Bikini Atoll is a living museum.

[oceancrest67]

I just got back from bikini atoll two weeks ago. Spectacular wreck diving!! Penetrating the hangar deck of the USS Saratoga was just stunning...live munitions still on board...lots of artifacts. The guns of the Nagato...huge. Other wrecks include the Lamson, the Carlisle, the Arkansas, the Apogen and the Anderson.

If any of you get a chance...it is some of the best wreck diving I have ever done.

Bikini is very very remote and the diving is aggressive and deep wreck to about 180' in some places.

Healthy shark population.

I was just amazed...100+ feet of vis...no current.

 

[wedivebc]

Thanks for the post. High on my todo list

 

[Tavi]

#1 on my must dive list...........

......as soon as I win the Lottery!!

 

[grandizer52]

was in majuro a few weeks ago...hit up bikini for a couple of dives (see the submarines) went back to majuro, the diving and accomodations were really cheap...the country aint pretty. if your prior military you'll adapt well

laytah
steve:light: :light: :light:

 

[diverryan]

Oceancrest, did you get to take any pictures? Also, do they have helium over there?

 

[oceancrest67]

Oceancrest, did you get to take any pictures? Also, do they have helium over there?

Yes, I did take pictures but only land / trip pictures. I did not have the space and the budget for an underwater camera rig. I say rig because to really get good pictures one would need also lights / strobes etc.

Remember, space and weight were limited and most of my luggage was devoted to dive gear / less clothes. You do need a high powered "canister" style HID light with cord for Bikini...it helps with depth and wreck penetration, plus back up lights.

I believe the Bikiniatoll.com web site has all the other equipment information you might need. They do not dive Trimix at Bikini. It is very expensive to transport Helium to Bikini. They dive air with deco gas at the hang station. Remember, Bikini is very very remote from civilization...it is not like diving some resort...there is no TV, short wave radio, phones, cell phones, internet etc. They only have a satelite phone for emergencies.

I hope this helps.

 

[purcellj]

Remember, space and weight were limited and most of my luggage was devoted to dive gear / less clothes. You do need a high powered "canister" style HID light with cord for Bikini...it helps with depth and wreck penetration, plus back up lights.

You do not need a canister light, and your light doesn't even need to be high-powered. You do need a backup. I did bring 2 complete housing systems and you do get reamed by Air Marshall airlines.

 

[mrpat]

I was there Oct 18 - 25 '06.
Jim and Gennifer were leaving the island as per there usual shutdown a couple of weeks later in November. Just the week before I arrived the topmost gun director on the Saratoga had started to collapse and was hanging on by a thread. A good bit of the lower supports of the bridge had buckled and they didn't let us penetrate the bridge during my week. They also had removed their middle/bridge mooring line.
To Oceancrest and Grandizer who were there after me:
Had the gun director fallen off and crashed through the flight deck?
Jim had hoped that might open up additional access points to deeper decks, did it? What was Jim and Gen's comments about the extent of the collapse that occured within a day or so of the Hawaiin earthquake?
Had they put back the bridge mooring?
Thanks in advance for the update

 

[oceancrest67]

I was there Oct 18 - 25 '06.
Jim and Gennifer were leaving the island as per there usual shutdown a couple of weeks later in November. Just the week before I arrived the topmost gun director on the Saratoga had started to collapse and was hanging on by a thread. A good bit of the lower supports of the bridge had buckled and they didn't let us penetrate the bridge during my week. They also had removed their middle/bridge mooring line.
To Oceancrest and Grandizer who were there after me:
Had the gun director fallen off and crashed through the flight deck?
Jim had hoped that might open up additional access points to deeper decks, did it? What was Jim and Gen's comments about the extent of the collapse that occured within a day or so of the Hawaiin earthquake?
Had they put back the bridge mooring?
Thanks in advance for the update

Correction: I was there before you in August of 06. The Saratoga bridge and related structure was completely accessible at the time.

 

[oceancrest67]

You do not need a canister light, and your light doesn't even need to be high-powered. You do need a backup. I did bring 2 complete housing systems and you do get reamed by Air Marshall airlines.

I respect your opinion.

In my opinion, I felt it best to take my Dive Rite canister light plus back up lights. Yes...and pay the fees for having excess baggage weight etc. I felt that flying all the way out to Bikini was a rare opportunity. My canister light proved invaluable to some of the wreck penetrations we performed. While I was there...my entire group was diving canister lights...even the Bikini dive staff.

Thank you.