Aloha Scott,

I was wondering if you encountered any shells affected by radiation in
Bikini?

Mahalo,
Shea O'Neill





>From: Scott Jordan <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: remote places
>Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 07:28:40 -0800
>
>The most remote location I have been at is the Bikini atoll in the Marshall
>islands.  First stop was Guam, then Continental's Micronesian circuit plane
>to the Kwajalein atoll, then on to Majuro (capital of the Marshalls) and
>from there a weekly plane takes you to a rubble landing strip on an
>uninhabited island in the Bikini atoll.  From there we were picked up by a
>small motor boat and traveled an hour to another island where there lived a
>staff of eight or so people running a dive operation and research station.
>
>
>
>Why would someone make this journey?  Because there lies the best wreck
>diving in the world.  We penetrated some amazing ships, such as the USS
>Saratoga (the only divable aircraft carrier in the world) and the Nagato
>(flagship of the Japanese Imperial Army).  Only problem is that these are
>probably the most shark infested waters in the world since fishing has been
>banned from the time of the nuclear tests conducted after WWII.  As we
>spent
>long periods at 200 foot depths, we needed to decompress on pure oxygen for
>up to 90 minutes, batting away the sharks the whole time.  Fortunately
>these
>were only white tipped reef sharks and not the sometime encountered Tiger
>sharks or worse yet, Oceanic White Tips.
>
>
>
>I can not express to you how eerily beautiful the island was with its long
>white beachs, ocean vistas and unbroken silence.  There were hundreds of
>miles of water to the next populated area, so one really felt alone with
>nature.
>
>
>
>The beachcombing provided bags of Cypraea moneta, like no where I have seen
>before.  Snorkeling was discouraged.  And when I suggested a night dive,
>they told me it would be suicide.
>
>
>
>Scott Jordan
>
>
>
>
>

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