Bikini Atoll

[kewidner]

I decided to post this in the Technical Diving area rather than the travel area, as all of these dives are decompress dives. Has anyone been to Bikini Atoll. I'm in talks right now with Bikini Atoll Divers trying to setup something for 2007. I'm not sure about the best way to get there and what kind of condition can I expect to find. Do I need to get any shots before going and any suggestions on how to make this a safe trip would be appreciated. If you have been there do you know if this is the only shop there and if so, how good are they.

Thanks...

 

[fire_diver]

Well, personally, I wouldnt go there without a wetsuit made entirely of lead. Gotta remember that the reason those ships are down there is because of nuclear bomb testing. I know that someone is CLAIMING the radiation levels are fine, but I wouldn't trust it. The half-life of a U-235 isotope is something like 10,000 years. Since it has been only about 60 years since the testing, I doubt the radiation level present immediately after detonation would have subsided that much. YMMV

FD

 

[H2Andy]

nah....

SCRU did lots of testing there (divers-in-the-water type tests) and found
no significant radiation hazards. their findings were as expected, btw,
according to the calculations. remember, the ships themselves are not
radioactive, so half-lives don't apply (as it would to a chunk of uranium
sitting there)

i'd love to do it one day. price is about $3,000 plus air fare for a week.

(SCRU = Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, the National Park Service's diving team)

 

[xiSkiGuy]

nah....

SCRU did lots of testing there (divers-in-the-water type tests) and found
no significant radiation hazards. their findings were as expected, btw,
according to the calculations. remember, the ships themselves are not
radioactive, so half-lives don't apply (as it would to a chunk of uranium
sitting there)

i'd love to do it one day. price is about $3,000 plus air fare for a week.

(SCRU = Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, the National Park Service's diving team)

There is a good book about SCRU (which I'm guessing Andy has read): Submerged: Adventures of America's Most Elite Underwater Archeology Team

 

[H2Andy]

yes!

awesome book =)

 

[kewidner]

Thanks for your help. I'll read the book

 

[steveann]

If I remember from the website correctly, you have to be more worried about the diving than the radiation. Radiation levels in the area shouldn't be too bad, if even above normal background. The bombs used were fusion bombs, which uses a fission process to generate a fusion process. The majority of the U-235 or U-238, or more probably the Plutonium (Pu-241, I think), was ejected into the atmosphere during the explosion. The only sources of radiation in the water would be any residual activated elements of the seawater or the metal of the ships. You would have more to worry about on the surface intervals than the dives. The long lived particulate would have been in the radioactive dust that would have created the "fallout" that everyone has heard of. Those long lived particulates would be most prevalent on the islands in the downwind directions of the test (I believe they had an eastward wind). The raidoactivity in the water would have quickly dispersed on the ocean currents, and any radioactivity inherent to the ships would be shielded by the water (just don't hug the ship).
In reality, unless you lived there, you shouldn't have to worry about the radiation in the area. You'd probably receive more if you camped for a week in upstate New York than diving for a week in Bikini.

 

[scubamanny]

If I were you I would contact Larry Murphy at the National Parks service. He is the current director of the Submerged Cultural Resources for the NPS and should be able to point you in the right direction. The NPS performed an extensive amount of reccon work out Bikini to guage the feasability of the local as a dive destination. At the very least, I am sure there is available literature published by the park. Try starting with this link and see if it helps: http://www.nps.gov/applications/submerged/

Good Luck and let us know what you find out.

 

[Lightning Fish]

Check out this trip report: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=66318&highlight=bikini+atoll

Also, if you do a search for "Bikini Atoll" you will get a lot of results. I haven't read them but it looks like a dive shop in Bikini Atoll has also posted.

Bill.

 

[DEEPLOU]

About 2 weeks ago was at Beneath The Sea Expositon in NJ. Michael Dudas presented an informative and interesting talk on Bikini Atoll. He has spent something like the last 18 months there as DM and photographer.
I think you can get in contact w/him through his family shop http://www.dudasdiving.com/