By Neil Ruggiero & Charlene Hitosis "It's so blue" was the response from my dive buddies. Like Charlene and Cheryl, I had never seen water as blue as the water of dump cove in Tinian. Between the three of us we had been to many beautiful dive sights ranging from Palau to Florida. The stunning color of the water was just a warm-up for what we were about to see on our weekend sojourn to Tinian.
I had been fortunate enough to have been to Tinian many times for work, but my last trip to Tinian was the first time I had been there as a tourist. The sights are many and varied, but one thing is constant, Tinian is a history lover's dream. Whether it is visiting the House of Taga which has some of the largest latte stones in the Marianas or visiting Runway Able and the atomic bomb pits where the Enola Gay rumbled down in August 1945 to usher in the nuclear age by dropping the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima; Tinian is a hidden gem amongst the green isles of Micronesia.
However, Tinian's greatest attraction is not the historical sites or aqua blue water, but the people who call Tinian home. The warmth of the Chamorro people is truly on display in Tinian and is something that should not be missed. Whether it is history, culture or just wanting to get away from it all, you can find it on Tinian. I cannot thank Dianne enough for setting up our Tinian adventure; she made all the logistics so easy, I cannot wait to book my next dive adventure with her. Thanks again for such a memorable vacation!
Being a Marine, I had read the accounts of the most savage battle of World War II, the battle for the tiny island of Peleliu. When I got the opportunity to visit Palau, I knew I couldn’t miss the chance to visit the island that looms so large in the annals of Marine Corps history. It was an overcast morning when my dive buddy and I took a water taxi from Koror to Peleliu. As we wound our way through the emerald green Rock Islands, we marveled at the cobalt blue water that seemed only a foot or two deep at times.
We went to the popular dive spots of Blue Corner and German Channel, which certainly lived up to its hype. Our Peleliu Divers dive guides, were the best! They were so helpful, knowledgeable and just a ton of fun to be around. 
We headed back to Peleliu and upon arriving, we were greeted by a sign that said, “Welcome to Peleliu State. The Land of Enchantment.” Godwin met us at the dock and I immediately inquired about a land tour of the battle sights on Peleliu. He gladly agreed to take us and was an excellent tour guide. It began to pour rain, but we continued with the tour to the landing beaches, the airstrip, Bloody Nose Ridge and other sites where Marines who came before me bravely fought. There were empty gun shell casings everywhere. We even had a chance to go through 1000 man cave, where the Japanese had hid and was the last cave to be taken by the Americans during the epic World War II battle. The cave was full of sake bottles, eating utensils, boots and other items left behind from the battle. After walking and hiking around Peleliu for a few hours we were famished, Godwin asked us what we wanted for dinner. We told him that we liked crab, and his immediate response was, “No problem.” 
By Neil Ruggiero & Charlene Hitosis 
I had been fortunate enough to have been to Tinian many times for work, but my last trip to Tinian was the first time I had been there as a tourist. The sights are many and varied, but one thing is constant, Tinian is a history lover's dream. Whether it is visiting the House of Taga which has some of the largest latte stones in the Marianas or visiting Runway Able and the atomic bomb pits where the Enola Gay rumbled down in August 1945 to usher in the nuclear age by dropping the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima; Tinian is a hidden gem amongst the green isles of Micronesia.
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