Bird island

Our neighbor is an avid hiker and has found incredible historic sites leftover from world war ll. He took us out hiking one day with the intention of showing us an old japanese cave he found but because of the rain we decided to go to a small nearby island called bird island. We started in the jungle and hiked thru mud and cliffs to get to the beach. we saw all kind of neat plants and wildlife (like coconut crabs!) on the way. Once at the beach we hiked thru the ocean, the water coming to our waist, the rest of the way to the island. We spent the next few hours snorkeling deep pools, coral reefs, exploring beach caves, picking up sea glass and hiking all around the island (including a section where the waves were crashing, was really narrow and we were told what to do if we got swept out with the current---yikes!)  I got my first real sunburn but it was soooo worth it! So far saipan does not disappoint!
*sorry for the sub par photos. We need a waterproof camera!