Quick facts
| Depth: | 45m/150ft |
| Entry: | Boat |
| Level: | Experienced Divers AOWD w. 30+ dives |
| Trip Duration: | 2 dives – approx. 7 hours |
| Participants: | 2-4 per Instructor |
| Don't Forget: | Swimwear, Towel and Sunscreen Change for Lunch Proof of Certification |
Please Note:
The shipwreck of the USS Emmons is one of the more challenging yet adventurous dive sites here in Okinawa. The wreck lies at 36m/120ft to 45m/150ft deep and occasional currents can be strong. As a safety precaution, every participant is required to dive with us at a less challenging dive site prior to joining the USS Emmons trip. To be eligible, you must be able to demonstrate safe diving habits, such as good buoyancy and air consumption.
Safety first…
Since we offer single tank diving only we provide a "drop tank" hanging from the boat at 6m/20ft, further we provide 18 liter tanks for those who need a little more air and our experienced guides do carry a pony tank with additional gas, just in case! On each trip we have one of our three emergency O2 kits with us and in the unlikely event of an incident we can react quick. The nearest decompression chamber is located in Naha.
A little history…
The USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22) started life as a Gleaves-class destroyer in the summer of 1941, but was converted in 1944 to serve as a minesweeper and tasked with clearing Okinawa's coastal waters of sea mines.
It was during this ill-fated mission that it was attacked and hit by 5 kamikaze planes within a two-minute span and suffered crippling damage that prevented it from being manoeuvred. With fires blazing and ammunition exploding the ship had to be abandoned, suffering a loss of 60 crew members as well as 77 wounded, and sunk by its own navy to prevent it falling into the Japanese military’s hands.
And this is where the story ended on April 7th, 1945, until its rediscovery in 2001.
