On Walkabout At: Gab Gab Beach, Guam

Basic Information

• What: Gab Gab Beach
• Where: Naval Base Guam, USA
• Cost: Free
• More Information: Stripes.com

Narrative

One of the best beaches on Guam is unfortunately one that not everyone can access and that is Gab Gab Beach located on Naval Base Guam:

However, the limited access to the beach does not mean that it cannot be quite busy; on the weekends this beach is usually a madhouse.  However, on weekdays when US military personnel are mostly at work the beach has only a few families on it:

What makes Gab Gab such a nice beach is not so much the sand which there is little of, but the calm, clear waters:

The waters adjacent to Gab Gab Beach are so calm because of how Apra Harbor protects the beach from large waves coming in from the ocean.  This means that the shallow and calm waters are perfect kids to play in and for beginners to learn how to snorkel:

Gab Gab is where I went to get some experience with snorkeling.  Being a Coloradan means that I do not have much experience around the ocean.  So snorkeling at Gab Gab Beach was a good place to safely get in the water to learn how to snorkel.  Initially I did not see a whole lot of fish close to the shore:

I did see a lot of these sea cumber looking creatures:

As I got more comfortable in the water, I was able to swim further out and see the reef where there was many more fish that could be seen:

It was pretty neat to see all the fish swimming in and out of the reef:

These small blue fish were particularly scenic to see:

It was tough to snorkel and take pictures at the same time, but I was able to zoom in and get a close up of this fish:

Conclusion

Overall I had a good time snorkeling at Gab Gab Beach.  As I get more comfortable with snorkeling I will probably at some point take scuba diving lessons which Gab Gab is also a popular place to learn how to dive.  For now though I am quite happy experiencing snorkeling from the relative safety of Gab Gab Beach.