MVA worries about safety of Grotto divers after sundown

The Marianas Visitors Authority intends to cooperate with other government agencies to impose diving restrictions at the CNMI’s famous dive site, the Grotto.

MVA board chair Marian Aldan-Pierce expressed concerns about the number of tourists diving at the Grotto in the evening, when there is no lifeguard and only a security guard is on duty.

There is one lifeguard stationed at the Grotto in the daytime. A security personnel is on duty only up to 5pm.

Aldan-Pierce brought the issue up during the MVA regular board meeting last week.

“To make our tourist sites more safe, I believe we need to meet with DPS and others regarding this. Do we continue to allow divers to come in at 5pm?”

MVA board member Jerry Tan agreed with Aldan-Pierce regarding the safety of tourists.

“We have to be mindful that some of our tourist markets don’t swim because [they] come from a country that is landlocked,” he said.

According to MVA, the Department of Public Safety has the authority to inform tourists whether it is safe to dive in the Grotto or not during high tide.

MVA data state that there were 35,000 Grotto visitors in January 2017.

“People are diving and going into the dangerous area of the Grotto. There is a rope there for safety and some of the people are going beyond the rope, getting cuts from the rocks before getting saved by the lifeguards,” said Aldan-Pierce.

“Our concern is, is one lifeguard enough? Because we know that it is not, if you have more than 10 people in the water,” she added.

MVA has confirmed that talks with DPS are being planned but shared no specific date.

Another option MVA has been looking at is to close the Grotto once the security personnel leaves the area.

“One of the things we are looking at is actually closing down the Grotto after a certain time for safety reasons,” said Aldan-Pierce.

MVA would also be looking at closing down Banzai Cliff in the evening.

“”We used to [close] Banzai, but we have never tried it for the Grotto,” she said. “Our visitors would be advised that this particular tourist site would be closed at a particular time. Whether it is 5pm or whether it is sundown, we are not sure yet.”

Aldan-Pierce recognized that the Grotto is not only frequented by tourists but also by residents. Because of this, Aldan-Pierce said a public notice would be released if a decision to close the Grotto is made.