In August of this year our local government, during our annual budget meeting, will decide whether or not we can afford to open Bikini Atoll in 2009. The web site will remain unchanged until then.

A Letter From the Manager for the 2008 Season:

To Our Valued Customers,

The Bikini Atoll Local Government Council, under the name of Bikini Atoll Divers, decided to take over the operation of our dive and fishing programs from another company in December of 2000. Our goal was to provide tourists from all over the world with a first class look at our atoll that features some the best diving and sport fishing found anywhere on earth.

In 2007, the seventh year that we have run the entire tourism operation on our own, we faced enormous challenges--beyond our operation's control--because our national airline was confronted with unusual and very expensive mechanical issues with both of their aircraft. Understandably, this caused a lot of grief for our customers, travel agents, staff and management. Even though the Marshall Islands government has committed a substantial amount of money to Air Marshalls to get the airline up and running again, the delays for the startup of our operation extended well into the 2008 dive season. It was not until late April that the Dash 8 plane again started making flights. There are plans to secure a second plane for the airline, but this will probably not occur until late in the 2008 season or in early 2009. Because Air Marshalls will operate for quite some time as a one aircraft airline, we highly recommend that our customers traveling to Bikini Atoll secure a good travel insurance that would cover mechnical-related travel delays.

Even with some of these logistical difficulties that now confront us, we still believe that Bikini Atoll is a great travel destination. There are several reason for this. First, of course, is our fine, dedicated, highly trained staff that enables us to present our atoll to visitors in a professional manner. Secondly, I think travelers have discovered that Micronesia is a very friendly, safe part of the world where you can use the U.S. dollar and be free from the worry of terrorism.

Bikini Atoll tourism is a success story unrivaled anywhere in the Pacific region, especially since most of the key employees working for our operation are young, educated Bikinians. One of these young people is Ms. Lani Waltz Kramer, the daughter of the former Trust Liaison for the people of Bikini, Ralph Waltz, who died in 1987. Lani was educated in the United States in the travel industry. You can contact her office at:

saratoga@ntamar.net
telephone [from the U.S.]: 011-692-625-4265
cell [from the U.S.]: 011-692-455-2356
fax [from the U.S.]: 011-692-625-3330

Our customers will be happy to know that most of our staff will be returning for 2008, which includes our Head Divemaster, Jim Akroyd. Jim will be joined by his wife, Gen, and Rich Ruth, our assistant Divemasters, and we will again have our two trusted Bikinian diveguides, Edward Maddison and Ronnie Lokiar.

The challenge of running a dive operation in the middle of the Pacific is a formidable one. Nevertheless, Bikini Atoll Divers has maintained a high level of safety and professionalism in our operation over the years and we expect that to continue this coming season. I am proud to say that typically our best sales people are our former customers, many of whom return to Bikini year after year.