Operation Crossroads

Prior to the spring of 1946 only three nuclear explosions had taken place: On 16 July 1945, the first firing at 'Trinity site,' Alamogordo, New Mexico, using a plutonium bomb of the 'Fat Man' type; on 6 August 1945, Hiroshima, a uranium bomb of the 'Little Boy' type: and on 9 August 1945 Nagasaki, a plutonium bomb of the 'Fat Man' type.

To demonstrate the awesome power of this 'ultimate weapon,' the United States armed forces scheduled a series of three nuclear tests at Bikini Lagoon in the Marshalls with the objective of determining the effect of the atomic bomb on naval vessels in order to acquire data regarding possible changes in (a) ship design, (b) tactical formations at seas and mooring distances in port, (c) number and location of naval bases and repair yards, and (d) strategic disposition of ships. The secondary purposes were: (a) To test the effect of the atomic bomb on aircraft, both airborne and parked, and also upon a wide variety of military weapons and equipment to discover what design changes would be necessary; (b) to learn more about the effect of the atomic bomb on living beings to provide much-needed information concerning protection, early diagnosis and treatment of personnel who might be exposed to atomic explosions, either in war or peace; (c) to gain information regarding the use of an atomic bomb attack against naval task forces, compared with other types of targets; and (d) to gain further information on the scientific phenomena accompanying atomic explosions.

Originally, 'Operation Crossroads' was to have consisted of three nuclear explosions: Test 'Able' --- an air burst; Test 'Baker' -- a shallow underwater burst; and Test 'Charlie' a deep underwater burst. The first test was scheduled for 15 May 1945. But on 23 March, US President Truman postponed the date of the first test from 15 May to the 1st of June. The postponement was to permit the attendance of congressional and other observers, and originated separately from the task force, which was on schedule for the 15 May shot.

PRINZ EUGEN AT BIKINI ATOLL

But let us return to the ex-German cruiser Prinz Eugen as a unit of the 'Crossroads' target fleet. This fleet was designated Task Group 1.2 and was commanded by Rear Admiral F. G. Fahrion, flying his flag in the heavy cruiser Fall River (CA-131). Prinz Eugen belonged to Task Unit 1.2.1, which comprised five battleships and four cruisers. During June, preparations for the tests were completed, the target ships were positioned, the comprehensive instrumentation installation was completed and checked, and numerous rehearsals were held. The final rehearsal took place on 24 June, "Queen day," when a dummy bomb (a 500-pound phosphorous fragmentation bomb, not an atomic weapon) was dropped and "burst" at 0914.

1 JULY 1946: "ABLE DAY"

An Army B-29 (Aircraft serial no.44-27354, nicknamed "Dave's Dream," with call sign "Skylight One") from Kwajalein dropped Able bomb on the target fleet. With a total of 14 persons on board, the aircraft took off at 0555, with a "dry run" over the target commencing at 0820. The "live run" commenced at 0850, 50 nautical miles from the target and at a bombing altitude of 29,000 ft and a true air speed of 299 mph. The bomb fell for 48.1 sec + or - 0.3 sec before detonating. According to the technical report on the operation:

Bomb A was dropped from a B-29 plane and detonated 518 ft above the surface at 2200.34 +/- sec GCT (0900:34 local) . . . At the surface the temperature was 300C, the pressure 1012.2 millibars, and the relative humidity 68%. The wind was 11 knots from 145 deg. (true). The initial explosion quickly grew to a ball of fire which was clearly in view for 2 sec. It was then obscured by the condensation cloud. This began to thin after 4 sec and was completely gone after 15 sec. The cloud rose to 13,000 ft during the first minute; after 7 min the top was stationary at an altitude of 40,000 ft. The cloud could be identified visually for about one hour after the explosion.

One report summarized estimates of the bomb's force as follows:

The amount of energy released was "normal" for an atomic bomb of the Nagasaki type; a total of 8.0 x 1020 ergs of energy was released, equivalent to the total amount of energy released in the exploding of 19.1 kilotons of TNT. The bomb missed its target, the orange-painted battleship Nevada (BB-36), which lay in the center of the array, by 710 yards. One official report stated "it detonated 710 yd from the intended plan-view position."

Immediately after the nuclear explosion, task force personnel prepared to enter the target area to assess damage. Initial boarding teams and salvage units commenced operations four hours after the explosion and boarded the target ships, starting salvage operations as soon as radiological and other safety conditions permitted. By 2030 (local) the teams had boarded and cleared 18 target ships.

Prinz Eugen's bow lay 1194 yards from the explosion at a relative bearing of 343 degrees 40 seconds, and was substantially undamaged. Only the paint had been scorched and the foremast split (see photo #3, p.65,in Warship No.9; in that photograph, one can see the scorch marks on the two port rangefinder cupolas, the so-called " Wackeltopfs"). In addition, much of the ship's rigging went down and two hammocks were blown up onto the mainmast by the blast (on the port lower spar level with the radar antenna).

Prinz Eugen was moored bow-on to the point of detonation, and transports Crittenden (APA-77) and Gilliam (APA-57), both also bows-on to the direction of the blast, lay in the direction between "ground zero" and the former German cruiser. Gilliam, only 47 yards from "ground zero" (as well as 518 ft. lower than the point of detonation), sank within one minute of the explosion. Crittenden, some 595 yards away, suffered "serious loss of military efficiency and would have been unable to operate as a transport without extensive repairs to her hull." According to the official report, Prinz Eugen had swung around on her anchors by the time of the explosion so that the starboard broadside was no longer fully exposed. The evidence of the scorch marks topside on the port side reflects the fact that the blast occurred just off the port bow. According to the damage report, the cruiser was first inspected by a Geiger radiation monitoring ship of Salvage Unit 1.2.7. on "Able Day" at about 1800 and was checked again on "Able +1 Day" at 1330.

PREPARATIONS FOR "BAKER DAY"

According to an official history, "The [accuracy] error of bombing on Able day, which had caused sinkings and damage not anticipated, forced reconsideration of the target array for Test Baker.. . The principal modifications involved substitution of alternate ships for those which had been sunk, interchange of certain ships to place those damaged in test Able in less lethal positions, and slight changes in certain other ships in range and bearing from the burst."5 Prinz Eugen lay almost twice as far from the detonation point, but at about the same aspect angle. A full scale rehearsal for Test Baker was conducted at 0905 on "William Day," 18 July 1946, when a dummy bomb was detonated on the firing barge. The assessment and salvage teams then were exercised in the roles.

25 JULY 1946 "BAKER DAY"

The bomb was lowered into the lagoon from LSM-60 to a depth of9O feet and detonated at 0835 (Mike Hour). The underwater nuclear explosion caused heavy hydrodynamic shock and heavy radiological contamination of the surrounding water.

"Bomb B detonated 90 ft beneath the surface of Bikini Lagoon at 59.7 sec after 0834 (local time) on 25 July 1946. . . The amount of energy released was normal for an atomic bomb of the Nagasaki type; a total of 8.5 x 10 20 ergs of energy was released, which is equivalent to the total amount of energy released in the exploding of 20.3 kilotons of TNT."  The surface temperature was 300 C, the pressure 1011.8 millibars, and the relative humidity 73%. The wind was 7 knots from 135 deg. (true).

The underwater nuclear explosion caused a heavy hydrodynamic shock and heavy radiological contamination of the surrounding water. The official technical report continues:

"Plutonium contamination of target vessels was sufficiently great to constitute a serious danger to persons boarding the target vessels days, weeks, or even months after B-Day . . . Decontamination efforts met with varying success. Earliest efforts (involving washing away loose materials) reduced the radioactivity by a factor of 2 to 5; but subsequent efforts produced smaller improvement."

The first visual indication of the Bomb B explosion was white water on both sides of LSM-60. A dome began to rise at the rate of approximately 11,000 ft/sec. When it was about 400 ft high, bright jets of flame burst through the top. They lasted about 35 milliseconds. After 0.14 seconds, when the dome height was 570 ft, a dark colored smoke [cloud], through which flames glowed. was noticeable at the top of the dome. After 0.35 seconds the smoke formed a well-defined ball of 500 ft radius and a white stem 500 ft higher. By 0.89 sec ball and stem merged to a white-based, black-topped cone, the jagged top having a radius of approximately 970 ft and a height of 2400 ft. At 0.9 sec the condensation cloud began to form as a skirt about midway up the cone. The horizontal radius of the cloud grew with approximately acoustic velocity; it spread more slowly vertically to form a convex upper surface and a flat, sharply defined horizontal lower surface. At 0.13 sec a second ring of condensation cloud began to form below the first, and at 0.14 sec still a third ring of cloud began to expand radially and upward from the surface of the water. By 2.0 sec these clouds had merged completely. At 3.5 sec the condensation cloud, still expanding rapidly, began to thin near the base end; at 4.5 sec a vertical column of water could be clearly seen. At 7 sec the condensation cloud was still expanding radially but thinning, leaving the water column unobscured.

The column probably contained less than 500,000 tons of water. It is believed that most of this water was present as a suspension of fine drops in a hollow cylinder roughly 300 ft thick extending from 700 to 1000 ft. The density of this suspension was about six times the density of air, and by 10-12 sec the entire mass of water and air in the cylindrical shell of the column had commenced to subside at a velocity which ultimately reached more than 75 miles an hour. As the suspension of water and air fell from the column, it billowed outward over the target ships as the "base surge."

The front of the base surge moved rapidly outward, at first with a velocity in excess of 60 miles an hour. The velocity decreased linearly with increasing radius. At the same time the volume of the base surge cloud rapidly increased and the density decreased both through fall-out of water and through dilution with large quantities of air.... At its greatest extent the base surge extended to 2000 yd in an upwind direction, to about 3000 yd crosswind and to more than 4000 yd downwind. Water continued to fall out of the surge cloud for upward of 20 min.

Another official report related the following Test Baker details:

"Waves had a maximum trough-to-crest height of 94 ft at a range of 1000 ft (horizontal distance from Zeropoint) and 9 ft at 12,000 ft. The first wave traveled with a velocity of 45 knots. The waves represented less than one percent of the energy released in the explosion.

The crater produced in the Lagoon bottom was 25 ft deep; the net bottom amount of bottom material moved was over 2,000,000 cubic yards.

The explosion was detected at great distances (e.g., continental U.S.) by earth shock and by radioactivity in the air."

Prinz Eugen's bow was located 1990 yds from the point of explosion, with the ship bearing 309 degrees 8 sec from the blast point. This distance was sufficient to leave the ship relatively undamaged. By contrast, Arkansas (BB33), only 259 yds from the detonation, sank within a few seconds after "Mike Hour," while still obscured by spray and steam. She was crushed as if by a tremendous hammer blow from below." LSM60, with the bomb suspended below, "was disintegrated at "Mike Hour." Fragments were noticed to splash in several sectors of the array during the first minute after "Mike Hour"."

According to the post-explosion damage report, Prinz Eugen was not inspected until "Baker Day+8," when a ship of Salvage Unit 1.2.7 commenced washing the ship down with high pressure water. The report of the Technical Director for the tests reported that Prinz Eugen suffered "negligible or no damage related to military efficiency." The same report, however, noted "flooding and leaking" from rudder bearings and piping and fittings. By 10 August the task force's teams of specialists were carrying out detailed examinations and salvage work on the target ships in preparation for a "Test Charlie." For a variety of reasons, however, "Test Charlie" was postponed indefinitely by President Truman on 7 Sept. 1946. Preliminary planning for "Test Charlie" had called for a deep underwater burst, 1000 to 2000 ft deep, in water at least 2.5 times as deep as the bomb. Post-Baker recommendations by the test force called for "few (or no ...)" target ships, however, because "the damage which vessels would suffer could be computed with fair accuracy from the damage data obtained in Test B."14 Preparations for Test Charlie were formally terminated by Joint Task Force One two days later. Due to the radiological contamination of the surviving ships and of Bikini Lagoon itself, it was decided in late August to decommission all vessels that could not be decontaminated sufficiently to permit them to be manned again, and place them in caretaker status at Kwajalein. This movement to Kwajalein was completed in early September.

THE CRUISER'S POST-NUCLEAR FATE

On 21 December 1946, defective sea valves caused flooding in the stern section. To prevent Prinz Eugen from sinking in the southern entrance and thus blocking Kwajalein lagoon, the Atoll Commander tried to tow her downwind to Enubuj Island, in order to beach her. Successful damage control was out of the question as the only salvage vessel, Conserver (ARS-30), had departed Kwajalein to aid a ship in distress some distance away. During the night the starboard list increased to over 35 degrees and, driven by the northerly wind, Prinz Eugen ran onto Enubuj reef and capsized. In the end she was the first relatively undamaged ship of the Bikini target fleet to succumb to underwater shock damage.

The wreck lay at an angle of 156 degrees from the vertical in an average depth of 65 feet about 200 yards off Enubuj Island, and made an angle of 40 degrees with the beach. Much of her bottom, the stern, rudder and the port and the center screws were exposed, and water depth to the edge of the upper deck at the bow was 110 ft. As she lay the cruiser presented a tempting sight to the Marshall islanders on Ebeye and Enubuj who were keen to salvage some or all of the wreck for its scrap value. A Department of the Interior request to transfer the wreck to the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands for disposal was submitted to the Secretary of the Navy in late 1973. The US Navy, as owner of the wreck, accepted responsibility for conducting a survey to determine the radiological contamination of the vessel, and the identification of special hazards. High levels of radioactivity were not expected, but even low levels were unacceptable if the material was to be introduced into the world scrap market. Further, it was not known if luminous devices containing radium were used in Prinz Eugen as was customary in warships of the period. Any evidence that radium was present in the wreck would proscribe breaking up the ship as she lay since the radium would have to be purged prior to scrapping.

The monitoring operation took place in early April 1974 and was carried out by Harbor Clearance Unit One from Pearl Harbor. During the survey it was discovered that massive hull damage does exist on the port side, in the vicinity of the after engine room, the side plating is stove in for a depth of several feet; the main deck is buckled and the side plating is torn both vertically and horizontally. The damage extends over a length of more than 50 feet and is apparently at a location which would cause flooding of two of the 13 main watertight compartments. This leads to the conclusion that salvage by hauling the wreck upright and restoring buoyancy by pumping is possible, but it would be a monumental job. There is no question but that the cost of salvage in such a remote location of the world would far outweigh the scrap value of the ship.

PART OF PRINZ EUGEN RETURNS TO GERMANY AS A MEMORIAL AFTER 33 YEARS

In 1973 the first moves were made by former crew members to seek permission for the removal of one of the screws as a memorial to the ship, and the German Navy League placed an official request with the US Navy's Chief of Operations the following year. Many high level negotiations followed until divers from Harbor Clearance Unit One were instructed to remove the port screw in 1978. After cutting the shaft and the supporting stays, the 12-ton-propeller was taken ashore by landing craft and then shipped to Long Beach. Finally, the Hapag-Lloyd container ship Rhein Express took the screw to Bremerhaven.

After the 12,000 mile journey home the propeller was cleaned and erected on a specially constructed stand beside the German Naval Memorial at Laboe and unveiled to the public on November 24, 1979.

A little bit of history about the Prinz Eugin

Laid down at Krupp Germania shipyard in Kiel on April 23, 1936, the Prinz Eugen was launched on August 22, 1938 and commissioned on August 1, 1940.

During World War I, the Eugen engaged HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales with the Bismarck during May 1941. Considered a "lucky ship", she survived to the end of the war, although she participated in only two major actions at sea. At the end of the war, the ship was surrendered to British at Copenhagen on May 7, 1945 and then was turned over to US forces in Germany during December 1945 and renamed "USS IX 300" .

Post War, the Eugen was sailed to the US and was converted into a target ship during Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll in 1946.

On July 1, 1946 was used in atomic bomb test "Able" and sustained only light damage. On July 25, was used in atomic bomb test "Baker", ship took damage below the waterline. One of 50 ships that survived and was then towed to Kwajalein. There she was inspected for radiation and bomb damage.  The ship had been weakened by the blast and began to take on water. Overnight on December 22, 1946 developed a 35 degree list and then sank at the Southern Atoll on Enubuj Reef.

The screws and rudder are partially exposed above water. Divers anchor on the wooden wreck of small hull in 30' of water opposite the screws. The hull rests against the reef, but there is an opening at the 90' level, just forward of the bridge. The bow is at 110' and you can swim under it. There is easy access to most of the ship.

The crew's quarters are accessible with remains of bunks and personal effects. Mess area contains crockery. A latrine. Machinery and fire fighting gear is suspended on the deck. Amidships much has fallen onto the seabed including some AA guns and their mounts. Some items have been recovered from the bridge. The armament two large turrets with twin 8 inch barrels. Large 4.1" guns, dual and quad AA guns are almost all still intact. Port torpedo tubes have torpedoes in them. The interior structure are intact and safe for exploration. Radiation is no longer a threat. But several divers have lost their lives in deep penetrations of the wreck.

One of the screws was removed and returned to Germany [details unknown]. Today, it is displayed at the German Naval Memorial at Laboe.  The ship's bell was removed by US sailors prior to the atomic tests. Today, it is displayed at Navy Museum's Cold War Gallery at the Washington DC Navy Yard.

Headed to Kwajalein

We pack tonight to head to Kwajalein for diving -- I’ll be there 5 days, Wayne 7.  I’ll have no connectivity while we are gone, but rest assured that I will write a daily log, and have everything updated for publishing when we get home!

Here’s a little info now:  Kwajalein is west of the international date line, making it one day ahead of Hawaii and the continental United States. When it's noon Sunday on Kwajalein, it's 2:00 p.m. Saturday in Honolulu and 7:00 p.m. EST Saturday on the East Coast. The work week on Kwajalein and Roi-Namur is Tuesday through Saturday, to correspond to the work week in the States.

Kwajalein Atoll is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in the West Central Pacific Ocean. It lies 2,100 miles southwest of Honolulu. Kwajalein is in the same general latitude as the southern area of the Republic of the Philippines and the same general longitude as New Zealand, approximately 3,200 miles to the south. Kwajalein Atoll lies less than 700 miles north of the equator.

Kwajalein Atoll is a crescent loop of coral reef, enclosing an area of 1,125 square miles, the world's largest lagoon. Situated on the reef are approximately 100 small islands with a total land area of 5.6 square miles. Kwajalein Island, the largest in the atoll, is 3/4 of a square mile wide and 3.5 miles long (approximately 1.2 square miles in area). From Kwajalein Island north to Roi-Namur is approximately 50 miles; northwest from Kwajalein to Ebadon is approximately 75 miles. Approximately 14,000 Marshallese citizens live within the atoll, with the majority living on Ebeye, three miles north of Kwajalein. Over 1,000 Marshallese are employed by United States Army Kwajalein Atoll / Reagan Test Site (USAKA/RTS) contractors.

Kwajalein is the name for both the atoll ( a group of coral islands enclosing a lagoon) and the island located at the bottom of the atoll.

Nearly everyone agrees that the place name "Kwajalein" is a European derivation of the Marshallese words ri-ruk-jan-leen; the people who gather or harvest the fruits or blossoms. The mythical flower tree itself has sometimes been called Kwajalein. The tree was a never-ending source for gathering blossoms used in making flower wreaths, and perfume. There was always an abundance of flowers, no matter how many and how often they were gathered. In Marshallese tradition Kwajalein is thus a place of abundance and generosity. 

Kwajalein Island, the largest in the atoll, is 3/4 of a square mile wide and 3.5 miles long (approximately 1.2 square miles in area).

History of the Republic of the Marshall Islands

The history of the Marshall Islands re-cords the successive influences of various peoples. It is thought that the islands were populated from around 3,000 B.C. to 2,000 B.C. by migrations from the Philippines, Malaysia, New Guinea and adjacent islands. During the past thousand years, an influx of Polynesians occurred.

Until the 16th century, the area had no contact with the Western world and developed its own culture, still evident today. Spanish explorers first "discovered" the Marshalls in 1526, but had little to do with these small coral islands. In the late 1700s, the Marshalls were "rediscovered" by various European voyagers, notably English Captains Gilbert and Marshall (for whom the Marshall Islands were named). It was not until the l9th century, with the arrival of traders, whalers and missionaries that Western influences began to be felt. The development of the copra (coconut) trade, together with awakening interest in the strategic importance of the islands, led to rivalries among the increasingly imperialistic nations of Europe.

By the end of the 19th century, Spain had surrendered her Micronesian claims to Germany. During World War I, the Japanese took control of Micronesia. The is-lands remained under Japanese domination until they were occupied by the U.S. toward the close of World War II.

World War II at Kwajalein Atoll: Operation Flintlock

In one historic week, from January 29 to February 4, 1944, with the most powerful invasion force ever assembled up to that time, American forces seized Kwajalein Atoll from Japan. The invasion of the Marshall Islands, code named Operation Flintlock, served as a model for future operations in the Pacific. The seizure of Kwajalein Atoll was the first capture of prewar Japanese territory and pierced the Japanese defense perimeter, paving the road to Tokyo. It took strategic control of the Marshalls away from the Japanese and eliminated major naval and air bases. It severed Japanese lines of communication and shortened the Pacific campaign.

The task force that accompanied the 4th Marine Division and the 7th Infantry Division to Kwajalein Atoll was the largest in the Pacific, with an assemblage of carriers, battleships, cruisers and destroyers. The major atoll islands of Kwajalein, Roi and Namur were bombarded by ships, carrier-based planes and land-based planes from the Gilbert Islands for days prior to troop landings.

The Battle for the Southern Atoll

The invasion of Kwajalein Island by the 7th Infantry Division was a near-perfect amphibious assault on beaches at the west end of Kwajalein on February 1, 1944. The island was secured at dusk on February 4th, when the 32nd Regimental Combat Team surged across the last 150 yards of the island, overrunning the one remaining bunker (now known as Bunker Hill). American losses were 142 dead, 845 wounded and two missing in action. The estimate of enemy losses was 4,938 dead and 206 taken prisoner.

The Battle for the Northern Atoll

The battle for Roi and Namur islands also began on February 1. The islands were secured in 24 hours and 15 minutes of fierce fighting. The 4th Marine Division set three new records on its first operation. It be-came the first division to go directly into combat from the United States; it was first to capture Japanese-mandated territory in the Pacific; and it secured its objective in a shorter time than that of any other important operation since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Battle casualties were 190 Marines killed and 547 wounded on the two islands. Japanese losses were 3,472 killed and 264 taken prisoner. Many bunkers and buildings remain as evidence of the Japanese time in Marshallese history.

Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, the is-lands remained under U.S. military administration until 1947, when they became part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). By agreement with the United Nations, the U.S. assumed responsibility for the TTPI through the Department of the Interior. In 1969, negotiations began for a new political status for Micronesia.

In 1979, constitutional self-government in free association with the U.S. was established for the Marshall Islands.

Be it ever so humble

Our trip home was fraught with irritations -- although we were upgraded on our United flight to LA, we were not listed as having boarded the plane and flown!  Luckily, we noticed this right away when we got in, so we called Continental and were assured our seats were available, and secure.  We did check into the airport early though!

Our overnight in LA was very pleasant, got a good deal on the hotel, and finally made it to the Palm for dinner.  Their summer lobster special was extended by a month, so Wayne and I split a very pleasant dinner.  Definitely need to look at going there for dinner one night while we are in NY!

We got home to several mini disasters -- an overflowing litter box, broken spoon rest, fried hard drive on the iMac, and the sound connections yanked from the AppleTV to the Panasonic.  Talk about disasters!

Of value to us from this trip was our timeshare pitch.  Wayne and I had thought about acquiring an after market resale timeshare at the Marriott in Ko’Olina, but the pitch and the fine print we saw in Cabo was enough to put us off even buying a resale.  Instead, we will probably look to buy a condo, use the mortgage benefits, and find a company to manage it for us.  That way we will have access, it will be somewhere we intend to go annually, and we won’t have to trade in order to enjoy the benefits!  We are now thinking Kona, but that time is not upon us yet.

The trip to Cabo was made by our interaction with Sunshine Dive and Charter, we both highly recommend them.  Lars works with you to price out a great package deal, and has a professional, pleasant staff.  It’s not often a poor divemaster gets saddled with leading four instructors for a week, Jonathan did a really wonderful job (despite the computer/bootie incident!!).  We will definitely now go back to Cabo, which we wouldn’t have believed at the beginning of the trip.

Hammerheads!

About 1.5 hours away by boat from Cabo San Lucas and 5 miles off-shore from Punta Gorda on the East Cape are the famous Gordo Banks. The top of this seamount forms a plateau at approximately 120 feet with the width of about 2 football fields. The average depth of this dive is between 100 and 140 feet, but the seamount drops deep into the abyss. The main attraction of this site are the stunning yet shy hammerhead sharks. Its not unusual to see large schools of more than 100 hammerhead sharks roaming around. Their well built bodies and weird appearance make this encounter an unforgettable one. On our way out, we saw manta rays, wahoos, yellowtails, tunas and dolphins, plus a lone sea turtle lounging on the surface of the abyss.  The top reef of Gordo Banks is covered in black coral bushes and large schools of snappers and sea bass hover above the large coral boulders.

We were looking forward to this trip from the minute it was suggested at our dive shop.  And it did not disappoint.  It was a fairly long boat trip out, about an hour and a half, and we saw various forms of life (when we weren’t napping).  We arrived at Gordo Banks, and were surrounded by dozens of fishermen looking for big game fish.  And they scored.

Our first dive proved mostly uneventful.  Once we got through the layers of jellyfish, there were groupers, snappers, and what looked like wahoo.  We descended down to about 125 feet, and tooled around quickly looking for hammerheads.  We saw one lone hammerhead before ascending.

We had an hour surface interval, and then jumped in for dive two.  We went down the same descent line, saw the same initial pelagics, and then swam out into the blue.  Probably 10 minutes into the dive, our divemaster took off like a shot, banging his tank loudly.  Dashing behind him, we saw a school of at least 50 hammerheads.  I tried to snap off a bunch of pictures, but don’t know how successful I was thanks to the absolute blue brightness of the waters.  We shall see. 

The rest stop was in the middle of jellyfish, but this time I wasn’t the one stung, poor Wayne was after playing with one in particular that rolled itself up and smacked him over the lip.

The ride back was long, nearly three hours, and we rinsed gear, settled up our bill, and took off to get ready for our sunset cruise.  If you ever have the chance to do one of these in Cabo, we both highly recommend Cabo Rey.  Very professional, nice food, comfortable accommodations. It was a very nice way to end our stay in Cabo.