Guam's Undersea Treasures

New in a Handy 7x7 Format



This book shows the beauty and richness of Guam’s recently established marine preserves. Small but important, they act as buffers to overfishing and ensure some reefs of Guam remain protected and diverse.

Surrounded by an azure sea, the island of Guam in Western Micronesia is blessed with one of the world’s richest coral reef marine environments. It thrives with more than 700 fish species and nearly 400 kinds of corals. This great natural biodiversity attracts divers from all over Asia and other parts of the world.

This book features 261 photos over 200 pages by internationally published marine photojournalist Tim Rock. The Guam marine preserves hold an amazing variety of fish and corals and are one of the region’s great success stories.

The betterment of Guam’s diverse underwater world has been the thrust behind a series of nature preserve set up in the last decade around the island. What these areas do is keep fishing to a minimum, allowing breeding stocks to prosper and make more fish. The island has seen a sharp decline in the last 20 years in its breeding fish; that is, the larger fish that make offspring. This is due to a number of factors including unrestricted fishing around the entire island, reef damage from poor building practices and natural causes, like typhoon damage.

The Achang Bay Reef Flat, Sasa Bay, Piti Bomb Holes (Piti Bay), Tumon Bay (and Gun Beach) and Pati Point preserves encompass small reef areas from north to south and are starting to ensure reef health on this diverse western Pacific gem. Enjoy this visual trip through the most accessible of the preserves and popular underwater sites on Guam.