Vaitogi Turtle and Shark Site
A cliff on Tutuila's south coast where a Samoan legend of a turtle and a shark is told.
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At Vaitogi on Tutuila's southern coast, a lava cliff drops into deep water and the village tells a story attached to it: a blind woman and her granddaughter who threw themselves from the rock in a time of famine and became a turtle and a shark, and who are said to come when the village children sing to them from the cliff. Whether or not anything surfaces, the site is the cliff, the ocean and the telling.
What you actually see
- The cliff - the lava wall dropping into deep water below the village.
- The legend - the story of the woman and the girl who became turtle and shark.
- The calling - the village children's song from the rock edge.
- The open ocean - the water running south from the cliff foot.
When to go
May to September is the drier season. Sundays are strictly observed in the village. The site is exposed with no shade.
Honest expectations
Nothing is guaranteed to surface, and paying for a performance of the calling is a common arrangement that some find uncomfortable. The cliff edge is unfenced. Village permission and protocol matter.
Nearby
Sliding Rock is nearby, and Pago Pago is northeast.
What to pack for Vaitogi Turtle and Shark Site
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.