After leaving Apia we crossed the International Dateline so we got to do May 23 all over again when we docked at Pago Pago in American Samoa.

It rained during our visit so we got a bit damp as we walked up to the National Marine Sanctuary museum. The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa is made up of six sites across the territory. The area in Fagatele Bay near Pago Pago supports the greatest diversity of marine life in the entire National Marine Sactuary System. It supports 168 species of coral including a massive coral head 20 feet high and nearly 200 feet around, 271 species of fish, sea turtles, dolphins and humpback whales. It talked to one of the staff at the sanctuary who told me the dives runs from 30 to 100 feet and the water is so clear you don’t need lights. There are many top dive sites in the south seas but this is one I want to come back to dive at my leisure.

When we came out of the sanctuary building, the rain had let up and we walked into the town. We were passed along the way but numerous buses painted in bright colors with a variety of designs. We found that the Pago Pago museum was closed but we got photos of the fantastic wood carvings outside. We then strolled off to one of the ever-present markets. Lots of good photo opportunities but not much we wanted to buy. After strolling around the town, we walked back to the ship and set sail for French Polynesia.

I have to say that everything in American Samoa seemed to be in a lot better repair than in Samoa. Of course there are far fewer people in American Samoa and there is a lot of American support.