Denight: Dive sites benefit Guam

Buenas yan håfa adai! With waters as stunning as its skies, Guam is one of the best diving destinations in the world. The Guam Visitors Bureau works hard to promote and protect the island’s dive offerings for visitors and local residents to enjoy.

Guam’s unique geographic features make it an exciting diving destination to explore. Divers discover coral gardens, fringing reefs, steep drop-offs and Cocos Island within the Merizo Barrier Reef.

Guam is truly blessed with the richest coral reef marine environment in the United States. It has more than 1,000 fish species and over 400 kinds of hard and soft corals.

GVB works with other government agencies and groups to help protect five marine preserves: Achang Reef Flat; Pati Point; Piti Bomb Holes; Sasa Bay; and Tumon Bay.

Guam is not only a vibrant dive destination, but also a very safe one. The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy patrol Guam waters. The U.S. Coast Guard and government of Guam agencies certify dive boats.

In addition to being surrounded by aquatic wonders, Guam has shipwrecks that tell stories of the past. In fact, divers can touch sunken ships from two eras – the SMS Cormoran II from World War I and the Tokai Maru from World War II!

On April 7, GVB will mark the 100th anniversary of the scuttling of the SMS Cormoran II, which is listed on the Guam Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. The event will feature educational, promotional and diving opportunities to share the German ship’s connection to Guam.

Dive economy

GVB has promoted the island’s fascinating dive sites and marine life at international events for years. GVB has attended the Marine Dive Fair, the Asia Dive Expo, the Scuba Show, and Dive Equipment & Marketing Association.

GVB’s marketing efforts are paying off as the scuba diving industry reels in revenue for the local economy. In fiscal 2015, Guam welcomed 125,498 divers as visitors. With the average total revenue per diver at $449.17, the gross diving revenue was more than $56 million.

The tourism dollars flow into the Tourist Attraction Fund, which supports numerous agencies, groups, programs and projects on Guam. Among the initiatives are beach cleanups and monitoring to ensure that Guam continues to attract water enthusiasts.

GVB is committed to helping protect Guam’s marine world for our visitor industry and for our community. We hope that you will take advantage of upcoming Cormoran anniversary activities to immerse yourself in local diving history and to explore one of the most amazing seascapes in the world!

Nathan Denight is president and CEO of the Guam Visitors Bureau. Email him at [email protected]

LEARN MORE

For more information about the SMS Cormoran II, go to visitguam.com/smscormoranguam.