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would you dive in radioactive bikini lagoon?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt and will go back again and again.

If you are a wreck diver, nothing beats Bikini!! The Saratoga is worth diving 100 times.

Lucky I have Scapa Flow as a "local" dive to keep me going till I get back to Bikini

Gordon
 
Yeah, maybe so, but let's wait a couple of decades more, i mean just in case...
 
seaman said:
Yeah, maybe so, but let's wait a couple of decades more, i mean just in case...
Click to expand...

I just got back from two great weeks in Bikini, and nothing has fallen off or glows in the dark... Seriously, the only problem with Bikini is that the ships are falling in on themselves. The flight-deck of the Saratoga is now collapsing into the hanger deck, and where there were several pristine aircraft to see, now there is but one, and it was being swallowed up when I was there. The inverted battleships are still in pretty good shape, and there are several awsome swim-throughs to be had. Just as I've seen the wrecks at Truk decay over the years, the wrecks at Bikini will continue to decline. Don't put this one off!
 
BODKIN said:
I just got back from two great weeks in Bikini, and nothing has fallen off or glows in the dark...
Click to expand...
Could you give us yearly updates . Or maybe a post on your 94th birthday?! rofl
 
Yup - count on me too - and I will try to do the Saratoga on my 100th birthday - everyone needs a plan

Gordon
 
At first I thought "this is way to much money for a weeks holiday..." but the more I read about the the place the more I want to go!
 
Two divers from my club went 6 weeks ago, they were the only people, bar their guides on the wrecks, yes it cost them a bomb, sorry no pun intended, but that must be a dive trip in a life time. A man made diving playground and only you and your buddy on the park,

I can dream too.

Bobco
 
Not sure if I remember right but I think I saw something on the news last year about the return of the surviving Bikini natives and their decendants that were relocated for the tests being allowed back to their homeland.
 
One of the neat things about a week at Bikini Atoll is the history lesson you get as part of the briefings. The return of the Bikini people is a pretty complicated issue. About 167 were taken off the island/atoll for the tests, and there are now more than 4,000 who share in the income from a huge settlement that was paid to them. The interest is divided among all these folks, and to actually use the funds for their intended purpose of dealing with the last of the radiation problems is a political "third rail", according to those who study these things. Use the funds, and loose the interest/investment income. Then there is the problem of who would actually go back. The atoll would never support even 10% of the present group who can claim Bikini ancestry, and collect their share of the present income stream. In the day, infanticide was used to keep the population stable, and when that didn't work, folks just moved on to another, larger island. Only two actual Bikini Atoll descendents actually work in the dive operation; the balance are from other islands in the Marshall's. Diving at Bikini will definately spoil you for other, less interesting trips, and at the end of the day/week, you'll feel that you've gotten value for what it cost. I did.
 
That sounds like a fantastic trip.
I remember the film documentries of the tests where the one battleship/carrier was lifted 6-8meters or something like that by the blast....amazing.

And you have been there!....go on tell us more please. What was the "wildlife"
like?
 
The force of the blast(s) cannot be imagined. The USS Arkansas, a battleship, has a deep furrow in her hull on the starboard side. This is in a part of the hull protected by three, 12" bands of armor plating! This furrow must be at least 3' deep, and runs for more than 30' as I recall. It is adjacent to a seam than actually opened up, and bunker fuel is still visable. The "wildlife" consists of a considerable variety of fish which actually attracts sport fishermen, who have no interest in diving. Can you imagine? There are also huge coconut crabs which cannot be eaten for the radioactive uptake in their diet of other crabs... There are also sharks in abundance, and Shark Pass is a neat dive if the weather is good, since it is about a one hour trip across the lagoon from the resort, if there is not too much chop. There was no need to chum for these guys... Sharks are also responsible for the serious warning to avoid an early morning or late evening swim off the beach at the resort. We all took that one to heart. Sharks are always present on the dives, and occasionally circle the decompression trapeeze while its occupied. They were NEVER hostile or agressive, however, and only once did I see one with the rigid and extended pectoral fins which means he's pissed. He never got close to me, fortunately. The guy who started the commercial diving operation - Fabio? - reportedly started a night dive, and exited the water in a big hurry after 8 minutes RT. You don't do night dives at Bikini. All in all it is an absolute MUST SEE on the tour...
 
Wow !!! great stuff...cheers.
If typing gets tedious don`t forget pictures worth thousand words etc.
 
Gordon Mackie has a great web site with pictures. Not much about the cultural background stuff, however...
 
i heard that they will not let you dive on bikini, unless you have proof of insurance. is that true? and what is the url of gordons website?
 
Yes, they are very clear about that in their welcoming briefing. I had DAN insurance, and that was satisfactory. The funny thing is that if there is an accident, getting off the atoll would be next to impossible unless it was Wednesday, when the scheduled Marshall Air flight came through. There is no plan "B"... The Gordon Mackie web site is: http://www.gordonmackie.com
 
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