Matapang Beach Park

About

Matapang Beach Park is a small public park run by Guam's Department of Parks and Recreation, set near the middle of Tumon Bay between the high-rise hotels of the main resort strip and reached from Pale San Vitores Road. It opens onto the same white sand and clear lagoon, sheltered by Tumon's wide fringing reef, as the neighbouring resorts, but admission and parking are free, and the park has covered pavilions with picnic tables for family gatherings and barbecues, a public restroom, and a shower. Smaller than nearby Ypao Beach, it fills with local families at weekends. The water is part of the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve, so fishing is tightly restricted and taking coral or any marine life is prohibited. Matapang is also a practice spot for local outrigger canoe teams, who launch from the beach in the late afternoon and evening on days calm enough for paddling, and it hosted the outrigger canoe events of the 1999 South Pacific Games. The beach carries the name of Matå'pang, the maga'låhi (chief) of the ancient Chamorro village of Tumon, who in 1672 killed the Spanish missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores near here after the priest baptised the chief's infant daughter without his consent; long portrayed as a villain in colonial histories, he has regained recognition as a Chamorro hero for resisting colonial rule. From its central spot on the bay, the park is also one of the best places along Tumon to watch the sunset.