Diving in Saipan

Hafa Adai,

Welcome to a Saipan Diver's Blog about Diving in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota) with descriptions of the Dive Sites in the CNMI, information on Saipan Dive Shop Operators, Saipan Dive Boat Charter Companies, Saipan Restaurants, and Scuba Instruction.

The aim is to provide as much information on diving in the CNMI in general, but most specifically Saipan, as possible. Hopefully visitors will further add to the information on this site by leaving comments. Comments will be posted and the relevant and useful ones will be incorporated in the original post if at all possible.

If you can't find the information you are looking for on this site, feel free to contact me by email at rsikkel@pticom.com

Mariannense or Fasciola?

Found the above for Saipan fairly common worm orchid the other day. Finding information about this little plant has been harder than finding the actual plant eventhough it is smaller than my fist. The experts don't seem to agree on what plant it is. It is either Taeniophyllum Mariannense which like the name suggests is endemic to the Marianas or it is the Taeniophyllum Fasciola found in American Samoa or the two are one and the same. Either way it is an orchid that's really all I wanted to know. What's in a name?

Right now it is flowering (4/12). Here's a picture of the miniscule flower.

Update (4/15): Looks like it is Taeniophyllum Mariannense instead of Taeniophyllum Fasciola and they are different. The lavender dots don't seems to appear on the Fasciola. The flowers are open for only one day. It so happens that I found three of these orchids and all three were flowering the day I took the picture above.

Some general info: The epiphytic genus Taeniophyllum has diminutive flowers, scarcely larger than a pinhead. There are some 200 species, most of which occur in Asia. Like the members of the African genus Microcoelia, taeniophyllums have small brown scales instead of leaves and the process of photosynthesis is carried out in the green roots. Most members of this genus grow upon the twigs of rain forest trees and in cultivation they respond well to constant air movement and a high relative humidity.

Strange Sightings

Godzilla at Bird Island, Saipan

King Kong in Marpi, CNMI

Lochness Monster in Saipan Lagoon?

Mermaid at Naftan, Saipan

Did Kamikaze Pilots wear Helmets?

The answer is No! Like all WW II pilots they wore flight caps and goggles.

I recently found part of a what I think is a pair of Japanese flight goggles. I know, I know you're not supposed to remove things from sites, but I was afraid that if I didn't pick it up that a small piece like this would be lost for all enternity. A recent storm uncovered this eye piece and I thought I'd better bring it up. The plan is to donate it to HPO or the museum. Pretty cool shades though aye?

About Saipan

About Saipan - Saipan is the largest island and capital of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 14 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Located at latitude of 15° north and longitude of 145° east, about 120 miles north of Guam. You should be able to find Saipan on the map south of Japan and east of the Philippines. The western side of the island is lined with sandy beaches and an offshore coral reef which creates a large lagoon. The eastern shore is composed primarily of rugged rocky cliffs and a reef. Its highest point is a limestone covered mountain called Mount Tapochau at 1,554 ft.

History - Saipan, along with neighboring Guam, Rota, Tinian, and to a lesser extent smaller islands northward, was first inhabited around 2000 BC. The Spanish were the first Europeans to encounter the Chamorros and eventually annexed Saipan as part of its claim to the Mariana Islands. Around 1815, many Carolinians from Satawal settled Saipan during a period when the Chamorros were relocated to Guam. Germany ruled Saipan from 1899 until 1914, when the Empire of Japan took over the island under a League of Nations mandate. The Japanese developed both fishing and sugar industries, and in the 1930s garrisoned Saipan heavily, resulting in nearly 30,000 troops on the island by 1941.

On June 15, 1944 during World War II, U.S. Marines landed on the beaches of the southwestern side of the island, and spent more than three weeks fighting the battle of Saipan to secure it from the Japanese, an event which was dramatized in the film Windtalkers (the movie was not filmed on Saipan by the way). The US used Tinian to stage air raids on Japan, including the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bypassed by the US invasion forces, Rota came out of the war relatively unscathed; Saipan and Tinian, though, were devastated, as was the sugar cane industry. The United Nations made the Marianas a department of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947 and gave the USA exclusive rights to administer them and to establish and maintain military bases.

Forbidden Island (Isleta Maigo Luao)

Rather than encourage economic development, the USA administered the islands by providing handouts. In 1948, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) closed off half of Saipan to islanders and outsiders alike, using the northern part of the island for covert military manoeuvres. When the CIA moved out of Saipan in 1962, the Northern Marianas were finally opened to visitors. The following year, the Trust Territory headquarters was moved into the CIA's old offices on Saipan. The people of the Northern Marianas voted to become a US commonwealth in 1975. In return, the US military got to lease nearly 30 square miles of land in the islands. Under the terms of the commonwealth agreement, the Northern Marianas retain the right to internal self-government, while the USA retains control of foreign affairs. In 1986 a new commonwealth covenant became effective, granting islanders US citizenship.

Weather - According to The Guinness Book of Records, Saipan has the world's most equable temperature, averaging 81°F year-round. Humidity is always high but the even temperature and fresh sea breezes means conditions are never too stuffy. The rainy season is from July to October.

Visas - US citizens need no visa and can stay as long as they like; non-US citizens can stay visa-free for up to 30 days. Tourists can get an extension of up to two months.

Managaha Island

Fleming

FLEMING (B)- The best wall dive in the CNMI in my opinion. The site has great coral formations and is abundant with smaller animals and fish. It is common to find Turtles grazing on top of the wall. The wall drops off to more than 200 feet and has some of the best visibility on Tinian. When diving along the side of the wall in this crystal clear water you would think you were flying.

Current: Ranges from Mild to Strong

Visibility: 80ft - 150ft