Bikini Atoll
Marshall Islands · Ralik Chain · 2 m
Description
Bikini Atoll is where the United States tested nuclear weapons for twelve years, and the fleet it sank there in the first of those tests lies on the lagoon floor. The USS Saratoga is the only aircraft carrier in the world a diver can swim through. Beside her rests the Nagato, the battleship from which the attack on Pearl Harbor was commanded. The atoll is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for what the tests mean rather than for its beauty, and the villages of the displaced Bikinians stand empty on the shore. Every dive needs technical certification.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 10 to 13 days (optimal 11 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- USS Saratoga, the only diveable aircraft carrier
- HIJMS Nagato, the battleship of the Pearl Harbor order
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site of the nuclear age
- The ghost fleet sunk by Operation Crossroads
- Liveaboard trips run from May to October (May - October)
- Technical certification required for every dive
- Reef sharks patrolling over the wrecks
- The Bravo crater on the northwestern rim
- The empty villages of the displaced Bikinians
- Untouched coral on the outer reef
- The emptiest lagoon in the Marshalls
- Islands closed to resettlement by radiation