Kash Patel Snorkel: FBI Director’s Secret ‘VIP Snorkel’ at Pearl Harbor’s USS Arizona Wreckage Revealed

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ – FBI Director Kash Patel took a secret “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in August 2025. ║ ║ – The excursion was revealed through government emails obtained by the Associated Press via a FOIA request. ║ ║ – The USS Arizona is a military cemetery entombing over 900 sailors and Marines — diving is almost entirely banned. ║ ║ – The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling trip or that Patel had returned to Hawaii for an extra two-day stay. ║ ║ – The revelation adds to a growing list of controversies surrounding Patel’s use of government resources. ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Introduction: A Secret Swim at America’s Most Hallowed WWII Site

When the name Kash Patel snorkel began trending across news feeds on May 14, 2025, it wasn’t the headline most people expected from the sitting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to a bombshell report from the Associated Press, FBI Director Kash Patel participated in what military officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the wreckage of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor — a sunken battleship that serves as the final resting place for more than 900 American sailors and Marines.

The story, broken by AP journalists through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) public records request, has reignited fierce debate about Patel’s leadership conduct, use of government resources, and the blurring of professional and personal activity during official travel. As per the Associated Press report, the swimming session took place last August 2025 and was never publicly disclosed by the FBI.

What Exactly Is the USS Arizona, and Why Does It Matter?

Before diving into the politics, it is essential to understand the profound significance of the site in question.

The USS Arizona was a U.S. Navy battleship that was sunk during Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 — the event that drew the United States into World War II and prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to famously declare it “a date which will live in infamy.”

According to CBC News, the USS Arizona now functions as a military cemetery accessible only by boat. The wreck still holds the remains of more than 900 sailors and Marines who went down with the ship. Snorkeling and diving are almost entirely off-limits to the general public. The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Navy manage the site jointly, with rare dive access granted only to:

• Marine archaeologists surveying the condition of the wreck
• National Park Service maintenance crews
• Ceremonial divers interring the cremated remains of Arizona survivors who wished to rest with their former shipmates
• Select dignitaries, under tightly controlled conditions

As per PBS NewsHour, participants in any such swim are explicitly told “not to touch or come into contact with” the sunken vessel in any way and are briefed on “the historic significance of the Memorial as the final resting place/tomb for hundreds of service members.”

How the Kash Patel Snorkel Story Broke

The AP’s FOIA Discovery

According to the Associated Press, government emails obtained through a public records request show that military officials coordinated the logistics and personnel for the “VIP Snorkel.” The trip took place one day after Patel stopped in Wellington, New Zealand, to open the FBI’s first standalone office in that country.

As per the AP report, the FBI publicly highlighted portions of Patel’s Hawaii visit — including a walking tour of the bureau’s Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement. What the FBI’s press releases did not mention was that:

1. Patel returned to Hawaii for an additional two-day stay after his initial stopover.
2. During that return visit, he participated in the VIP snorkel around the USS Arizona.
3. Flight tracking data, according to Raw Story, show the FBI’s Gulfstream G550 lingered on the island for two nights before flying off to Las Vegas — Patel’s adopted hometown.

The Navy’s Response

According to CBC News, Navy spokesperson Captain Jodie Cornell confirmed the outing took place but stated the service “was not able to track down who initiated it.” The National Park Service told AP it was not involved in Patel’s swim and declined to comment further.

An FBI spokesman did not answer direct questions about the snorkeling session, instead issuing only a vague statement about the Director attending “national security engagements” with military counterparts.

The FBI’s Official Defense

FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson pushed back forcefully on the story, posting a statement on social media. As per The Hill, the FBI spokesperson stated the Hawaii visit “was part of the Director’s public national security engagements last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office, and the Department of War.”

Williamson further told the Washington Examiner: “The AP is attempting to spin an invitation from the Commanding General of Indo-PACOM to a military base as a party or vacation, which is so stupid. The DoW routinely does these engagements with interagency partners — it’s a historical tour to honor heroes who died on the USS Arizona — not a party.”

The FBI also noted, as per The Hill, that U.S. Indo-Pacific leaders offered to host Patel and his team at the base “as they commonly do with U.S. government officials on official travel.”

Critics and Voices of Concern

Not everyone accepted the FBI’s framing.

Hack Albertson, a Marine veteran who dives around the Arizona annually as part of a select group from the Paralyzed Veterans of America, offered a pointed analogy to Rolling Stone: “It’s like having a bachelor party at a church. It’s hallowed ground. It needs to be treated with the solemnity it deserves.”

According to Raw Story, Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection — a network of former federal prosecutors and agents — said: “It fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions — this time at a site commemorating the second deadliest attack in U.S. history — instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe.”

A former government diver, who spoke to AP anonymously out of fear of retaliation, stated that no FBI director going back to at least 1993 had ever gone snorkeling at the memorial. The diver described it as unusual for anyone not connected to the memorial to be granted such access, citing physical risks as well as serious “security, safety, and logistical challenges.”

As per Raw Story, some family members of Pearl Harbor survivors told AP they don’t necessarily object to rare official visits — but also noted they have never been allowed to snorkel there themselves.

Timeline of Key Events

The New Zealand Connection: A Separate Controversy

The Pearl Harbor snorkel is only part of what made Patel’s August 2025 trip notable. According to PBS NewsHour, the snorkeling session occurred one day after Patel’s stopover in Wellington, New Zealand — a visit that itself sparked controversy when the AP revealed Patel had gifted that country’s police and spy bosses 3D-printed replica pistols that were illegal to possess under local New Zealand gun laws.

The double-barreled controversy from a single trip underscores critics’ argument that Patel’s overseas travel routinely blends official business with activities that draw unwanted attention.

A Pattern of Conduct: The Broader Picture

The Kash Patel snorkel story does not exist in isolation. As per MSNBC’s reporting, it arrives amid a well-documented series of controversies regarding Patel’s use of government resources:

• Olympic hockey locker room celebration (February 2026): Video surfaced of Patel joining the U.S. men’s hockey team in their locker room after their gold medal win at the Winter Olympics in Milan. Patel described those present as his “friends” and defended the trip as “purposely planned” in connection with a cybercrime investigation involving Italian authorities.
• Government jet for personal travel: According to NPR, Patel’s use of the FBI’s Gulfstream G550 for travel that blends professional and leisure activities has drawn scrutiny from both Democrats and some conservatives. He has maintained he reimburses the government for personal flights in compliance with federal law.
• Brown University shooting delay (December 2025): According to MSNBC and NBC News, whistleblowers informed Senator Dick Durbin that FBI evidence response teams were delayed in reaching the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University because Patel’s personal travel had left no available aircraft.
• Personally branded liquor bottles: According to MSNBC, news emerged just days before the snorkel story that Patel had been promoting personally branded liquor bottles.
• Senate hearing confrontation: As per MSNBC, Patel drew further attention for what observers described as a “tantrum” during a Senate hearing shortly before the snorkel story broke.

As per Politico (cited by MSNBC), things were already reported to “not look great” for Patel — with observers noting how little the White House had publicly come to his defense amid the mounting controversies.

Is VIP Access to the USS Arizona Ever Legitimate?

This is a nuanced question that deserves a fair answer. According to the AP report — as cited by both PBS NewsHour and CBC News — the NPS and Navy have permitted select dignitaries to swim at the site in the past. Former FBI directors have visited Pearl Harbor on official business, though none going back to at least 1993 had done so via snorkeling, according to the anonymous former government diver who spoke to AP.

The Washington Examiner’s reporting notes that the FBI frames Patel’s visit within the context of the Department of War routinely offering such engagements to “interagency partners” — and that Patel himself participated in arranging similar access for partners when he was Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense during President Trump’s first term.

The debate, therefore, centers not simply on whether access was granted, but on:

1. Disclosure — Why wasn’t the return visit and the snorkel reported in any FBI press releases?
2. Appropriateness — Is it fitting for the FBI Director to use a restricted military cemetery site for what critics view as a leisure activity?
3. Context — Does this visit fit a pattern of Patel treating government travel as an opportunity for personal enjoyment?

Public and Political Reaction

The story sparked immediate reaction across the political spectrum. As per The Hill, FBI spokesman Williamson took to social media to push back on coverage, calling spin in the AP’s framing “so stupid.” However, critics from multiple camps were less charitable.

According to Raw Story, Justice Connection’s Stacey Young argued the episode illustrated misaligned priorities at a time when the nation requires a focused FBI director. Meanwhile, as per MSNBC, the story quickly became fodder for Saturday Night Live sketches lampooning Patel as a “national joke” — reflecting how the narrative had permeated mainstream culture.

Some Pearl Harbor family members expressed discomfort at the idea of a government official receiving access that even survivors’ families have been denied, though others drew a distinction between official dignitaries and casual tourists.

What Comes Next for Kash Patel?

As per MSNBC, political observers were already suggesting before the snorkel story broke that Patel could be among the next high-ranking officials to exit the Trump administration. The publication noted the White House has been largely silent in publicly defending Patel amid the growing list of controversies.

Patel himself has shown no sign of stepping down. He has filed a lawsuit against The Atlantic over reporting about his conduct, and his spokesperson continues to defend each controversy as it arises.

The “VIP snorkel” episode, however, may prove particularly sticky — not because snorkeling at a war memorial is itself an enormous act of wrongdoing, but because of what critics argue it symbolizes: a pattern of a government official leveraging the perks of high office for exclusive access, while those outside that circle — including the families of the fallen — cannot share in it.

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