About
THE SHIPS
The naval vessels exposed to close-range atomic blast at Bikini Atoll represent the three major Pacific combatants of World War II. They are the only vessels ever sunk through the detonation of atomic weapons. These unique ships and submarines lie almost two hundred feet underwater, and are rapidly deteriorating. No comprehensive visual record exists to document their current state or unique reactions to their exposure to close-range atomic detonation. Soon it will be too late.
The ships themselves lie in waters from 40 ft (12 m) to 185 ft (56 m), deep but diveable with the correct equipment and training.
The “Baker” blast at Bikini Atoll was global front-page news when it occurred — so well-known that a French designer scandalized the world by introducing a line of two-piece swimsuits a mere four days after the Baker blast. The name of this new fashion? The bikini.
THE PROJECT
Film, edit, and release a video documentary of The Atomic Armada of Bikini Atoll in order to preserve for history a unique artifact that will not be preserved in the world.
Because of their depth, the wrecks require specialized dive equipment and training to maximize dive and recording time. I will obtain this training in the summer of 2013, then continue independent training on the dive equipment to prepare for the expedition, which will occur in August 2014. This is the soonest an expedition can be mounted to Bikini Atoll, due to limited availability of the sole ship permitted to transport divers to the area.
Newsletters and videoblogs will report progress to contributors during preparation. During the expedition, contributors will receive regular status reports via Twitter and Facebook from location.
BIOGRAPHY
In my almost 25 years as a SCUBA diver and videographer, I have lived and worked in western Canada, on the US east and west coasts, and in Japan. I've explored and video-documented historical wrecks off Vancouver Island, in Palau, Guam, Chuuk Lagoon, the Pacific Northwest and the U.S. Northeast, and many other sites.
As a SCUBA instructor my favorite class to teach is "Wreck Survey". I get to instill my passion for wreck diving and documenting to my students, and educate them in the proper techniques to investigate, research and survey shipwrecks around the world.
EXPENSES
Transportation to Bikini Atoll will be the primary expense, followed by necessary equipment and specialized training. A complete budget for the project can be found here.
TIMELINE
Training on the rebreather required to provide enough time at depth in Bikini Atoll will take approximately 60 days. Subsequent to that approximately 130 hours of independent training time underwater will be utilized to prepare for the expedition. These dives will gradually increase in depth and complexity to ensure readiness for the depths and tasks faced in video-recording the Bikini wrecks.
Given the limited availability of the transport vessel the actual expedition is scheduled for August of 2014, with documentary completion by November of 2014. A dive schedule for the training dives can be found here.
Risks and challenges
1. Poor weather can interfere with SCUBA training. Careful planning can overcome this. Weather conditions can also affect vessel transport dates to Bikini Atoll.
2. Mechanical breakdown of the transport vessel might also delay the trip departure. This could conceivably delay the completion of the documentary, but likely would not halt it.
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Funding period
- (30 days)