Intermediate Guam

Guam

Two world wars on the same seabed, and walls that drop into the deepest trench on the planet

Structure of a war wreck colonized by coral in clear water
Two wars, one seabed.

In Guam's harbor there are two war wrecks touching each other: one sunk in World War I and the other in World War II. It's an unusual place, where you can dive both at once.

In this profile you'll find what makes that spot unique, what else the island offers between walls, caves, and shore diving, how its volcanic geology shapes the diving, when to go, and what level you need.

Guam packs a historical density that's hard to match into just a few kilometers, and it sits on the edge of the deepest ocean trench on the planet.

Geography and access

Guam is an island in the western Pacific, the largest of the Marianas, with a coastal reef ringing much of its perimeter and a shelf that drops quickly toward deep water.

The island sits on the edge of an ocean trench that is the deepest known on the planet. That proximity isn't dived, but it explains the abrupt drop of its walls and the presence of pelagics near shore.

The main harbor, on the west coast, is a protected anchorage where ships were sunk in both world wars. Two of those wrecks ended up resting one on top of the other.

The rest of the island offers limestone walls, caves and crevices, arches, and shore diving accessible at many points.

Access is convenient via direct flights from East Asia. The infrastructure reflects a territory with a military presence and established tourism.

Cross-section of the island shelf and the drop toward the ocean trench
You don't dive the trench, but it explains why the wall drops so fast.

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