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DIVE
SITES
The reefs surrounding Samoa are home to more than 900 species of fish and over 200 varieties of coral. With a total of 10 islands Samoa is largely encircled by beautiful turquoise lagoons surrounded by reef. The westernmost Islands, Manono and Apolima are now proving to be home to some of the Pacific’s most outstanding dive sites.
THE ROCK
Diving around a small volcanic pinnacle you generally plunge straight into a school of Barracuda.
Dropping to between 12 and 18 metres puts you onto a small plateau where you feel you are floating in an aquarium. There is mostly hard coral at this point with many giant clams, and the area is teeming with a large variety of tropical fish, anemone, clown trigger fish, manta rays, trevally, napoleon, tuna and moray eels. Schools of fusilier often follow the divers around.
APOLIMA
GARDENS
About 70m from the prehistorically rugged sheer cliffs of Apolima Island, you plunge into a wonderland of color and life. The coral garden begins at 8metres and drops to 40metres, but unless you have done this dive many times there is really no need with so much to see between 10 and 20 metres. Large table corals screen the lobsters and rainbow runners, unicorn fish, turtles, napoleon, reef sharks and blue fin trevally are a staple of this dive. This is a drift dive, with the same excellent visibility as THE ROCK from which no one has yet come away disappointed.
OPPERER HOUSE
By a fluke of dive explorer Thomas Opperer’s surname the site is actually appropriately named, the soft corals garden beginning at a ledge in about 7 metres of water forming a ‘stage’ before dropping away to around 40 metres. As you weave between the gently swaying corals the magic operatic ambience is complemented by the songs of passing whales as they swim past on their migrating journey in late August and September.
MAGIC MUSHROOM
As the name suggests mushroom shaped corals are one of the features of this dive. Teeming with fish this is one of our newest sites and boasts an abundance of fish life including many reef sharks and large pelagics. This dive can be done on its own or teamed with the…..
NONGOONMANDA WRECK DIVE
Samoa’s newest wreck, the Nongoonmanda is a 16m fishing schooner now resting in 30m of tropical waters. While still relatively new the warm waters are quickly transforming the surface from the hard steel of the hull, to soft coral growth. With it’s masts extending up to around 18m this is a dive that should not be missed.
MANONO REEF
Just off the lagoon surrounding Manono Island the reef falls to around 40 metres in a wall of colorful soft and hard corals and an abundance of anemone fish. This is a dive for those who love canyons and swim throughs – you will have the feeling of being in another world.
LAUMEI
CANYON
Laumei – the Samoan word for Turtle gives you the idea of what you will expect to see on this dive. This dive can be done as a shallow or a deep dive. Like Manono Reef there are both hard and soft corals, and the canyons provide an easy and relaxing route to take amongst the pinnacles and walls. In the crevices you can expect to see Hawks Bill and Green Turtles as well as many varieties of tropical and reef fish.
Other Favorite Dive Sites include:
AURORA
MAZE
FULL HOUSE
THREE SISTERS
CIRCUS
STENSRUD
GEIZA WALL STREET
FISHMARKET
BUCKS
TADS PAD
PEEPS PINNACLE
TUNNEL
AND MORE
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