“The Doldrums”
The hottest days call for the coolest swimming holes, and there’s no better place than the “Doldrums” at APSCO Gravel Quarry, owned by the Akinaga family. The quarry property encompasses all of the land around Dolehtik, a small hill at the northern end of Sokehs Island. Across the street is a high cliff where prismatic basalt columns are stripped off the mountain with heavy equipment and later crushed into various grades of gravel. This same site may also have been one of the quarry locations for the stones of Nan Madol.
A large concrete dock 0.46 km (0.29 mi) northwest of the quarry entrance provides access to a beautiful swath of the lagoon. With no residences or pig pens inside this rather large area, the surrounding water is pristine with a visibility of more than 25 meters (80 ft). The spot got its nickname from a giant barge that, until the summer of 2013, was moored just off-shore and functioned as a jungle gym of sorts for local kids and foreigners alike. The barge is no longer there, but the main attraction is still the water itself, which is deep and gets deeper quick. The “Doldrums” is a great picnic destination and an idyllic place to stop in the middle of a paddling excursion around the island. Please keep this location beautiful by taking all of your trash with you when you leave for the day.
The main gate to the quarry is usually open, but visitors must report to the on-site office and ask the security guard to unlock the second gate, leading to the water. The facility is locked down for the night at 6:00 PM every evening. Make sure you’re out in time.
Snorkeling
Though coral development in the area is scarce, there are quite a few reef fish around. If you swim along the coast to the south, you might find some colorful starfish and an urchin or two.
Paddling
Kayaks can be easily launched on either side of the dock where the ground slopes gradually to the water.