#1 Dive Information Site for Okinawa

Greetings Dive Bums,

It is with a sad heart that I am writing this message to all of you.   After a great 7 years I am saying goodbye to Okinawa.  It has been a pleasure and honor to dive with you and call you my friends. 

This is not the end of Dive Bum Okinawa, I am going to leave the site up and running for the next year so you can still get weather updates and view the photos.  Additionally I have started a new website Low Country Dive Bum which will have all of our adventures in South Carolina.

Thanks for a great tour.

Semper Dive,

Brian

Divers and U/W Photographers,

        Beware of entering Tsunami Gears Photo Contests.  While I was deployed to Iraq my wife submitted a few of my old photos (with my permission) for the Tsunami Gear photo contest.  Unfortunately I was unable to read the release form.  If you sign the release you are giving up your rights to your photos and they can and will use them without compensation or giving you credit for the photo.  This has happened to me on Tsunami Gears new flyer.  Learn from my mistake and MAKE SURE you read the fine print before you sign! 

Semper Dive,

Brian

Remember the 10 second rule, sometimes its better to try another dive site, or just head to Dunkin’Donuts.

   Hyperlink Photos!!

Check out November '06 issue of Venture Magazine featuring photos by Brian Ehrlich          

Humpback whales songs, to listen in on the whale song just click on the whale!

 COPYRIGHT © 2004 Brian D. Ehrlich ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

USS Emmons 6 April 2008

In honor of the men who served and died on the USS Emmons, 5 divers laid a wreath on her hull next to the memorial plaque to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the sinking of the USS Emmons.  Once again Chuck and North of Nago provided outstanding service making this one of the most cherished dive trips of the year.

 As the winds picked up we headed for a protected reef just north of Kouri Island and after a nice long surface interval we went for a relaxing dive.  The water was great and the reef had tons of fish and invertebrates.  On the way back to the boat we found a cool swim through ending another great dive. 

 On April 6, 1945, the USS EMMONS was on patrol between Ie Shima Island and the northwestern tip of Okinawa.  In one of the largest Kamikaze attacks ever, the Japanese launched over 350 suicide planes.  At approximately 1730 the first of Kamikazes hit the USS Emmons.   Casualties were very heavy that day: Seven officers were either killed or missing in action, six wounded, fifty enlisted sailors were either killed or missing in action and sixty five were wounded.  Although the USS Emmons was severely damaged and the remaining crew was ordered to abandon ship, she refused to sink.  Her burning hull drifted all night towards Ie Shima Island.  Ie Shima Island was still held by the Japanese and early on the 7th of April the order was sent out to scuttle the Emmons before she could beach on the island.  Currently she rests in 145 feet of water off of Kouri Island. 

Stay tuned for our next dive.

Semper Dive,

Brian