Saipan & Tinian · Northern Mariana Islands · Reef
Eagle Ray City
Up to 40 eagle rays over one rock in 9 m
Area photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0
A rocky formation rising out of the sand at 9 m off Saipan, reached by boat. On a good day up to 40 spotted eagle rays hang over it, and divers hold onto the rock and watch them glide past overhead. The topography is rocky reef on sand, and the dive is spent on and around the formation rather than covering ground.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Saipan & Tinian and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive is a boat drop onto a rocky formation that rises out of the sand at a depth of 9 m. The topography is rocky reef on sand, so the formation itself is the site: the group settles on and around the rock rather than following a reef line away from it, and the dive is spent in that one spot waiting for the rays to come over.
Divers take hold of the rock and wait while spotted eagle rays glide overhead. On a good day there can be up to 40 of them over the formation. At 9 m the dive is shallow enough that gas is rarely the limit, so a group can sit out a quiet spell and let the rays come back across the rock before the boat calls time.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Saipan & Tinian: Dec–Jun is calmest and clearest; Jul–Nov is typhoon season, when swell regularly closes the Grotto entirely.
Dive videos
Eagle Ray City Dive and Shoan Maru Wreck Dive · chipsnsalsa84 on YouTube
Sources
- Diving in Saipan — Wikivoyage
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