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OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 5:31:59 PM   
niceguy2005


Posts: 12523
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From: Super secret hidden base
Status: offline 		A number of my friends have been getting their diving certification and I have been contemplating it. However, living in such a landlocked area, it seems a little pointless and going to Mexico just once or twice a year to dive doesn't seem that motivational. However, it ocurred to me that it might be interesting to dive around some of the atolls in the pacific. Does anyone know if this is done? Is it a good experience?

< Message edited by niceguy2005 -- 7/24/2007 5:40:33 PM >

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 5:46:48 PM   
Mike Solli


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From: the flight deck of the Zuikaku
Status: offline 		Yup, happens all the time, Chris.

Chuuk Atoll, (also Known as Truk) in the Caroline Islands is infamous for its giant lagoon. The lagoon is the final resting place for more than 100 ships, planes and submarines - the legacy of a fierce World War II battle between the Imperial Japanese Fleet and Allied carrier planes. The lagoon has been declared an underwater museum. Souvenir taking of relics from the area are prohibited by law.

Nowhere else in the world are there so many wrecks in close proximity, situated in shallow clear water. Many of the wrecks are visible while snorkelling and there are many on-shore wartime locations to visit.....

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 6:22:05 PM   
Speedysteve

 

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 6:23:35 PM   
Terminus


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Status: offline 		Probably more than a few...

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 6:41:40 PM   
Speedysteve

 

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Status: offline 		Sod diving around there then...........

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 6:42:08 PM   
Speedysteve

 

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 6:51:51 PM   
TheTomDude


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From: Switzerland
Status: offline 		Yap and Palau are also great diving places as well as French Polynesia. And at Rabaul you can dive for ship wrecks. You can also dive the atolls in micronesia like the Marshalls, but many places are not populated and can only be reached by long boat rides. It's also not without danger to dive in unknown waters so far away from civilisation (e.g. hospitals). Some are over-populated like some atolls in the Gilberts/Kiribati (e.g. Tarawa (Bonriki)) and are not very pretty places to dive (pollution problems)

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 6:54:01 PM   
rogueusmc


Posts: 4583
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From: Texas...what country are YOU from?
Status: offline 		I used to dive off Makaha in Hawaii all the time...lotsa planes and such.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 7:11:50 PM   
TheTomDude


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Are 'Man Eaters' prevalent across the Pacific?


If you talk about the big white, then yes. You'll find them all across the pacific from the US west coast to Indonesia and Australia, and from Japan to Chile. You'll also find 'em in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. But I don't think the term "man eater" is appropriate.


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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 7:15:45 PM   
Speedysteve

 

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Status: offline 		Any shark that eats Homo Sapien then?

Where are Tiger sharks 'based'?

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 7:17:13 PM   
niceguy2005


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quote:

ORIGINAL: TheTomDude


quote:

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Are 'Man Eaters' prevalent across the Pacific?


If you talk about the big white, then yes. You'll find them all across the pacific from the US west coast to Indonesia and Australia, and from Japan to Chile. You'll also find 'em in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. But I don't think the term "man eater" is appropriate.


My friends who dive tell me sharks aren't really a problem. Apparently divers don't look like food to them, swimmers are food, surfers are food, not divers. Aren't too many sharks out there that could really eat a person anyway.


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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 7:30:19 PM   
bradfordkay

 

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Status: offline 		The fleet at Bikini is now a dive destination as well. It's expensive, but apparently the Saratoga is the showpiece of a great diving vacation (with aircraft still in the hangar deck). Google Dive Bikini to find out more...

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 7:34:55 PM   
niceguy2005


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quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

The fleet at Bikini is now a dive destination as well. It's expensive, but apparently the Saratoga is the showpiece of a great diving vacation (with aircraft still in the hangar deck). Google Dive Bikini to find out more...

HUH! I guess I'm a little surprised at it being a dive destination. What's the background radiation like?

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 7:41:58 PM   
Mike Solli


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Status: offline 		You probably don't need lights down there.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 8:01:41 PM   
tanksone


Posts: 390
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

You probably don't need lights down there.



Hi, National Geographic dove on Sara about a year ago I believe...good show. If I remember right they left cause there were 500lbers laying all around in the hanger deck . I think you also need to be on mixed gas to dive her.





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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 8:13:22 PM   
herwin

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: niceguy2005


quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

The fleet at Bikini is now a dive destination as well. It's expensive, but apparently the Saratoga is the showpiece of a great diving vacation (with aircraft still in the hangar deck). Google Dive Bikini to find out more...

HUH! I guess I'm a little surprised at it being a dive destination. What's the background radiation like?


Kwaj has a higher Pu and U background level. Made the scientific journals once.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 10:17:45 PM   
Knavey

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: herwin


quote:

ORIGINAL: niceguy2005


quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

The fleet at Bikini is now a dive destination as well. It's expensive, but apparently the Saratoga is the showpiece of a great diving vacation (with aircraft still in the hangar deck). Google Dive Bikini to find out more...

HUH! I guess I'm a little surprised at it being a dive destination. What's the background radiation like?


Kwaj has a higher Pu and U background level. Made the scientific journals once.


Dilution is the solution to pollution...especially with radioactive contamination. And the Pacific is a HUGE ocean.

You do not have to worry about dose from background radiation when diving Bikini. You can even stay on the island with no issues. You cannot consume anything that grows on the island though due to Cesium still being in the soil (IIRC).

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 10:29:24 PM   
rockmedic109

 

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From: Citrus Heights, CA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: TheTomDude


quote:

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Are 'Man Eaters' prevalent across the Pacific?


If you talk about the big white, then yes. You'll find them all across the pacific from the US west coast to Indonesia and Australia, and from Japan to Chile. You'll also find 'em in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. But I don't think the term "man eater" is appropriate.



Quite a few Great Whites off the California coast. Particuliarly outside Bodega Bay. I personally know two divers who've been attacked by sharks {one twice-he didn't learn the first time}. An attack every couple of years is the norm, but we've had three attacks {two fatalities and one lost a leg} in a two week period twenty-something years ago.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 10:32:12 PM   
Speedysteve

 

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Status: offline 		Interesting (I know off topic here though). So sharks don't 'see' divers as food but do swimmers and surfers?

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 10:36:33 PM   
WhoCares


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Status: offline 		Not so big with respect to wreck diving, but the Maledives are supposed to be a formidable diving site - if you can live without alcohol

If you search a little this forum you should also find a thread with some photos by someone that dived at Guadalcanal. Even mentioned some diving guides in Honoria, iirc.

Regarding sharks, I seem to remember a report on TV about some hyper-aggressive sharks somewhere around Bikini

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 10:50:02 PM   
rockmedic109

 

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Status: offline 		Most shark attacks are near the surface. A human swimming generates quite a bit of splashing and thrashing that simulates a prey that is wounded or otherwise in distress....and thus an easier target.

The main diet {off northern California} of Great Whites is seals/sea lions who are taken on the surface as they come up for air.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/24/2007 11:59:51 PM   
niceguy2005


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Interesting (I know off topic here though). So sharks don't 'see' divers as food but do swimmers and surfers?

Well, according to Rockmedic they will attack divers also, though I would have to think your odds of being attacked are fairly slim. However, being in the water with a great white would certainly unnerve me. I would probably steer clear of areas that are known for Great Whites.

Put this way I backpack in Wilderness areas all the time. I know there are bears in the wilderness. I have even seen two in the wild. I'm still not overly concerned about bear attack.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/25/2007 12:11:00 AM   
crsutton


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From: Maryland
Status: offline 		I know I am hijacking this but since we are on the topic. There was a fatal shark attack near my house in Avon NC (Cape Hatteras) about three years ago-shortly after a fatal attack in Virginia beach that same year. It was the first fatality on the NC coast in about 50 years. A young woman was mortally wounded. She and her boyfriend were swimming near a fishing pier (lots of chum) around sunset (prime feeding time) and ole sharky took a bite out of her. It is pretty hard to get attacked by a shark but you might as well be cautious.

More tragic than the loss of this poor young woman is that the Chinese love for shark fin soup and the eagerness of American fishermen to exploit this market has depleted the East Coast shark populations by 80-90% in the last decade-with a chain of tragic enviromental disasters resulting. 

I am going to Tahiti and New Zealand in September of this year. I am looking foward to my first ever snorkeling experience and perhaps will take some diving lessions as well.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 2:31:12 AM   
Reg


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An oldie but a goodie....

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 3:24:39 AM   
Jim D Burns


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quote:

ORIGINAL: niceguy2005
My friends who dive tell me sharks aren't really a problem. Apparently divers don't look like food to them, swimmers are food, surfers are food, not divers. Aren't too many sharks out there that could really eat a person anyway.


LOL tell that to the poor Japanese guy who disappeared off our dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef back in 1992. It was our boats very first dive and it was just a 15 minute equipment check dive and he was never seen again.

He probably got taken by a large Shark since there was no sign of him when we all went searching for him and my search group was circled by several large sharks that hadn’t been in the area earlier.

The Australian navy sent their version of the navy seals out to do some deep water searches with special dive equipment, but not even a small piece of his suit was ever found.

It is also possible he was taken by the current, as the currents were very strong the week we were out and I and my dive partner were pulled out over a mile from the boat in about 3 minutes when we got sucked into a strong current on one of the dives. Being experienced divers, we recognized the problem and surfaced immediately.

An inexperienced diver may have remained down and not surfaced for 20-30 minutes. By then he’d have been so far away there would have been no way for him to find the boat again and finding him would have been a needle in a haystack problem.

Air searches failed to spot him though, so my money leans towards a shark attack, but anything’s possible in this case as no sign of him was ever found.

Shark attacks on divers are very uncommon but not unheard of. I’ve gone on several hundred ocean dives in my life and seen lots of sharks on those dives. I’ve never had any bad incidents regarding sharks however other than this possible attack.

Jim


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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 10:08:15 AM   
LargeSlowTarget


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Status: offline 		There are many diving & snorkeling guide books available, quite a few specializing on WWII wreck diving in the Pacific - just google or amazon for them.

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 12:15:56 PM   
Rafael Warsaw


Posts: 202
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Status: offline 		Dive now Work Later Dude!

Do a Big Blue Dive at least once.



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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 7:12:12 PM   
Mark VII


Posts: 1838
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From: Brentwood,TN
Status: offline 		Go to Guadalcanal! Several sunk ships to dive there. Including two IJN transports in rather shallow water off Guadalcanal. Then near Tugali, I hear there is an American DD in pristine condition, American AO and several Japanese float planes(I think Mavis's) all in diveable deeper water. Up along the Solomon chain there is all sorts of stuff to dive on. While your there you can tour the battlefields on the canal. Depending on their schedules, I know some busy people over there who can help you under water and on the land.

Check http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=902875&mpage=1&key=󜛛 for my trip there several years ago. Was a newbe diver then so just did the shallow IJN transports. Easy flight to Henderson from Brisbane. Was only there for 3 and a half days, wish I could of stayed a few more....terry

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 7:25:43 PM   
Mark VII


Posts: 1838
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From: Brentwood,TN
Status: offline 		My dive shop is preparing for two trips to Truk (Chuuk these days) and Palau in May of 2009. Check http://www.mtss.net/ and go the travel link for more details. They were at Truk just last year and the ex-owner raved about the trip. I think this next one is like 20 days.

I went on their Fiji dive trip last year and it was so good we are going again in October, this dive shop knows how to do dive trips! As you will see they offer all sorts of packages across the planet and often many of the divers are not from the Middle Tenneesse area.....terry

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RE: OT:Anyone ever hear of divers diving the atolls - 7/26/2007 9:49:48 PM   
USSAmerica


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Status: offline 		Wow Mark!  I just caught up on your pics from '05.  Outstanding trip!

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