American Samoa is an unincorporated territory southeast of the sovereign country of Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean. Comprised of seven islands, American Samoa includes five volcanic islands and two coral atolls. American Samoa is the southernmost United States territory and is 14 degrees south of the equator, making the climate hot and rainy year round.
There are two 5.5-hour flights to American Samoa from Hawaii each week. Travel time from California, including a three- to four-hour layover in Hawaii, is typically 14 hours. No passport is necessary to visit American Samoa, and the local currency is the U.S. dollar.
Fringing coral reefs ring the island of Tutuila, the largest island of the American Samoa chain of islands. Dive sites include Poloa, Utulei, Leone, Rainmaker, Sliding Rock, Whale Rock, Larsen Bay, Breakers Point, Coconut Point, Taema Bank, Nu'uuli, Alofau, Faga'alu and Amalau. Some of the dive sites, such as Faga’alu and Breaker’s Point, offer shore diving. If you can get to the other islands, even richer diving opportunities with more pristine sea life abound. The island of Rose Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge with a large lagoon.
American Samoa is one of the more remote destinations for scuba divers, with almost pristine diving environments. There is not a regular dive shop due to the lack of tourists. The dive shops that do exist do not offer diving tours, though they do rent equipment. Diving in American Samoa is independent. Therefore, even shallow shore dives will require advanced diving skills.
The national wildlife refuge at Rose Atoll is home to many threatened or endangered marine animals. The reefs of the American Samoa islands are encrusted with a dazzling array of coral. Over 200 species of coral make the American Samoa reefs their home. The waters are clear and warm and abundant with fish. The majority of the 991 fish species in the American Samoa waters, including damselfish, surgeonfish and parrot fish, are likely to be found near the shore or in the national wildlife refuge.
