FBI Director Patel Took Private Snorkel Tour at USS Arizona Memorial During Hawaii Visit
Why It Matters
FBI Director Kash Patel’s participation in a privately arranged snorkeling excursion at the USS Arizona memorial adds to a pattern of scrutiny over his use of government resources and his conduct during official travel. The USS Arizona, a sunken battleship at Pearl Harbor that serves as the final resting place for more than 900 sailors and Marines, is one of the most protected and symbolically significant sites in the United States. Access to the wreck is almost universally prohibited.
What Happened
During an official trip to Hawaii last August, Patel participated in what internal government communications described as a “VIP snorkel” around the submerged USS Arizona. The excursion took place during a two-day return stopover in Hawaii following official visits to Australia and New Zealand — a stop that was not publicly disclosed by the FBI at the time.
The FBI’s public communications about the Hawaii visit highlighted Patel’s tour of the Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement. The snorkeling session and the extended stay on the island were not mentioned in any bureau news releases.
Government emails obtained through a public records request revealed that military personnel coordinated the logistics and staffing for the outing. Navy Captain Jodie Cornell confirmed the excursion took place and said participants were instructed not to make physical contact with the wreck. She also noted that those in the water were briefed on the memorial’s significance as a burial site for hundreds of servicemembers.
Cornell added that the Navy was unable to determine who originally requested or initiated the outing. The National Park Service, which co-administers the site alongside the Navy, said it was not involved and declined to comment further.
Restricted Access at a National Shrine
The USS Arizona has rested on the floor of Pearl Harbor since Japan’s attack on December 7, 1941, and has been designated a military cemetery. With narrow exceptions, snorkeling and diving at the site are prohibited. The National Park Service and marine archaeologists conduct occasional surveys to monitor the wreck’s condition. Separate dives have been permitted to inter the cremated remains of Arizona survivors who wished to be buried alongside former shipmates.
Since at least the Obama administration, the Navy and Park Service have quietly extended access to a small number of dignitaries connected to the memorial’s administration, according to officials familiar with the arrangement. But a former government diver who spoke on condition of anonymity said granting such access to a director or anyone without a direct connection to the memorial was highly unusual, citing the physical, logistical, and security complications involved.
Records and individuals familiar with the activities of prior FBI directors indicate that none going back to at least 1993 participated in a snorkeling excursion at the memorial.
By the Numbers
- 900+ sailors and Marines entombed aboard the USS Arizona
- 2 days Patel spent in Hawaii on the return leg of his trip, undisclosed in FBI releases
- 30+ years of prior FBI director visits to Pearl Harbor with no comparable access granted, per available records
- 1941 — the year the Arizona was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Broader Pattern of Scrutiny
The Hawaii episode is part of a wider series of questions surrounding Patel’s conduct as FBI director. In February, video emerged of Patel celebrating in the locker room with the U.S. men’s hockey team following their gold medal win at the Winter Olympics in Milan. Patel defended that trip as connected to a cybercrime investigation involving Italian authorities, describing it as “purposely planned.”
Critics have raised concerns about the blurring of professional responsibilities and personal activities during Patel’s official travel. Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection, a network of former federal prosecutors and agents, called the snorkeling episode fitting of a broader pattern, saying the director was getting “tangled up in unseemly distractions” at a site marking a major attack in American history.
The FBI responded by stating that regional military commanders hosted Patel at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, as they routinely do with government officials on official travel, and that the visit was part of broader national security engagements. An FBI spokesman did not respond directly to questions about the snorkeling session itself.
What’s Next
It remains unclear whether Congress or any oversight body will formally examine the Pearl Harbor outing or Patel’s broader travel record. The ongoing debate over accountability within federal law enforcement leadership is likely to intensify as additional details surface. Questions about who authorized the VIP access and whether proper protocols were followed remain unanswered, with both the Navy and the National Park Service declining to provide full disclosure. The matter may draw further attention from lawmakers already scrutinizing the conduct of senior officials across federal agencies.