Dear Team Member,

I hope this message finds you healthy and well. What a newsletter we have for you!

We have just wrapped up our last Bikini Atoll expedition of 2024 where 16 CCR divers conducted around 250 successful CCR dives/500 logged hours on the historic wrecks of the nuclear ghost fleet.

3/4 of the team were Divesoft divers diving the Liberty. Jakub Slama from Divesoft led the expedition with our own Aron Arngrimsson.

With the team landing in Kwajalein in high spirits a couple days before departure - we knew this was going to be a fantastic trip.

Check out Dirty Dozen Expeditions Founder, and Expedition Leader, Aron Arngrimsson’s digital diary of the trip:

BIKINI AUGUST 2024 EXPEDITION LOG

8-10 August 2024

All guests have arrived and are onboard. Boat orientation of our expedition vessel is finished and the crew and #teamdd has already started setting up their rebreathers before steaming out for 30 hours to Bikini Atoll.

Our wreck schedule for the trip was as follows:

8-9 August - Travel to Bikini

10 August - AM USS Saratoga/PM USS Saratoga

11 August - AM USS Saratoga/PM USS Anderson

12 August - AM USS Saratoga/PM IJN Nagato

13 August - AM IJN Nagato/PM Offgassing Beach Barbecue on Bikini

14 August - AM USS Apogon/PM USS Lamson

15 August - AM IJN Nagato/PM USS Saratoga

16 August - AM USS Saratoga/ PM USS Arkansas

17 August - Travel to Kwajalein (Ebeye Harbour)

18 August - AM Prinz Eugen/PM Prinz Eugen

19 August - Disembarkation

10-11 August

LIVE FROM BIKINI ATOLL - USS SARATOGA⁠

The morning was spent doing expedition safety and diving procedures briefing followed by a check-out dive on none other than the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. ⁠

By the time we surfaced from our first dive - it was time to celebrate Jakub Slama’s 40th birthday! It meant the world to us that he wanted to spend it with his Divesoft Liberty Divers Club and Dirty Dozen Expeditions family :).

After the shake up dive team members started to get to know the main lines of the USS Saratoga as we decided to spend our first day and a half there penetrating the wreck.

11-12 August

LIVE FROM BIKINI ATOLL - IJN NAGATO AND USS ANDERSON

The mornings were spent once again on USS Saratoga with our team exploring the entire wreck from the outside and.. inside!⁠

⁠The following dives were a switch to the famous destroyer USS Anderson and IJN Nagato. The reason for this scheduling is that we wanted the team to familiarize themselves on Nagato before a morning dive with better light (for photography).

USS Anderson has great visibilty in afternoon. USS Saratoga is best enjoyed in mornings where the light/visibility on the outside (and inside… silt!) is better.

13 August 2024

LIVE FROM BIKINI ATOLL - BIKINI ISLAND

Halfway through the trip we do a land exploration tour mixed with a beachside barbecue in the afternoon at the halfway point of the trip. It fits perfectly as a a half day offgassing break after all the deep dives.

We did our beachside barbecue on the island itself and then wrap up our last 6 dives in Bikini. August 17 the 30-hour crossing back to Kwajalein Atoll begins and we have our last 2 dives on none other than SMS Prinz Eugen.⁠

12-13 August 2024

LIVE FROM BIKINI - IJN NAGATO ⁠- Jakub Slama

Today we planned a photoshoot with 2 Liberty divers on scooters flying past the stern of IJN Nagato. This is a shot I have had in mind for a very long time and many things had to align for this to happen. However, today I got the opportunity to take it and this is the result.

This is the hull of IJN Nagato with its 4 propellers and 2 rudders visible with 2 Liberty divers having the dive of their lives.

14-17 August 2024

LIVE FROM BIKINI - USS APOGON AND USS LAMSON⁠

⁠The night before the team watched the movie "Greyhound" after dinner which has nautical warfare featuring a destroyer and submarine. This was not accidental - as the following morning we would be diving a Balao-class submarine and Mahan-class destroyer in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll.⁠

The team additionally did 3 more dives on USS Saratoga and 1 on IJN Nagato. USS Arkansas was voted out of the schedule to give more time to explore the USS Saratoga on the inside.

18 August 2024

LIVE FROM BIKINI ATOLL - SMS PRINZ EUGEN

Spectacular last day on the SMS Prinz Eugen in Kwajalein Atoll as we wrap up the final Dirty Dozen Expeditions Bikini Atoll trip of the 2024 season! In the morning we dove a Japanese Merchant vessel due to strong winds, but were able to return for Prinz Eugen in the afternoon.

Teams explored the outside but also the new penetration lines we installed last year with Mark Powell and James Draker.

Now we have some sunset drinks, pack, and start the long journey home.

FROM THE DIVER’S MOUTH

We thrive off our customer experiences. It is what DDE is all about.

#teamdd member Dan Sun was on board with us, and this is her testimonial:

“The year 2024 was an amazing year for me as a diver. The highlight was my trip to Bikini Atoll with the Dirty Dozen Expeditions.⁠

I signed up for the trip a year in advance through the Liberty Diver's Club, hoping to meet fellow Liberty CCR divers from around the world. As a newcomer to the Pacific Islands, I underestimated the challenge of sorting out the logistics and necessary travel documents. With the help of the Dirty Dozen, especially Gill, I managed to navigate through it all, and the rest of the journey went smoothly.⁠

Even though I was the only female diver on the trip, signing up solo, I felt welcomed and supported by the other guests on the boat, especially the members of the Liberty Diver's Club.⁠

I was particularly impressed by the relaxed yet safety-conscious environment created by Aron and Jacob. Their teamwork put smiles on the faces of all the guests. A "SPLASH" check was carried out before every single dive. Divers were reminded frequently of fatigue and complacency, which was inevitable for a long trip like this. As a dive team, we were very conservative with our Gradient Factor and sorb use.⁠

Additionally, the iconic photos they captured of us elevated the experience, which wouldn't be possible in a DIY trip.⁠

I'm already looking forward to my next expedition with Dirty Dozen Expeditions, knowing that they provide top-notch service and I'm sure to make more life-long friends on board.”⁠

Dan Sun - Founder of Dan Sun Titanium - www.dansuntitanium.com

Read more of our customer testimonials now with more reports from Solomons, Bikini Atoll, Truk Lagoon and Galapagos.

GET ME TO BIKINI ATOLL

If you are interested in joining us on a dream expedition to Bikini Atoll, check out our 2025 and 2026 dates below and reserve your spot today!

Aron, Mark Powell and Jakub Slama from Divesoft did an hour YouTube video about diving in Bikini on the island itself last year in 2023. Must-watch if you are considering going to Bikini Atoll. Click on the image above to watch! Aron and Jakub filmed another land based exploration of the atoll which will be released soon on our YouTube channel.

That is it for this newsletter.

We look forward to some great adventures with you in the years to come and as always, don’t forget, if you are feeling lonely, then we are here to chat Dirty

Best,

Aron Arngrímsson and the DDE Team