Saw where a photographer published photos of about 100 ww2 aircraft the US dumped off the Marshall Islands after the war. Couldn’t find any info about dive ops on them. Know they are on the deeper end of recreational limits. Anyone dive on them or have info? Thx!
Airplane graveyard
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There is mention of an aircraft dump site from WW2 on Pacific Wrecks webpage.
Roi-Namur, Marshall Islands
Roi-Namur, Marshall Islands
Bob DBF
Contributor
Eerie photos of World War II relics preserved at the bottom of the Pacific near the Marshall Islands
Sounds like they were just found recently. They are near Kwajalein Atol, which is basicly a military missile test range facility, so you can't just go there to dive and probably need to have special permission to be anywhere around the area. I believe the photographer had to have permission to find and photograph them.
Bob
Sounds like they were just found recently. They are near Kwajalein Atol, which is basicly a military missile test range facility, so you can't just go there to dive and probably need to have special permission to be anywhere around the area. I believe the photographer had to have permission to find and photograph them.
Bob
fiji_diver
Contributor
I am guessing you are referring to Brandi Mueller. Her photos are from May 2015 but I think the planes have been known about for quite a while. The article says they lie in 130 feet so very diveable. However it seems that the area around Kwajalein Atoll is a missile range and hard to get permission to dive. But you never know until you ask. Now that gives me an idea.
Marshal Islands diving see Marshalls Dive Adventures
Marshal Islands diving see Marshalls Dive Adventures
Back around 1999 I knew an instructor who was stationed there or was there as military contractor. Can't remember. They even had a dive club. Another diver (non-military) visited him and went diving. It is not necessarily impossible to dive there, but it will take a process with perhaps great difficulty to get there.
Wookie
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Hello...
I am the current president of the Kwajalein Scuba Club. We are located at the southern end of the Atoll. The Roi-Namur Dolphins are Scubacat club at the northern end of the atoll...where the airplane grave yard is located. Kwajalein Atoll is primarily a close U.S. Army garrison spread over 9 of the 79 islands. There are a couple of local island populated with local Marshallese. To the best of my knowledge there is not any dive operations ran by the Marshallese. The Windward (Bikini Liveaboard) does launch from Kwajalein island as it is the United terminal.
So the vast majority of the divers here are local residents with a few visitors on official business.
While the photos that Bob posted are factual, the story that Brandi discovered 100 plane grave yard is "false news" and has been a gross distortion to the reputation of a wonderful person. Brandi Mueller is a fantastic photographer who holds classes worldwide. She currently is working on the Truk Odyssey. Brandi photographed the planes near Roi-Namur and published her work, then these arm-chair divers with computers wrote exaggerated stories. Now idiots propetuate this false story. Brandi didn't find them, they were known about for at least 45 years and there is not where near 100 of them...right around a dozen or so.
If you go to www.kwajaleinscubaclub.com click on the GPS tab. Scroll on the attoll's map to the north. Tap on the northern dive sites then tap on the square and you will come to a detailed dive site map which lists the planes.
Speaking from experience there are a blast to dive.
Happy Bubbles
Oldbear
(My driver's license reads Michael Hayes)
I am the current president of the Kwajalein Scuba Club. We are located at the southern end of the Atoll. The Roi-Namur Dolphins are Scubacat club at the northern end of the atoll...where the airplane grave yard is located. Kwajalein Atoll is primarily a close U.S. Army garrison spread over 9 of the 79 islands. There are a couple of local island populated with local Marshallese. To the best of my knowledge there is not any dive operations ran by the Marshallese. The Windward (Bikini Liveaboard) does launch from Kwajalein island as it is the United terminal.
So the vast majority of the divers here are local residents with a few visitors on official business.
While the photos that Bob posted are factual, the story that Brandi discovered 100 plane grave yard is "false news" and has been a gross distortion to the reputation of a wonderful person. Brandi Mueller is a fantastic photographer who holds classes worldwide. She currently is working on the Truk Odyssey. Brandi photographed the planes near Roi-Namur and published her work, then these arm-chair divers with computers wrote exaggerated stories. Now idiots propetuate this false story. Brandi didn't find them, they were known about for at least 45 years and there is not where near 100 of them...right around a dozen or so.
If you go to www.kwajaleinscubaclub.com click on the GPS tab. Scroll on the attoll's map to the north. Tap on the northern dive sites then tap on the square and you will come to a detailed dive site map which lists the planes.
Speaking from experience there are a blast to dive.
Happy Bubbles
Oldbear
(My driver's license reads Michael Hayes)
bakodiver391
Contributor
I work on the Windward liveaboard and we have been on the aircraft graveyard around 50 times, in fact it is so popular it is a regular part of our itiniery now. We have also done "Kwajalein only" trips where we spend days on the airplanes and explore the other wrecks in Kwaj. The aircraft are fascinating, especially if you are a WW2 aviation buff, as I am, although SBD Dauntlesses are over represented. I think I've seen around 40 planes, and there may be more in deeper water.
Dauntless
Contributor
Here is video of some of the decommissioned aircraft off Roi Namur AIRPLANE BONEYARD: ROI-NAMUR
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