USS Apogon (SS-308)
Balao-class submarine, refitted for remote control and placed about 100 m from the Baker device; her hull stayed intact and she sank when her leaking hull fittings let water in. She sits upright on sand at about 50 m, the top of the conning tower at about 44 m. Residual radiation on the wrecks is described by the operator as negligible; the real risks are depth, decompression and the lack of a recompression chamber nearby. Do not eat locally grown food on Bikini (soil caesium).
Facts
- Region: Marshall Islands – Bikini, Kwajalein & Majuro
- Area: Bikini Atoll
- Depth: 44–50 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 11.597, 165.502 (approximate)
- Highlights: submarine, wreck, conning tower, technical diving
- Permit: Bikini is closed to casual visitors: access needs prior approval of the Kili/Bikini/Ejit (KBE) Local Government (Bikini Council), and visitors pay marine, park and port fees that go to the Council and are collected by the liveaboard operator (Master Liveaboards: US$550 per person in 2026–28 listings, non-refundable). In practice the permit is arranged by the expedition operator; there is no regular land-based dive operator. Removing artefacts from the wrecks is forbidden.
- Issuer / contact: Kili/Bikini/Ejit (KBE) Local Government (Bikini Council)
- No official phone, email or website found; the KBE constitution places its principal office at the Town Hall on Majuro. Permits are in practice arranged through the expedition operator (e.g. Master Liveaboards, dive@masterliveaboards.com).
- Unverified: No published GPS found for this wreck; the pin is placed inside Bikini Lagoon near the Crossroads anchorage and is only indicative – the operator knows the exact position.
- Tips: Technical dive only (TDI Advanced Nitrox & Deco Procedures / PADI Tec 45 or equivalent, 100+ logged dives); penetration needs overhead-environment training. Take no souvenirs.