FBI Director Kash Patel participated in a snorkeling excursion around the USS Arizona memorial during an official visit to Hawaii last summer, according to government emails obtained by The Associated Press.

The snorkeling session took place in August during a two-day stopover as Patel returned from official visits to Australia and New Zealand. While the FBI publicized Patel's meetings with local law enforcement and tour of the Honolulu field office, it did not disclose the underwater excursion at the Pearl Harbor memorial site.

The USS Arizona, which was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, serves as the final resting place for more than 900 sailors and Marines. Snorkeling and diving are generally prohibited around the battleship, though the Navy and National Park Service have quietly permitted a small number of dignitaries to swim at the site since at least the Obama administration.

Navy spokesperson Captain Jodie Cornell confirmed the excursion occurred and said participants were instructed not to touch the sunken ship and were briefed about the memorial's historic significance. The Navy described Patel's outing as "not an anomaly" but declined to provide details about how frequently such excursions are organized or who typically receives permission.

The revelation adds to ongoing scrutiny of Patel's use of government resources during his tenure as FBI director. Critics have questioned his travel practices, including a February incident where video showed him celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team after their Olympic gold medal win in Milan.

Reactions to the Pearl Harbor snorkeling session were mixed. Some veterans criticized swimming at the memorial site, with one Marine veteran calling it inappropriate for political figures to use the location recreationally. However, the national president of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors said she had not heard objections to such rare official visits, noting that no USS Arizona survivors remain alive.