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Dive Review of Blue Palms in
Micronesia/Rota

Blue Palms: "Rota", Apr, 2018,

by David Cook, TN, US (Reviewer Reviewer 4 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 10451 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Rota is a small island 40 miles north of Guam and 80 miles southwest of Saipan. Accommodations are very limited on island – there is the Valentino Hotel, the Bayview Hotel, which are both in the village of SongSong, and the Rota Resort and Country Club, which is between the airport and SongSong. I recommend the Bayview, as breakfast is included and the Blue Palms Dive Services shop is only a five minute walk. Blue Palms is a great dive service. Megumi Taka runs a tight, full-service operation that includes lunch and 3-4 dives each day. They will provide transportation from the airport to the hotel and are very accommodating. Our group has made this trip several times so Megumi and her staff know us and our diving abilities, which makes the dives all the more enjoyable. The dive service has on-site secure storage where you can leave your gear overnight. The next day, the Blue Palms team sets up your gear and has it ready for you to dive as soon as you arrive at the boat. The only shortcoming is they do not have nitrox available anywhere on island, so be prepared to use regular air, even on deep dives.
Most of the Rota dive spots are within a 10 – 15 minutes boat ride from one of the two small harbors. There are a number of signature dives on Rota, with the most memorable being the Senahom (Rota) Cave. One aspect to be careful of are the currents – there can be particularly strong southward currents along one side of the Wedding Cake peninsula, but Megumi does a good job during the dive brief of warning divers and then keeping them close to the wall to keep them safe. Because Rota is relatively sparsely populated and remote, there is very low pressure on the fish population so large schools of trevallies, tuna and other fish abound.
SongSong has only three restaurants and two general stores, so make sure you pack what you need. We usually bring a cooler with steak and shrimp that Blue Palms prepare for us – usually the last night we are there. This has become somewhat of a tradition for our group and provides a great end to what has always been a fantastic dive trip.
Websites Blue Palms   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Guam, Okinawa, Thailand, Oman, Yap
Closest Airport ROP Getting There Usually must connect through Saipan

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy, currents
Water Temp 80-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Dive within recreational limits.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Plenty of great opportunities for underwater photography. From the wreck of the Shoun Maru with thousands of garden eels, to sea fans at Pona Point to schools of bream and lobsters at Senahom cave to giant grouper at the Harnom drop off, we were never bored.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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