Midway Island is a stunning atoll located about halfway between Asia and North America. Perched near the northwestern end of the magnificent Hawaiian archipelago, it is an unincorporated, unorganized territory of the United States of America. With extensive beaches circling its lagoon and inner land masses, it covers just 2.4 square miles. Once an important US Navy base, it is probably best known as the focal point in the 1942 Battle of Midway; today, it is a National Wildlife Refuge and is home to an incredible array of marine life and rare seabirds. Greater Midway Island offers a number of outstanding dive sites; here, we’ll take a look at four sites located inside the atoll’s perimeter, near Sand Island.
Welles Harbor and the Lagoon Patch Reefs
A superb dive for underwater photographers and a relaxed, easy dive for beginners, this area offers depths ranging from 15 to 50 feet. The patch reefs are composed of vibrant hard corals, and are home to numerous fishes, lobsters, crabs, and invertebrates. In addition to these smaller animals, divers frequently encounter manta and eagle rays, tiger sharks, spinner dolphins, and monk seals. This area is usually reached via boat; the remainder of the sites we’ll be looking at can be accessed either from shore or via boat.
Midway Lagoon Shallows
The shallows around Midway Lagoon are ideal for easy diving in water no more than five meters deep. This area is perfect for introducing a non-diving traveling companion to the underwater world; just don masks, snorkels, and fins, and set out on an adventure in splendid, sheltered waters you won’t ever want to leave. Stunning purple rice corals, lobe corals, and cauliflower corals are home to brightly colored butterfly fish, huge Spectacled parrotfish, wrasses, tans, goatfish, and beautiful blue-spined unicornfish. Bright red slate-pencil sea urchins, spotted eagle rays, and the occasional Hawaiian Monk Seal add even more magic to this fantastic and extensive area. One caveat - though there is typically very little in the way of current, currents pick up and become very strong in these shallow areas during periods of high surf.
Cargo Pier
There’s something special about cargo piers – they’re a bit like time capsules, where you can find all sorts of unexpected items scattered around the bottom. Midway Island’s current cargo pier was built right on top of the wreckage of its’ old one. The old structure is reminiscent of a shipwreck, and as it features nooks and crannies galore, it shelters an amazing amount of marine life. Look for nudibranchs in bright colors, reef fish, little white-tip reef sharks, and the occasional large tiger shark. Green sea turtles are often encountered here; the sea sponges that wrestle for space with the corals on the pier’s structure are a favorite food. Be sure to look up toward the surface from the bottom; the pier’s supports rise up like pillars in an underwater cathedral, making the site even more magical. Maximum depth here is just 35 feet.
Tugboat Pier
A dark site strewn with all sorts of wreckage, and often suffering from reduced visibility (about 20 feet or so,) the Tugboat pier is quite similar to the cargo pier. Here, you’ll find plenty of nudibranchs and other invertebrates including rare calf cowries, which emerge at night to feed on sponges. Dragon morays, green sea turtles, amberjacks and giant trevallies, and white tip reef sharks are encountered on nearly every dive here. Occasionally, divers encounter manta rays, as well as tiger sharks and Galapagos sharks. The tugboat pier is located right next to the dive shop and features maximum depth at just 35 feet.
Getting to Midway Island is relatively easy; there are typically weekly flights available from Hawaii. Non-divers are certainly welcome and will enjoy the amazing views and perhaps even some of the best snorkeling the world has to offer! The island was only recently opened to visitors is restricted to 100 people at a time, so it’s vital that you plan well in advance for what is sure to be one of the most memorable dive vacations yet.