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DESTINATIONS » Micronesia » Bikini Atoll | Guam | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Truk (Chuuk) | Yap
Bikini Atoll is located approximately 600 miles northwest of Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Island Group. A Word class destination, Bikini
Atoll opened to divers in June of 1996 to provide an economic base for a possible future resettlement of Bikini Atoll. A fleet of the
most significant ships of World War II are now an underwater playground for advanced divers. Bikini was once the site of the postwar nuclear
tests code named "Operation Crossroads" and its lagoon now offers a collection of wrecks with major historical significance. The
sunken fleet includes battleships, destroyers, submarines, cruisers, attack transports and the only aircraft carrier wreck accessible to
divers, the USS SARATOGA. At Bikini, you will witness firsthand the effects of a nuclear explosion on warships, as these are the only ships
in the world ever sunk by an atomic bomb.
You will need to be an advanced diver to dive the sites. In order to get the best at Bikini, many of the dives will be beyond the recreational
depth limit of 130ft. This requires that you have solid watermanship and diving skills, and if you are not yet a certified advanced deep
air diver and technical nitrox diver, we recommend you get the training that will allow you to take that next step before you go.
SS Saratoga
The world's only diveable aircraft carrier. At 888ft long, it may be the largest wreck you will ever dive on. She is sitting upright at a bottom
depth of 180ft. Her flight deck is accessible at 95ft, with the superstructure rising as shallow as 40ft. See a triple view of the Sarasota here.
HIJMS Nagato
Bikini's second largest wreck and perhaps, the most historically significant, the Nagato was the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy
during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Nagato lays capsized at 170ft bottom depth. Her bridge is accessible at 150ft.
USS Arkansas
The "Arkie" was the Navy's oldest battleship during the tests. She sits capsized at 170ft. Her intact AA and 12-inch guns are
amazing.
More: there are two submarines with one in a pristine condition. Along with the subs, there are two destroyers filled with torpedo tubes,
AA guns and depth charges, two attack transports, and a Japanese cruiser. Bikini is as close as you can get to an "underwater amusement park
for wreck divers."
Bikini Atoll Divers
Air Temperature is 80-85°F all year. The months of June through December are a bit wetter though with less wind. The months of January through May are drier but with more wind.
Water Temperature is 80-85°F all year. More wave action in the months of January through May due to the trade winds.
The summer months (May-September) are generally the warmest and when the seas are at their calmest. The winter months, although breezier,
remain warm and comfortable with water temperature remaining in the 80°F range.
From Honolulu, Hawai, Continental Micronesia flies two times a week with their Island Hopper service, which starts in Honolulu, ends in Guam
and then returns to Honolulu along the same route.
The current flight schedules allow you to depart Honolulu for Majuro Monday mornings on
Continental Micronesia's Island Hopper.
As the Marshalls are across the date line, you will arrive in Majuro Tuesday
afternoon. After a night's rest, you will board the flight to Bikini Wednesday morning. The return flight from Bikini is scheduled to arrive
back in Majuro by 3:00 p.m. on the following Wednesday. The flight out to Honolulu would be on that same evening.
Ghost Fleet: The Sunken Ships of Bikini Atoll, James P. Delgado
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Diving Micronesia (Aqua Quest Diving Series), Eric Hanauer| Buy
Lonely Planet :: Marshall Islands
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DESTINATIONS » Micronesia » Bikini Atoll | Guam | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Truk (Chuuk) | Yap
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