Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall extends for 500 meters as a visual testament to the pandemic.
The National Covid Memorial Wall
The pedigreed pistachios here are from Bronte.
Gelateria dei Gracchi
This tiny hole-in-the-wall serves one of the world’s most magnificent sandwiches.
Er Buchetto
Edward Gorey’s Grave
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pedigreed pistachios here are from Bronte.
Gelateria dei Gracchi
This tiny hole-in-the-wall serves one of the world’s most magnificent sandwiches.
Er Buchetto
Seafood features prominently on the menu.
Dakar NOLA
The kabrit, or twice-cooked goat, with plantains and rice and beans is essential.
Fritai
Twelve Mile Limit is the kind of bar with a whole roster of regulars.
Twelve Mile Limit
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
1763 Monument in Georgetown, Guyana
The Berbice Rebellion of 1763 Ended With a Letter
about 5 hours ago
A listener in Toronto explored Casa Loma, and a nearby park that made the city disappear.
How the Pandemic Helped Our Listeners Rediscover Their Own Neighborhoods
1 day ago
You don’t need a time machine to journey through history.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Take a Trip Through Ancient History?
1 day ago
University of Miami graduate student Devon Fogarty examines the headstone of John Greer, who died while working at Fort Jefferson on Nov. 5, 1861. The gravesite is now completely underwater.
The Hidden Graveyard of Dry Tortugas National Park
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Samoa Apia To Sua Ocean Trench

To Sua Ocean Trench

The world is full of swimming holes, but few compare to Samoa’s idyllic To Sua ocean trench.

Apia, Samoa

Added By
Hannah Frishberg
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
To Sua Ocean Trench.   tishamp/cc by 2.0
To Sua Ocean Trench.   tishamp/cc by 2.0
To Sua Ocean Trench   Flickr user Francesco Supertramp
To Sua Ocean Trench   Flickr user NeilsPhotography
  Tom & Zi @craving.adventure
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Over the course of millennia, erosion of the lava fields around Lotofaga left the area pocketed with tide pools and a series of blowholes, the largest of which is To Sua (whose name translates to “big hole”).

The To Sua ocean trench is a swimmer’s delight, set on the edge of a tropical paradise with the South Pacific lapping at its shores. Surrounded by lush gardens, visitors wind along cliffside paths to the natural salt water pool sunken deep into the earth.

The western side of the ocean trench opens onto a small, sandy beach only accessible through a cave-like nook. Sheer rock faces of volcanic basalt disappear underfoot, leaving an epic ladder as the sole access point to the water below.

Too impatient to descend slowly? While making a flying leap into the crystalline water may seem a poor choice, at 90 feet in depth, the salt water pool offers a perfectly safe opportunity for those bold enough to give it a go. Should acts of bravado prove less appealing, paddling the turquoise waters of an ocean trench while humming Bali Hai will likely make for just as memorable an experience.

Related Tags

Pools Holes Blue Holes Swimming Pools

Know Before You Go

The trench closes at 5 PM every day. It opens at 8:30 AM every day except Sunday, when it opens at 12:30 PM.

Community Contributors

Added By

Hannah Frishberg

Edited By

littlebrumble, Blindcolour, aribrown, Craving Adventure

  • littlebrumble
  • Blindcolour
  • aribrown
  • Craving Adventure

Published

June 30, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.samoa.travel/activity/to-sua-ocean-trench
  • http://www.amazingplacesonearth.com/tosua-ocean-trench-samoa/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upolu
  • I have been here myself during a high tide.
To Sua Ocean Trench
Apia
Samoa
-14.043516, -171.562271

Nearby Places

Baha'i House of Worship of Samoa

Apia, Samoa

miles away

Robert Louis Stevenson Museum

Apia, Samoa

miles away

Pulemelei Mound

Samoa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Apia

Apia

Samoa

Places 3

Nearby Places

Baha'i House of Worship of Samoa

Apia, Samoa

miles away

Robert Louis Stevenson Museum

Apia, Samoa

miles away

Pulemelei Mound

Samoa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Apia

Apia

Samoa

Places 3

Related Stories and Lists

20 Superb, Secluded, Sometimes Secret Swimming Holes

List

By Jonathan Carey

16 Tales of the South Pacific

List

By Samir S. Patel

Related Places

  • Santa Rosa Blue Hole

    Santa Rosa, New Mexico

    Santa Rosa Blue Hole

    A clear blue swimming hole with hidden caves, still unexplored.

  • The Victoria Garden

    Farnham, England

    Victoria Garden

    A former Victorian swimming pool is now a tranquil and secluded park.

  • The Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial

    This saltwater swimming pool, which is the last of its kind in the United States, is slowly crumbling within sight of multiple high-end beachside hotels.

  • Glenwood Hot Springs Pool

    Glenwood Springs, Colorado

    Glenwood Hot Springs Pool

    Take a dip in the world's largest mineral hot springs pool.

  • Dunbar Outdoor Pool in July 1923

    Dunbar, Scotland

    Dunbar Outdoor Pool Remains

    This Scottish bay still reveals evidence of its days as a seaside swimming pool.

  • Vancouver, British Columbia

    Kitsilano Pool

    This scenic waterfront swimming pool is the longest salt water pool in North America.

  • Thames Lido.

    Reading, England

    Thames Lido

    Soak up some local history in this restored Edwardian era swimming pool.

  • Lahti Ski Jump Tower pool

    Lahti, Finland

    Lahti Ski Jump Tower

    Every summer, an open-air swimming pool appears at the base of a Finnish city's beloved winter attraction.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.