ask for.

The first dive spot we hit was Bonzai. Here’s a picture of what Bonzai looks like from below. I was just on top of Bonzai Cliff Saturday morning watching the sunrise. The current was really strong and the waves were pretty rough. I was excited to get in the water. Scuba diving has transformed me into a fearless explorer in every aspect of my life. Something that I was not before I came to Saipan.

To maximize our diving time Moretti, Mayuki, and I made it a point to be the first ones in the water and the lasts ones out. When we first entered the water we had to hang onto the rope and descend. The strong current made it really hard for me to descend at first.. Moretti and Mayuki made it down first and then I slowly followed. It was crazy but fun! Once we made it to the bottom of the anchor we grabbed on to what we could and tried to stay low. I was resisting being carried away with the current but the deeper we dropped the less we felt it. At one point the surge pushed me into some coral and I got stuck with a sea urchin on my finger tip =( It was actually pretty cool that my blood was green coming out!

Bonzai is a beautiful dive spot. There’s a big drop off and it sort of reminded me of the wall diving I did in Palau minus the sharks swimming around. There were plenty fish and coral to see. We saw two huge Napoleon Wrasses. We dropped down about 22 meters, I was searching for Nudibranchs all day. I’m a bit addicted to them.

During surface interval a lot of the other Japanese divers were sea sick and throwing up on the side of the boat. I think its really annoying when they don’t even consider that you are still in the water and the current is making their vomit flow towards you as you climb up the ladder. It’s disgusting! Anywho, I quickly got over that while snacking on my yummy Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss cookies (sorry Harry!) and I decided to go for a dive.


Our final dive was supposed to be Spotlight but the diving conditions were too rough. We ended up diving Wing Beach instead but I didn’t mind at all. Wing Beach is one of my favorite dive spots the other one is the Grotto. We had great visibility and there wasn’t really a current. We saw a lot of Nudibranchs, an eel, and a turtle! We followed the crack searching every little nook and cranny. The last time I was there on a boat dive we dove the arch. There’s so much more to explore. I want to go back!









So you see, I did take more underwater pictures this time around Harry! Thanks for naming me the Canon camera wrist model=) Thanks again to my dive master and friend, Mayuki for a great day of diving and the pictures of us diving. I still have to post my Naftan/Obyan dives.

And just for kicks . . . try flossing Moretti style.

Diving Bonzai and Wing Beach

Fridays are my half days which pretty much leaves my afternoons free to do anything. What I love about Saipan is the ability to seek out adventure whenever you want it. Yesterday we rode the Aqua Jet Boat out to the dive sites Bonzai and Wing Beach. I was looking forward to these dives all week since these are the only dive sites I haven't been to yet.

I LOVE Nudibranchs!

My dive buddies from left to right: Ken, Yuko, Mayuki, Atsuko, Crystal, Me, Missy, and Layla.
I don't think it could of been a more perfect day to be out on the dive boat. It was bright, sunny, and the water was 83 degrees. While I'm riding on the dive boat the waves and the wind both take my cares far away and I am in total peace. From the view on the dive boat you can see the brilliant red patches of flame trees all over the island. The first dive spot was Bonzai. We saw a huge Napolean Wrasse! This picture does not do it justice.
We dove the arch at Wing Beach on the second dive. We explored all the little nooks and crevices of the arch. Wing Beach is definitely one of my favorite dive spots in Saipan.
Missy going through the swim throughs.
Lion Fish
I have the greatest bosses, Crystal and Ken. They are just really cool to work for and dive with. Crystal had a head cold and wasn't able to equalize so she had to go back up. There's Ken taking pics.
Layla crusin' over the coral. This was the last dive of the year for Missy and Layla since they will be leaving for the states this Sunday morning. I'll miss them but I am hoping they will have a change of heart about staying another year. (fingers crossed) Kudos to Mayuki, Atsuko, and Ken for these pics.
Head first. Diving isn't so scary anymore. Thanks Missy and Layla for the lesson.

Car Issues

I hate that everything in Saipan rusts because of the humidity. I lowered my car window last night and it wouldn’t go back up. I have the worst luck with cars. My friends can attest. Anyway, I had to resort to taping a plastic bag over the window last night so that the rain wouldn’t leak into my car. Quite a sight if you ask me. Everyone thought my car got broken into.

I had the repair guy pick up my car at the dental clinic for a check. Turns out that the motors for three of my power windows are rusted and will need to be replaced. Just my luck I tell ya. The damage is about $230. Does that sound like a good deal because I have no idea how much this repair stuff is suppose to cost. I'll have to take my car in every so often for a series of rust proofing. (sigh) I'm annoyed.

On a happier note, today is Friday and its half day for me! We are going scuba diving on a the Aqua Jet Dive boat to Bonzai and Wing Beach after work! I can't wait to get back into the water.