Scuba Diving In Samoa
It’s not surprising that a South Pacific island nation like Samoa has some fantastic dive sites, found both inside and outside the protective reefs around its coastline. The reefs create calm lagoons that are perfect for newer divers as well as some spectacular sites that will attract more experienced divers. Outside the reefs there are several excellent deep diving sites that are more challenging and will only suit those divers with more advanced experience. The water in Samoa is generally warm year-round with an average water temperature of 28°C. It is common and highly recommended to take a diving tour while you are visiting Samoa, with several companies offering day trips to various sites around the islands. If you are new to diving, Samoa also has a scuba school which makes use of the safe and shallow lagoons ideal for training.
The best diving spots in Samoa
The Juno Wreck is an easy and accessible dive just a 5-minute boat ride offshore from the island of Savai’i. This 3-mast missionary ship sunk in 1881 and the iron wreck is still visible and is home to a vast array of corals and marine life. The maximum dive depth here is 25-metres.
Palolo Deep is a dive spot that is part of a National Marine Reserve and is just a 5-minute walk along the beach from the centre of Apia. A quick 50-metre swim takes you to the stunning deep blue hole surrounded by coral colonies and many varieties of tropical fish. It’s a great beginners dive, but there can be currents to be aware of and the spot is best visited around the high tide mark.
The Rock is an excellent diving spot found on Upolu. You can firstly dive to the plateau which is 12 to 18-metres deep and is home to hard corals and a wide number of tropical fish and marine life including clown fish, manta rays, trevally and a school of barracuda that are often encountered by divers. Once you leave the plateau and continue descending you will start seeing soft coral from the 18-metre mark. Sharks are a common sighting in the area, especially below the plateau.
Apolima Gardens is another Upolu site where the coral begins at 8-metres and continues down to 40-metres. Turtles, reef sharks, trevally and unicorn fish are regularly seen at this dive. In total there are more than 35 diving spots around the Samoan islands, so finding something to suit your diving interests won’t be hard.
The best time of year to dive in Samoa
Samoa is a tropical nation and is close enough to the equator that it experiences 2 distinct seasons, the dry season and the wet season. Temperature difference through the year isn’t significant with the temperature range sitting between 25°C and 30’°C for the year. As such the water temperature is suitable for diving all year round.
The dry season runs from May to October and is the prime time for diving. Not only is the visibility better because of lower run-off from rain, but the weather is more enjoyable for your non-diving activities are well. The wet season is still suitable for diving, but you will often contend with rain on 15 to 20 days out of each month – albeit these are usually short rain showers!
Call our My Samoa Holiday Experts on 1300 072 662 now to find out more about Samoa’s epic diving spots!