Posted by AADIVER on March 23, 2001 at 08:07:13:
From Our Head Divemaster, Fabio Amaral:
If you are planning to dive on Bikini Atoll, the following information will help you have a more enjoyable experience:
1 ) Bikini is a remote site and serviced once a week via a commuter flight; therefore, strict weight restrictions apply. If you pack unwisely the airline might not permit you to check your excess baggage--even if you are willing to pay for it: [you are allowed 30 pounds of check-in luggage free of charge]. The airplane simply cannot take the weight. I suggest handcarrying as much as you can including dive computers, portable camera equipment, etc.
For a full group coming to Bikini (11-13 people) there is even more of a limit to what one can take on the plane. Please only take what you need and try to keep your total weight including body weight and all handcarries and check-on luggage to a maximum of 275 pounds, though less would be preferred. We have never had to bump someone off a flight because of weight restrictions because we usually work it out beforehand. There are plans for Air Marshalls to purchase a new and bigger plane. As soon as this happens we will post it on this page.
On Bikini we do have a laundry service. This means that you don't need to bring much in the way of clothing: T-shirts, shorts and trunks will do fine.
For diving equipment, I recommend you bring the following items [Note: Bring all your dive gear because we do NOT have rental equipment on Bikini]:
1) Primary regulator--first stage, low pressure hose, second stage, BC inflator hose, high pressure hose, submersible pressure gauge. We recommend the use of DIN fittings. Our tank valves are DIN/ yoke convertible so they can accommodate both styles.
**On Bikini we provide twin steel 85s with isolation manifolds and the tank bands in place . We also have single 104s with an H-valve for those who do not have BCs suited for double tank setups. Either setup works just fine.**
2 ) Secondary regulator--first stage, low pressure hose, second stage.
3 ) BC/harness--back inflation preferred. I am using the Dive Rite DUAL-REC wings this season, but I also recommend the Ocean Management Systems [OMS] back plate harness system with the aluminum back plate and dual bladder BCD.
4 ) Mask
5 ) Snorkel if you plan to do any snorkeling--not used for the deep dives.
6 ) Fins
7) Boots
8 ) Wet suit-- we recommend a 3mm or 5mm jumpsuit, and a hood will help also. The average water temperature is 82o F.
9 ) Gloves--will help protect your hands from sharp edges on the wrecks, as well as holding the ascent lines.
10 ) Primary light. The canister style lights with rechargeable batteries like those used for cave diving are the best, but take care that they do not put you over the restricted weight limits for the airplane. I have been using the OMS Phantom Dive Light with success. Edward and Brad are using the Wreck Light from Dive Rite. Another fine option is the UK 800R or equivalent.
11 ) Back-up light. (Bring two if you are going to do extensive penetrations--only for certified/qualified divers )
12 ) Cutting tool--a sharp knife, surgical scissors or a "z" knife.
13 ) Dive-Alert and safety marker buoy (sausage style--can be substituted by a lift bag)
14 ) Dive computer: pay close attention to the computer you are bringing. Most dive computers on the market are not designed for staged decompression diving and will lock-up on you or go out of range. This is because the manufacturers are afraid of the potential liability that can arise from divers performing staged decompression dives without supervision or training.
RECOMMENDED:
Dive Rite NITEK 3*
Dive Rite NITEK
Dive Rite BRIDGE II [no longer made]
Uwatec ALLADIN PRO
OMS NITROX
Zeagle STATUS II
U.S. Divers MONITOR
Suunto NITROX and SPYDER
*We highly recommend the NiTek 3 computer from Dive Rite as the best computer available for doing the decompression dives on Bikini.
It is my opinion, based on our experience here on Bikini, that the following computers are not suitable for the kind of diving we do on Bikini and are therefore NOT recommended:
NOT RECOMMENDED:
All OCEANIC computers
U.S. Divers MATRIX
All SOURCE computers
Scuba Pro DC 12
Orca EDGE
Dive-Rite B'AIR
Cochran Nemesis and Commander computers [If you have a Cochran Computer, please read this]
Suunto Viper and Cobra
Dive Rite "C"
15 ) Back up dive computer/ depth gauge and tables. You must have an alternative means of tracking your decompression profile. Computer failures have happened more than once on Bikini.
16 ) Decompression regulator--if you will engage in technical diving while on Bikini, bring your oxygen regulator. We are now supplying deco gas from the surface for the 20 and 10 foot stops. Most of our customers think that this is enough. If you would like to use a third gas and carry deco bottles then you have to bring your own deco reg. Please be aware that there is a charge of $10.00 per dive for the use of the deco bottles (45 cu ft). You also need to be certified for its use (IANTD Advanced Nitrox or equivalent and up).
17 ) Safety reel and lift bag.
18) If you will need spare batteries for lights or cameras, bring them along as we do not sell these on Bikini.
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The diving environment at Bikini is certainly unique and as such requires special procedures:
Contrary to what most people believe, Bikini is actually a very benign environment for deep diving as we have a clear, warm water lagoon with no discernible current. The maximun depth attained on any of our dives is 175 feet (you will need a shovel to get deeper than that!). We are set up to deal with the risks of staged decompression diving in a way that divers with no previous experience are allowed to gain some new skills and at the same time have an incredible week of diving. You don't need to be a "Super Tech Diver" to do dive Bikini but we require that you have an absolute minimum of 50 dives and be comfortable in and under the water. Buoyancy and ascent rate skills are an absolute necessity. If basic skills are still a problem for you--such as clearing a flooded mask or recovering a regulator that has fallen out of your mouth--you should reconsider diving on Bikini until you have more experience. For those that come here without formal training we offer IANTD courses on island--Advanced Nitrox, Technical Diver and EANx Wreck Diver (Wreck Penetration) as well as a Nitrox Blender course. Advanced Open Water divers without any previous knowledge of technical diving or decompression have dove with us with success and without any problem.
PENETRATION DIVING:
I would like to place a special note for those who would want to spend a lot of time penetrating the wrecks on Bikini. As part of our normal schedule we will take you inside the USS Saratoga's hanger deck to see the airplanes and on another day check the aft section of the hanger deck were there is a lot of ordnance scattered on the floor. These dives are within view of light and exit at all times ("cavern") and the possibility of a "silt out" (when the silt gets disturbed by improper fin kicking and the visibility is completely lost) is very low due to the massive size of the hanger deck.
The USS Saratoga offers many possibilities for penetration, but these areas are very tight and restricted with there always being a chance of one getting lost in a maze of corridors. Proper knowledge of line protocols and techniques is required by us to allow you to visit some of the permanent lines that our team has installed. Laying and following a line properly is much more complicated than it seems at first.
If you really want to learn a lot about diving and improve your diving skills, I recommend that you get cave certified, even if you will never dive caves in your life. Most of the skills learned in this course can be applied to general diving and especially penetration wreck diving. Of course, a wreck is different than a cave and as such offers its own set of risks (like falling structures and the possibility of entanglement). In my opinion, a diver that has an Open Water card and is fully cave certified possesses more dive skills than a "Course Director" who has no specialized training.
Everyone who visits Bikini goes through a check out dive on the first dive day even if your "C-Card" states that you are the "Master Diver of the Universe." First you have to show us underwater that your skills match your credentials, then we will do everything we can to accomodate your needs. Afterall, you are spending a lot of money and time to come dive with us and it is our mission to give you the best experience possible.
If you qualify for full wreck penetration you might want to book your trip on weeks that have divers with your same skill level (East Coast "Hardcore" Wreck Divers pay attention to this!). Check with our wholesalers about the availability as some groups come here and dive the USS Saratoga for the whole week exploring new passageways and even laying their own line [they often do a couple of dives on Nagato].
In the last four years we have performed thousands of staged decompression dives (I am counting all dives done by our team and customers) without having to evacuate a single diver to a chamber. If you check the satistics we have a better safety record than most dive operators do. Just in case, there is a recompression chamber available within a couple hours flight of Bikini Atoll. We also are considering purchasing our own chamber, which, if I can help it, will never need to be used.
At this time we do not provide helium for trimix on Bikini.
We hope the above information has been helpful and we hope to see you on Bikini soon.
Please feel free to e-mail us if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. [Please understand that I spend most of my time on Bikini where I do not have e-mail. Most questions will be answered by Jack Niedenthal. He is also a divemaster who has divemastered on Bikini and who manages Bikini Atoll Divers from Majuro. If I am in Majuro I will be available to answer your questions, or if you have a question that you only want to be answered by me, the reply may take up to 2-3 weeks as it will have to go snail mail from Majuro to get to me on Bikini].
Bikini Atoll Divers
c/o Kili/Bikini/Ejit
Local Government Council
PO Box 1096
Majuro, Marshall Islands 96960
Tel. 692-625-3177
Fax 692-625-3330
For Customer Service:
E-mail: saratoga@ntamar.com
For technical dive info/Operations Manager:
E-mail: bikini@ntamar.com