Piti Bay is the one of the island's few naturally protected lagoons that preserves and promotes Guam's beautiful natural corals. The fringing reef keeps the water inside the vast Piti Bay very calm. The outer ocean is the Philippine Sea. But inside the bay the habitat is unique to any other place on Guam and one of the most diverse in all of Micronesia. There are sea-grass beds in shallow water that provide a home to juvenile tropical fish. Colonies of soft corals and sea anemones can be observed as shallow as 3 to 4 feet. Several underwater canyons, white sand-filled depressions and healthy colonies of hard corals can be seen starting in 6 feet of water. The deepest part of the bay is about 25 feet deep.
What has made the bay famous are its "Bomb-holes". From the observatory pier and deck you can see several deep blue castes across Piti Bay. The gleaming turquoise water is illuminated by the tropical sun, showing actual sinkholes created by collapsed caves. These have filled with seawater and sand and have become populated by corals, fish and marine invertebrates. The largest sinkhole is a very popular dive and snorkeling spot. There are over 200 species of tropical fish and variety of marine life here. This sinkhole is known as the Piti Bomb-hole.
The variety of this underwater environment brings local divers back time and time again. A "Paradise for Marine Life", Guam's government has designated Piti Bay as one of Guam's five protected marine preserves. Any activity that may be harmful to the marine life is strictly prohibited. This has greatly enhanced the numbers and types and sizes of fish people may see when visiting the observatory or joining our snorkeling tour. |
