[3] The bodies of Diego Luis de San Vitores and Pedro Calungsod were thrown into the bay following their murders on April 2, 1672, during the Spanish-Chamorro Wars.

However, the Spanish column was attacked on both flanks as it waded through the waters of Tumon Bay, losing three soldiers to poison spears.

[5]: 30–31  During the Japanese invasion in 1941, the South Seas Detachment under the command of Major-General Tomitarō Horii made landings at Tumon Bay.

[6] In the 1960s, the Government of Guam blasted a shallow cut in the fringing reef opposite San Vitores Beach to allow entry by small boats.

[1] In 1996, Guam passed a law prohibited motorized watercraft from being used inside the Tumon reef, with the exception of jet skis transiting from San Vitores Beach directly through the cut into the open ocean.

[13] A 2010 study found that the establishment of Guam's marine preserves had doubled the death rate by drowning of Chamorro fisherman, with the hypothesis being that they were pushed into more hazardous areas.

[citation needed] The coral reef fringing Tumon Bay suffers from nutrient infusion and algal blooms associated with fresh water seepage from hotels along the beach.

[citation needed] The bay is continuously utilized for fishing and recreational uses, including swimming and use of small unmotorized watercraft.

Matapang Beach and Tumon Bay hosted outrigger canoeing at the 1999 South Pacific Games.