Rose Atoll Inner Lagoon

Rose Atoll is the easternmost point of American Samoa and one of the most remote and pristine atolls in the US Pacific — a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Marine National Monument. The inner lagoon is shallow (3 to 15 metres) and carpeted almost entirely in coralline algae in vivid pink and red, a signature of very low nutrient and very clear water. Green and hawksbill turtles nest on the sand cays and are extremely dense in the water. Giant clams up to 1 metre are abundant. The outer rim drops away steeply with grey reef sharks and silver tip sharks patrolling the edge. Access requires USFWS research or educational permit; no commercial dive operations are based here.