Documentary filmmaker Johan Candert is at Bikini Atoll, diving into a strange sea. 80 years ago, the US detonated 23 nuclear bombs here, wiping out all life. But what Johan sees is a sea that is recovering. Life is coming back.
For those of you who can’t watch the video above, here’s another option.
I swim past the contours of two large gun barrels but they are almost completely covered in glassfish. I have never seen such a large school before. We swim on and slowly sink along the hull of the USS Saratoga. It's 52 metres to the bottom.
This is the story of a very remote place in one of the least visited countries on earth. And about people forced into exile.
In June 2025, Coral reef researchers, Sylvia Jageroos and Didier Zoccola dived the coral reefs of the Bikini Atoll, observing the coral reef ecosystems, identifying corals and collecting samples. Close on 80 years after American nuclear tests devastated the Atoll, they discovered a surprisingly resilient and healthy ecosystem and will now be able to further analyse their findings to determine whether they have found coral species that are unusually resistant to the effects of climate change. Nästan 80 år efter att amerikanska kärnvapenprov ödelade atollen är det ett överraskande motståndskraftigt och friskt ekosystem de hittar. Tillbaka i labbet ska de analysera fynden för att se om de har hittat korallarter som är ovanligt motståndskraftiga mot klimatförändringarnas effekter.
