USS Saratoga

[Scott L]

I know what it is like to live in a part of the world where you are hostage to a cr@p airline. Not fun.
I imagine it can only be worse in an isolated part of the pacific.

Sounds like John Chatterton should arrange one of his pacific wreck diving tours to Bikini. It sounds like out of this world class diving if you can overcome the logistics.

The pinnacle of my diving career would be such a trip with John Chatterton including high fives and knuckles acknowledgement of many safe and challenging dives...

 

[Doc Harry]

Has anyone on the board ever dived this wreck? I was reading this article about it (apparently one of the 4 top wreck dives in the world according to UK's Diver magazine). But prior to reading the article, I had never even heard of it. Sounds to me like Bikini Atol should be talked about in the same breath as Truk Lagoon and Scapa Flow, but it doesn't seem to get nearly the same publicity.

Anyone been there?

Hey Rhone Man, thanks for starting a thread about a cool place we can't dive. I'm gonna kick yer butt. You can redeem yourself by organizing a Scubaboard trip to Bikini Atoll for 2011.

It doesn't sound like there will be any tours for 2010 that I can find. The USS Saratoga is partially closed due to collapsing superstructure. This includes than hanger deck. They no longer supply helium for trimix. Great, we get to be totally narced out of our minds while visiting cool wrecks at 150-180 feet.

Rhone Man, when do we go?

 

[fdog]

Last guy I heard of that dove it was on a special on Nat Geo. It was the actor Dennis Haysbert from "The Unit" and the Allstate commercials. It was one of his full trimix checkout dives.

Nope. No mix - deep air.

If you've ever seen the photos from the dives with Mr. Haysbert & that film crew, it is enough to make your blood run cold - no redundancy (they deliberately dove with nothing on the left post), the "safety divers" using singles at 170', no buoyancy control, and more.

We had been planning a trip there, until we heard back from several folks I trust, that the Head Divemaster (Jim Akroyd) had quite the ego and generally made for an interesting time if you had a technical background.You could expect to have ridicule heaped on you, and be belittled for being a "technical diver". Since they allowed anyone to dive there, and you "aren't skilled enough to understand the complexities of decompression diving here in Bikini" (told to a Tech 2 diver), you would be forced to turn the dive at the mercy of the AOW with the single.

Oddly, his wife was apparently bent regularly. Jim showed up over at TDS with the same rhetoric, and didn't do well. Interestingly, (speaking of TDS) the Bikini website had a long list of Mr. Akroyd's IANTD Technical Instructor ratings, and when Tom Mount publicly pointed out on TDS these were not true, he slammed Tom for "how would he know if they were true"...then pulled the lists off the web site.

These issues kept us from going, and actually given that atmosphere, I'm glad we didn't go. I certainly wouldn't want to be laughed at for (A) wanting to take my deco gas with me, then (B) being told that I was forbidden to take it (use the trapeze you dummy), and then (C) ascend from the dive to discover the boat has broken free from the mooring and it, and your deco gas, is gone.

I have read of many people that have gone there and loved it. In the last couple of years the happy folks all seem to have been regular recreational divers that were taken on "trust me" dives, and only about 1 in 10 technical divers had a good time. I would have gone in a heartbeat when Fabio or Tim ran things. <sigh>

Also, the two Bikinian locals that worked as divemasters were superb by every account.

Perhaps some day it will open up again...


All the best, James

 

[Rhone Man]

Would it be worth trying to put together an SB expedition to Bikini in 2011? I have never been involved with anything like that, but it sounds like it could be a lot of fun...

 

[mike_s]

Fdog.... that pic says a lot. Diving to 170 feet on doubles as a safety diver and not bothering to use two first stages.....

If you'll notice, Haskerts other post is empty also.

:shakeshead:

 

[Scott L]

Nope. No mix - deep air.

If you've ever seen the photos from the dives with Mr. Haysbert & that film crew, it is enough to make your blood run cold - no redundancy (they deliberately dove with nothing on the left post), the "safety divers" using singles at 170', no buoyancy control, and more.

We had been planning a trip there, until we heard back from several folks I trust, that the Head Divemaster (Jim Akroyd) had quite the ego and generally made for an interesting time if you had a technical background.You could expect to have ridicule heaped on you, and be belittled for being a "technical diver". Since they allowed anyone to dive there, and you "aren't skilled enough to understand the complexities of decompression diving here in Bikini" (told to a Tech 2 diver), you would be forced to turn the dive at the mercy of the AOW with the single.

Oddly, his wife was apparently bent regularly. Jim showed up over at TDS with the same rhetoric, and didn't do well. Interestingly, (speaking of TDS) the Bikini website had a long list of Mr. Akroyd's IANTD Technical Instructor ratings, and when Tom Mount publicly pointed out on TDS these were not true, he slammed Tom for "how would he know if they were true"...then pulled the lists off the web site.

These issues kept us from going, and actually given that atmosphere, I'm glad we didn't go. I certainly wouldn't want to be laughed at for (A) wanting to take my deco gas with me, then (B) being told that I was forbidden to take it (use the trapeze you dummy), and then (C) ascend from the dive to discover the boat has broken free from the mooring and it, and your deco gas, is gone.

I have read of many people that have gone there and loved it. In the last couple of years the happy folks all seem to have been regular recreational divers that were taken on "trust me" dives, and only about 1 in 10 technical divers had a good time. I would have gone in a heartbeat when Fabio or Tim ran things. <sigh>

Also, the two Bikinian locals that worked as divemasters were superb by every account.

Perhaps some day it will open up again...


All the best, James

Who was the director of diving who went back to being a commercial pilot a few years ago? Probaly not the guy you are speaking of. Pilots are generally meticulous as you know..

 

[Scott L]

Nope. No mix - deep air.

If you've ever seen the photos from the dives with Mr. Haysbert & that film crew, it is enough to make your blood run cold - no redundancy (they deliberately dove with nothing on the left post), the "safety divers" using singles at 170', no buoyancy control, and more.

We had been planning a trip there, until we heard back from several folks I trust, that the Head Divemaster (Jim Akroyd) had quite the ego and generally made for an interesting time if you had a technical background.You could expect to have ridicule heaped on you, and be belittled for being a "technical diver". Since they allowed anyone to dive there, and you "aren't skilled enough to understand the complexities of decompression diving here in Bikini" (told to a Tech 2 diver), you would be forced to turn the dive at the mercy of the AOW with the single.

Oddly, his wife was apparently bent regularly. Jim showed up over at TDS with the same rhetoric, and didn't do well. Interestingly, (speaking of TDS) the Bikini website had a long list of Mr. Akroyd's IANTD Technical Instructor ratings, and when Tom Mount publicly pointed out on TDS these were not true, he slammed Tom for "how would he know if they were true"...then pulled the lists off the web site.

These issues kept us from going, and actually given that atmosphere, I'm glad we didn't go. I certainly wouldn't want to be laughed at for (A) wanting to take my deco gas with me, then (B) being told that I was forbidden to take it (use the trapeze you dummy), and then (C) ascend from the dive to discover the boat has broken free from the mooring and it, and your deco gas, is gone.

I have read of many people that have gone there and loved it. In the last couple of years the happy folks all seem to have been regular recreational divers that were taken on "trust me" dives, and only about 1 in 10 technical divers had a good time. I would have gone in a heartbeat when Fabio or Tim ran things. <sigh>

Also, the two Bikinian locals that worked as divemasters were superb by every account.

Perhaps some day it will open up again...


All the best, James

Not that my finning and trim are anything to write home about but Dennis Haysbert's was border-line atrocious in that film although in fairness he is quite tall...

 

[Scott L]

Would it be worth trying to put together an SB expedition to Bikini in 2011? I have never been involved with anything like that, but it sounds like it could be a lot of fun...

Please no summer trip. Thousand degress...

 

[fdog]

Who was the director of diving who went back to being a commercial pilot a few years ago? Prabaly not the guy you are speaking of. Pilots are generally meticulous as you know..

Fabio. Supposed to have been an incredible guy, well liked and respected. Also, having met Tim Williams, I would say the same of him.


All the best, James

 

[Scott L]

Fabio. Supposed to have been an incredible guy, well liked and respected. Also, having met Tim Williams, I would say the same of him.


All the best, James

Fdog, I knew you would know. As I stated those insane attitudes are not likely to be atributed to an airline pilot or commerial pilot whatever the case may be. Good to see you still visit us commoners here on SB.