Tag Archives: helicopter

Enemonit & its Sunken Treasures

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Enemonit (also known as Anemwanot) motu is a short 5 nautical miles away from the hustle and bustle of the main town of Majuro.  It is located on the east side of the Majuro atoll and has 5 moorings provided by the local yacht club, Meico Beach Yacht Club.

This beautiful motu owned by the Kramer family (who also owns the largest construction business in Majuro, PII: Pacific International Inc.)  They offer tours and day trips to their beautiful island for $25 per visitor booked in advance.  

We happened to pick up the mooring right in front of the community center and main dock.  The good thing about this location is that we get a nice breeze and are located right next to the artificial reef in the Enemonit lagoon.  The bad news is we get a swell (coming from between the islands),  we get all of the boat traffic from the visiting boats, and we get visitors from shore.  But we make due as this is such a beautiful spot.

Artificial Reef

I am not sure who decided to make the lagoon in front of Enemonit an artificial reef but we are sure glad they did.  Snorkelers and divers can find a DC-3 airplane, (2) Huey Helicopters, a large ferry ,and several mechanical parts strewn around the lagoon.  The depths of these artifacts range from 5-60 meters.

These items provide a place for corals, anemones and fish to flourish. 

Most of the artifacts are right next to our mooring (as you can tell from the image below).  The 2nd Huey is behind our boat about 100-150 meters along the ridge.  But you can easily partk your boat in the first mooring and snorkel to all of these sites including (2) Huey Helicopters, (1) DC-3 Airplane, and a large, double decker ferry.

These are shots taken from the boat looking down at both the airplane and the ferry – that is how close we are to them. The bottom photo has our swim ladder in the lower right corner.

The Douglas DC-3 Airplane 

The DC-3 transport aircraft is the world’s first successful commercial airliner.  It was easily adapted to military use during WWII.  The DC-3 first flew in 1935 and was a low wing, twin engine monoplane that could carry between 21-28 passengers or carry 2,724kg (6,000lbs) of cargo.

The sunken DC-3 here in Enemonit was acquired by Sea Star in the early 1980’s (a Marshall Islands company that operated for a few years).  The airline went defunct and the DC-3 sat at the airport for many years.  It had no engines and was finally scrapped and sunk in the Enemonit lagoon (a short distance away from a Huey Helicopter).

The DC-3 is sunk in about 4-5 meters of water which is really shallow considering its size.

As you can see, Matt can easily free dive down to the plane. I am about 3 meters (12′) deep and he is maybe 6-7 meters.  He is pointing out the name “Sea Star” which is partially missing.   There are six windows on this plane but most are missing.  The tail (top right) is completely missing.  Check out our svSugarShack Instagram page for videos.

Huey Helicopter

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, aka “Huey” is a utility military helicopter.  It was the first turbine-powered helicopter in service with the U.S. military.  This helicopter had a single turboshaft engine with two blade main and tail rotors.

The Huey helicopter sits in about 12 meters (40′) of water on Enemonit’s sea bed. Visitors can see the Huey from the water’s surface.  Locals placed this helicopter here on purpose with a missing tail and propeller.  

It provides a place for many corals and fish and sits next to the DC-3 (C-47) and a ferry boat.

Matt was able to swim down to the Huey and took a great video. These photos were from the video (you can see the video on the svSugarShack Instagram page.  Pretty eerie to be honest.

There is a second Huey Helicopter with a little bit different design (you can see it only has one side door) and it was a little more intact.  However it was much further down so the photos are a bit grainy and blurry.  We hope to go back and dive this entire site and maybe we can get better photos.

Ferry Oleanda

The Oleanda Ferry was used as the main source of transportation at the Rongelap atoll (a Northern atoll).  The ferry was decommissioned and moved to Majuro. Oleanda was eventually added to the artificial reef at Enemonit. The ship is about 10 meters deep and was located right under our boat!  My photos (bottom two) are grainy because I could not get down close enough without my dive gear.  However, I was able to snag a photo from Sailing Double Trouble’s YouTube video, top photo.

Future Coral Pieces

We found several pieces of debris around the reef as well.  These are very large and could be used as a mooring.

The Reef

There are lots of vibrant bommies with tons of sea life including several beautiful Feather Duster worms. Feather Duster Worms (Corallimorphs) thrive on a specific amount of elevated iron concentration.  The high number of WW2 wrecks provide the correct percentage.

There are also loads of little fish all around the bommies and small amounts of grouper swimming around.

So many schools of little fish around each coral bommie.

We were here during a King Tide which brings really big tides, about 2 meters (over 6′).  You can see the dock before and after each tide.

Being at the first mooring gave us the best view to watch the beautiful full moon rise over the palm trees.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  We visited Enemonit toward the end of October.  Don’t miss our adventures at Eneko which we shared in our last blog post.

The Beauty of Whitianga Waterways

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We decided to make the 5.5hr drive to Whitianga to visit our friends Leigh and Linda.  They had generously invited us down for the weekend.  Matt and I arrived after lunch and Leigh immediately took us on a drive through the town of Whitianga.  It is a lovely town with two large markets, several supply companies (marine, plumbing, hardware) and access to the waterways and beaches at every corner.  I can see why Leigh picked this location to develop the Whitianga Waterways.

Later in the afternoon, around sunset, we took the duffy out to explore of the Whitianga Waterway canals.  We packed some snacks and cocktails and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through each canal.  It was simply lovely and frankly the best way to end the day on the water seeing the potential of this fabulous development.

You know Leigh told me that the retirement community, which is under construction, will have restaurants, stores, and a full medical facility.  In addition to the standard amenities like the custom barge dedicated for residents.  And you only have to be 55 to be eligible – who knew?  Matt and I could buy in today!

Helo Ride

The next day Leigh took us out for an aerial view of Whitianga, the coast line, and several of the neighboring islands including Mercury island.  Leigh has to take off and land on this very small trailer (I’d say it is smaller than 2m x 2m) and I’m telling you it takes great skill, courage, and expertise to do so.  I was absolutely amazed at how easy he made it look!

He is such a talented and controlled pilot that he instantly puts us at ease.

The day started a little rainy and cloudy, but it soon cleared up. 

We ran along the Whitianga coastline and saw the town from above.

We even found a few anchorages that we need to check out in Sugar Shack.

Lots of little beautiful islands all around Whitianga.

The recent cyclone brought a lot of extra water that was still running off creating dozens of waterfalls.

And Leigh showed off these two stunning Kauri trees.  Not sure how they survived the demolition of the kauri trees, but thank God they did.  Estimated to be 500-600 years old, young in Kauri life.

Boat Tour

The next day we all went out for a Whitianga coastline tour in Moon Shadow.  We passed by the famous Cathedral Beach which was very popular on this bright and sunny day.  Made famous by the cave that goes all the way through (bottom image).

Leigh found a rather large cave made popular by the tourist boats.  When we arrived, there was a small power boat inside showing off the cave’s interior beauty.  After he departed, Leigh nosed his beautiful yacht into the opening and kept going!  Surprises never cease!  He expertly maneuvered his boat into the cave.  I am not sure how he did it without touching his outriggers or any part of the boat, but he did!

It certainly was hard to leave this beautiful town.  We hope to be back to visit the wonders of Whitianga!  But we had to get back to Sugar Shack.  Be sure to check out our next blog post as we visit the Lost Springs and get stuck behind a double 36-wheeler who got stuck on a tree!

Events from this blog occurred in mid-January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events. Matt and I spend months finding and fixing leaks all over the boat in our last blog.

Marsden Cove Fly Over

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We take a short trip to Marsden Cove to meet with a friend whom we met in Fiji. Linda and Leigh Hopper own a magnificent power yacht named Moon Shadow and we ran into them many times while in Musket Cove.  They actually live in Whitanga which is about 5 hours from Whangarei. 

They were kind enough to invite us to their home for the holidays but our boat was in complete disarray with missing windows, a disassembled engine and a broken windlass.  So, we had to pass. But we did want to see them so we all decided to meet in Marsden Cove.

Leigh’s company, Hopper Developments, developed the entire property and has intimate knowledge of everything Marsden!  We met for a lovely lunch and then he drove us around the marina, yard, and residential property.  He showed us the amazing lock they built which happens to be the largest residential lock in the southern hemisphere coming in at a whopping $5 million to build.

His company plans to build a retirement community and several apartment buildings to finish up the area.

Did he say helicopter?

Before we wrapped up the day he asked if we would like to see the grounds from the sky.  Let me think about that, “um hell ya!”  He arrived by helicopter and took us for a quick 15-minute bird’s eye view of the area.

Leigh is an expert pilot and easily navigated the airways with precision.  What a spectacular opportunity to see this beautiful area from the sky!

We flew along the interior where he pointed out new business opportunities for his company.

And then we flew along the stunning coast.

He then took us for a 360 where he actually flew the helicopter upside down!  I wish I had my video going, but by the time I realized I was upside down I was too late and giggling because I was upside down!

We ended the tour flying over a few anchorages.

What an unexpected joy!  Leigh is a true gem and so very generous with his time and company.  We hope to spend more time with he and Linda soon – so stay tuned!

Events from this blog occurred in early December 2022.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  Did you read about our challenges replacing our windows?