Travel

In this three-part series, underwater shooter Don Silcock visits Bikini, the far-flung atoll in the Marshall Islands where the United States carried out its notorious nuclear weapons tests between 1946 and 1958. (Read Part I and Part II.)
 

Old-timey dive helmets, permanently resting inside a dive locker on the USS Saratoga, sunk at Bikini Atoll during the nuclear tests in the 1940s
 

My personal journey to Bikini Atoll began with a shore dive in Sydney in January 2021, when I started my first technical diving course—GUE Fundamentals. That was the beginning of an adventure that would eventually lead me to one of the most remote and historically significant dive sites in the world. Three years later—with stops in Indonesia’s Gili Islands for TDI Sidemount and Advanced Nitrox (ANDP) training, and Amed in Bali for TDI Extended Range (ER) certification—I finally qualified to dive to 55 meters (180 feet), ready for the deep wrecks of Bikini Atoll.

Before embarking on that epic trip, though, I wanted to put all my training to the test—Bikini is not the place to work out any kinks! In April 2025, I spent three weeks in the Solomon Islands diving multiple wrecks in the 30–45 meter (100–150 feet) range, exclusively on sidemount. It was the perfect opportunity to refine my skills and prepare for what lay ahead. As I packed for the long trip to the heart of the Pacific Ocean, I felt as ready as I could be for the challenge. I had completed the necessary training, honed my skills in the Solomons, and—thanks to a lot of CrossFit sessions—maintained my physical fitness.

However, no amount of preparation could have fully prepared me for the awe-inspiring experience of diving Bikini Atoll’s “nuclear fleet.” The wrecks are unlike anything I’ve ever seen—simply breathtaking. The location is as remote as it gets, the history behind it is staggering, and the actual diving was nothing short of life-changing.
 

Two phones still mounted on the wall upon which they were originally used inside the USS Saratoga

Diving Bikini on Air

Bikini Atoll was my first full-blown technical diving trip—a milestone that came about 45 years after I first started scuba diving. It felt quite surreal to be the least qualified participant, and one of the few divers on the trip not using a rebreather. For this trip, TDI Extended Range certification was the minimum requirement, and Master Liveaboards—the sole dive operator for Bikini Atoll—made that crystal clear both before the trip and again when I boarded the Pacific Master in Kwajalein. Safety is paramount.

The Extended Range course prepares you for diving to 55 meters on air, followed by staged decompression stops—from 21 to 9 meters (from 70 to 30 feet) on 50% oxygen, and then on 90% oxygen at 6 meters (20 feet). Technically, I was qualified to dive at Bikini—but was I truly prepared? The honest answer…sort of. I knew what I was doing and could plan the dive properly, including calculating deco obligations, gas planning, and gas consumption. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was the level of nitrogen narcosis I experienced below 45 meters (150 feet).

During my pre-trip research on decompression theory, I learned that divers tend to react in one of two ways when “narked”: They either remain calm or get anxious. In the 55-meter (180-feet) training dives I did for my ER certification, I felt calm, relaxed, and in control when narcosis set in. I had the same sense of calm at depth in Bikini, but when I later reviewed my photos, many were out of focus or incorrectly exposed—images that had seemed perfectly fine at the time!
 

A surreal sight: The machinist’s shop on the USS Saratoga—with all tools neatly in place
 

A large lather in the USS Saratoga’s machine shop

An Epiphany on Day 3

By the third day at Bikini, I felt like I was getting the hang of it. Though I still experienced nitrogen narcosis below 45 meters (150 feet), I believed I was adapting—yet when I reviewed my images later, the reality was different.

The second dive on Day 3 was on the USS Arkansas, a Wyoming-class dreadnought battleship that stretches 171 meters (560 feet) and now lies nearly upside down on the sandy seafloor at 55 meters (180 feet).

All the wrecks at Bikini are dived the same way—with the Pacific Master moored on either the bow or stern. You descend the line, conduct the dive as planned, and then return to the line to commence your ascent and decompression. On air and set up in sidemount, I typically planned for a 30-minute bottom time at 55 meters (180 feet), followed by 46 minutes of decompression. As an added safety measure, I also stayed at 6 meters (20 feet) for an extra 15 minutes on 90% oxygen.

At the end of the dive on the Arkansas, I was making my first gas switch at 21 meters (70 feet) when I glanced down and saw the two rebreather divers—who had entered the water at the same time—still exploring the wreck. They later appeared at the deco bar, completed their stops, and exited while I was still decompressing. That was the moment I knew: CCR training is the way to go. Longer dives, no narcosis, shorter deco times, and their gas costs (helium and oxygen) were about one-third of my oxygen bill at the end of the trip!
 

Spare cylinders, placed by dive guides before the dives, to allow divers to complete their deco requirements on their way back to the surface
 

Divers complete their deco requirements as they ascend back towards the Pacific Master liveaboard

Inside the Wrecks

Penetration into some of the wrecks at Bikini is possible, but it’s very carefully managed and led by the experienced dive guides on the Pacific Master. It’s done incrementally: Initial penetration is limited, and light from the entrance point must still be visible. Lines have been carefully laid for all penetrations, and if you demonstrate good buoyancy and follow the agreed plan—which is discussed in detail before each dive—you’ll be allowed to go deeper into the wreck.

I waited until the last few days of the trip before participating in any of those dives. I started with the captain’s quarters on the USS Saratoga, followed by the diving locker and then the machinist’s workshop. Access to all of these is through the large forward aircraft elevator area. Your stage tanks are deposited on the main deck for later retrieval, making it easier to navigate through the narrow passageways. It’s a truly exhilarating experience carefully maneuvering your way through these sunken time capsules from World War II. I loved every moment of it.
 

The USS Saratoga was a Lexington-class aircraft carrier commissioned in 1927 that served through World War II and was later sunk in atomic testing
 

A diver explores a table covered with pots and pans inside the captain’s quarters on the USS Saratoga

Lessons Learned

Getting into technical diving later in life—after so many years of recreational diving—was a challenging and, at times, daunting experience. But I’ve benefited from it tremendously. I’m now a much better diver than I ever thought I was. I’m also a much safer diver than I ever was, with a much deeper understanding of the physics and physiology of diving—which can only be a good thing.

Diving the wrecks of Bikini Atoll was my endgame when I started this journey back in January 2021 with that Sydney shore dive, but it still is—let me explain. Back then, I figured that a trip to the Holy Grail of wreck diving would be a fantastic experience, and that I would then move on to something else. But I realized at Bikini that I was hardly even scratching the surface of what’s there—and that I needed to go back.
 

A small fan, forever destined to rest inside the USS Saratoga at Bikini Atoll

What’s Next for Me

I love a good plan. On the long journey back to Sydney—more than five days due to cancelled flights—I put mine together for the next two years. I've already booked two back-to-back trips to Bikini in 2026, and I’ll be doing both on a rebreather. Diving those wrecks on air is simply too restrictive—and too narcotic!

In between, I need to select and get trained on a CCR, get fully match-fit with it, and hone my wreck-diving skills. Recently, I did my first rebreather dives up in Amed, Bali during a two-day CCR familiarization course with Antoine Martin of Bali Dive Trek, trying both the Triton chest-mount and KISS Sidewinder units. I will decide which unit to buy before the end of the year and complete my initial Mod 1 (air diluent) training. Then, in October, I’ll spend one month in Truk Lagoon, diving and photographing the wrecks there. In early 2026, I plan to complete Mod 2 (trimix diluent) so that I’m fully ready to return to Bikini Atoll.

Like I said—I love a good plan.
 

Spookily intact: It is a bit surreal to see items in the USS Saratoga, knowing they were subjected to nuclear explosions and nearly 80 years under the ocean
 

Don is an underwater photographer and photojournalist based in Bali, Indonesia. His website www.indopacificimages.com has extensive location guides, articles, and images on some of the best diving locations in the Indo-Pacific region and “big animal” experiences globally.