| For those of you who haven't been in the washing machine here is what the right side as you face the water looks like. |
| Bev shooting an Anemone fish. |
| Some of the local Nudies |
| The Biggest Clam I've seen here. It is about 18" across. |
| Some of the Grotto Stars! |
This is a spectacular dive. Thousands of years ago it was an underwater cave but then part of
the roof caved in and made it accessible from shore. It sits on the northern end of Saipan
along a very rugged coastline with high cliffs. Stairs have been installed to go down and
access the water. There are over 100 steps and this is by far the hardest part of the dive.
Once at the bottom you cross from the shore to a large boulder to enter the water. The
crossing is at water level so you must wait for a break in the waves to cross over. When you
get over you go up about 5ft to a flat area where you can do a giant stride into the Grotto pool.
You can also go down to a lower area that is used for exiting to get in but most people like to
jump.
The Grotto itself goes down to about 70ft at the bottom and when you jump in you will be in
about 15ft of water and see a large area with 3 blue holes that go to the outside wall. You will
also see a rope that is anchored on another boulder at about 20ft for people to do a safety
stop.
As long as you have a flashlight you could spend an entire dive inside the Grotto looking at
various fish and Nudies as well as checking out the resident sharks that call the Grotto home.
There are also some swim-through to explore as well.
To get to the wall outside you just need to go out one of the 3 openings. This can be done at
anywhere between 20 to 60 feet depending on which hole you choose. To venture outside you
must know your way around or have a guide. As soon as you exit if you turn around you will
have a hard time finding the entrance again as boulders hide it.
The Wall Outside
This dive is not for beginners and requires a guide for anyone that has not done it a few times.
Once outside you should not surface due to heavy waves and very rugged cliffs. No one will
see you and there is no way to get back to shore. You must exit back inside the Grotto to
insure a safe egress. Please don’t attempt this dive without an experienced Dive
Master/Guide.
The Left Hole
The left hole is called Big Blue and is the largest of the 3. When you go out you will be on a
wall that goes strait up to the waves pounding the cliff line and if you look down you will see the
wall goes down and then starts to taper off somewhere between 130-150ft. If you keep going
with the wall to your left you will come to the Bat Cave after awhile. The Bat Cave has a very
large opening and is a great place to explore with large Sea Fans and many fish as well as
some Eels. There is also a tunnel that leads back out to the wall but you MUST HAVE A
GUIDE to do this dive. After the Bat Cave with the wall on your right you swim back at about
40ft and it will lead you back into the Grotto to do some more exploring and your safety stop.
The Middle Hole
The middle hole is the deepest and takes you out to an area with lots of fish and a steep
sloping drop-off. If you go strait out and down to about 90ft you will find a nice swim-through
that takes you through a lot of Sea Fans where you come out at about 110ft. This is the most
common area to see Turtles at the Grotto as well as Napoleon Wrasses and other large fish.
The Right Hole
This hole is not used as often because there is more current on this side of the Grotto. When
you go out you will find a mooring line on a large boulder and if you look to the right you will
see another large boulder. If you swim to this boulder you will see yet another couple of large
boulders at about 100ft. In this area you will almost always see Barracuda as well as other
large fish. The deeper you go the more Sea Fans and life you will see on the wall but care is
needed to insure you get back in with plenty of air.
For those good on air a leisurely dive starting at the right hole and going around the outside
wall to the left hole is a nice dive and always yields something of interest.
The Exit
The exit can be a bit tricky, as you will be getting out on a flat boulder (Penguin Rock) that is
right about water level. The water surges both above and below the ledge level so timing is
important. There is a rope that is attached to the safety stop line to help pull you up. There are
also footholds to use. The best approach is to wait for the water to push you up and then use
the rope to pull yourself to your feet. It is imperative that you not let go of the rope until you are
standing with you fins off as sometimes the water will push you off the rock into a very rough
area that is called the Washing Machine. Once out you can cross back over to shore and then
take your time going back up the 100+ steps to the parking lot. I know it sounds tough but
believe me it is worth it and you will definitely put it down as one of the best dives you’ve ever
done!
the roof caved in and made it accessible from shore. It sits on the northern end of Saipan
along a very rugged coastline with high cliffs. Stairs have been installed to go down and
access the water. There are over 100 steps and this is by far the hardest part of the dive.
Once at the bottom you cross from the shore to a large boulder to enter the water. The
crossing is at water level so you must wait for a break in the waves to cross over. When you
get over you go up about 5ft to a flat area where you can do a giant stride into the Grotto pool.
You can also go down to a lower area that is used for exiting to get in but most people like to
jump.
The Grotto itself goes down to about 70ft at the bottom and when you jump in you will be in
about 15ft of water and see a large area with 3 blue holes that go to the outside wall. You will
also see a rope that is anchored on another boulder at about 20ft for people to do a safety
stop.
As long as you have a flashlight you could spend an entire dive inside the Grotto looking at
various fish and Nudies as well as checking out the resident sharks that call the Grotto home.
There are also some swim-through to explore as well.
To get to the wall outside you just need to go out one of the 3 openings. This can be done at
anywhere between 20 to 60 feet depending on which hole you choose. To venture outside you
must know your way around or have a guide. As soon as you exit if you turn around you will
have a hard time finding the entrance again as boulders hide it.
The Wall Outside
This dive is not for beginners and requires a guide for anyone that has not done it a few times.
Once outside you should not surface due to heavy waves and very rugged cliffs. No one will
see you and there is no way to get back to shore. You must exit back inside the Grotto to
insure a safe egress. Please don’t attempt this dive without an experienced Dive
Master/Guide.
The Left Hole
The left hole is called Big Blue and is the largest of the 3. When you go out you will be on a
wall that goes strait up to the waves pounding the cliff line and if you look down you will see the
wall goes down and then starts to taper off somewhere between 130-150ft. If you keep going
with the wall to your left you will come to the Bat Cave after awhile. The Bat Cave has a very
large opening and is a great place to explore with large Sea Fans and many fish as well as
some Eels. There is also a tunnel that leads back out to the wall but you MUST HAVE A
GUIDE to do this dive. After the Bat Cave with the wall on your right you swim back at about
40ft and it will lead you back into the Grotto to do some more exploring and your safety stop.
The Middle Hole
The middle hole is the deepest and takes you out to an area with lots of fish and a steep
sloping drop-off. If you go strait out and down to about 90ft you will find a nice swim-through
that takes you through a lot of Sea Fans where you come out at about 110ft. This is the most
common area to see Turtles at the Grotto as well as Napoleon Wrasses and other large fish.
The Right Hole
This hole is not used as often because there is more current on this side of the Grotto. When
you go out you will find a mooring line on a large boulder and if you look to the right you will
see another large boulder. If you swim to this boulder you will see yet another couple of large
boulders at about 100ft. In this area you will almost always see Barracuda as well as other
large fish. The deeper you go the more Sea Fans and life you will see on the wall but care is
needed to insure you get back in with plenty of air.
For those good on air a leisurely dive starting at the right hole and going around the outside
wall to the left hole is a nice dive and always yields something of interest.
The Exit
The exit can be a bit tricky, as you will be getting out on a flat boulder (Penguin Rock) that is
right about water level. The water surges both above and below the ledge level so timing is
important. There is a rope that is attached to the safety stop line to help pull you up. There are
also footholds to use. The best approach is to wait for the water to push you up and then use
the rope to pull yourself to your feet. It is imperative that you not let go of the rope until you are
standing with you fins off as sometimes the water will push you off the rock into a very rough
area that is called the Washing Machine. Once out you can cross back over to shore and then
take your time going back up the 100+ steps to the parking lot. I know it sounds tough but
believe me it is worth it and you will definitely put it down as one of the best dives you’ve ever
done!
| The Grotto |
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The Captain of the
Princess Taiping,
which is a lot easier to
pronounce!
He joined us for a Grotto
dive and I think by looking
at the photos, he had a
great time!
Princess Taiping,
which is a lot easier to
pronounce!
He joined us for a Grotto
dive and I think by looking
at the photos, he had a
great time!
03/29/09
Looks like he found
something!
Looks like he found
something!
Here are some shots
from an area at the
Grotto I call the Sea
Fan Forest. It is very
deep and the sea
floor becomes
covered in large sea
fans. It is very cool.
from an area at the
Grotto I call the Sea
Fan Forest. It is very
deep and the sea
floor becomes
covered in large sea
fans. It is very cool.
