Marshall Islands – Bikini, Kwajalein & Majuro

The Marshall Islands are a remote chain of coral atolls in the central Pacific. Bikini Atoll holds the ships sunk in the 1946 Operation Crossroads nuclear tests, including the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga and the battleships Nagato and Arkansas, all deep technical dives reached only by an occasional liveaboard. At Kwajalein the German cruiser Prinz Eugen lies capsized on the reef, but the atoll is a US Army base with restricted access. Majuro, the capital, offers a small, informal local operator for lagoon reefs, a DC-3 wreck and drift dives in the passes.

Facts

• Bikini access: Only by expedition liveaboard with the approval of the Bikini (KBE) Local Government; no regular land-based dive operator (land-based diving was suspended in 2008)
• Diver requirements: Bikini wrecks mostly start at 40–50 m: TDI Advanced Nitrox & Deco or PADI Tec 45 or equivalent, 100+ logged dives, deep wreck experience
• Radiation: Operator states residual radiation from the wrecks is negligible for divers; do not eat locally grown food on Bikini
• Season & conditions: Bikini season about May–October; water 27–29 °C, visibility 30–60 m; Majuro water 29–30 °C
• Getting there: Bikini liveaboard trips start at Kwajalein, reached by United flight from Honolulu via Majuro; arrive at least two days early

Season

• Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
• Acceptable: Apr, Nov
• Poor: Jan, Feb, Mar
• Water temperature: 27–30 °C

Liveaboard season is May–Oct with calm seas and excellent clarity. Jan–Apr trade-wind swell can make Bikini inaccessible. A few sources cite Dec–Apr visibility, but they do not address Bikini's access.

Dive sites (14)

Majuro

• Aquarium – 20–22 m, advanced
• Calalin Channel – 10–25 m, advanced
• Enemanit Wrecks – 3–25 m, intermediate
• Mountain – 1–31 m, intermediate
• No. 9 – 2–40 m, intermediate

Bikini Atoll

• HIJMS Nagato – 28–52 m, advanced
• USS Anderson (DD-411) – 43–51 m, advanced
• USS Apogon (SS-308) – 44–50 m, advanced
• USS Arkansas (BB-33) – 26–55 m, advanced
• USS Carlisle (APA-69) – 38–51 m, advanced
• USS Lamson (DD-367) – 36–51 m, advanced
• USS Pilotfish (SS-386) – 40–51 m, advanced
• USS Saratoga (CV-3) – 18–51 m, advanced

Kwajalein Atoll

• Prinz Eugen – 0–36 m, advanced

Operators (2)

• Master Liveaboards – Pacific Master (Bikini) – liveaboard, Kwajalein (Bikini trips); Pacific Master also runs Truk Lagoon
• Raycrew Marine Services – dive centre, Marshall Islands Resort (1st floor, Room 141), Delap, Majuro

Routes (3)

• Bikini Atoll 10 nights (Pacific Master)
• Bikini Atoll 11 nights (Pacific Master)
• Bikini Atoll 13 nights (Pacific Master)

Site positions are approximate unless marked otherwise and are for orientation only — never for navigation. Wreck penetration needs proper training; always dive with a local guide.