Lauren Smith

Swell? What Swell?

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WRITTEN BY ANDREW CORELY

Yellow Margin Moray

Today it looks like the South swell has finally started to decline so we were able to get back our normal sites here in Maunalua Bay. We started at the WWII Corsair wreck, which actually is now sitting tilted on its side from the swell that hit. Vis is back to awesome there and we got to see the resident frogfish as well as the even more camoflaged resident crocodile eel.

For our 2nd dive we drifted Keanu’s reef where we saw some big moreys and the awesome staghorn coral heads which are little ecosystems in themselves. Thanks to all who dove with me today and happy Oahu diving in the future!

Mark Savel

An Afternoon of Scuba Diving Oahu

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Butterfly Fish

We had a nice day on the water scuba diving off the south east side of Oahu today. We headed out for a couple shallow reef dives and had wonderful viz on both dives. For the first site we dove Anglers Reef and had a little bit of a current as we descended to the bottom. There was fish life all about the reef with squirrelfish hiding under the reef and goatfish and butterflyfish swimming all about. There were also a couple eels hiding about the reef.

For the second dive we dropped in at Koko Craters and again had a great dive. We found a few turtles about the reef area and a few more eels hiding out. There were also damselfish everywhere defending their egg patches and wrasses swimming about. We found some trumpetfish around the reef as well.

Matt Zimmerman

Not Oahu Scuba Diving But Molokai Diving

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Finding our dive site off Molokai, Hawaii

Today we did an unusual trip across to our nearest neighboring island, Molokai, for some scuba Diving. Leaving Friday night we motored across the channel with our captains Joe and Tim taking turns while the customers and staff slept in the cabin or out on the deck. After a rather adventurous crossing we made it to the NE corner of Molokai for the first dive with the hopes of spotting sharks. It was a great reef area with lots of fish life including wrasses and butterflyfish everywhere. At the very end of the dive a few divers caught a glimpse of a hammerhead shark!

We had a nice ride along the sea cliff on the north side of the island (some of the largest sea cliff in the world) even with some rain, making for some great waterfalls all along the ride. For our second dive we dropped in on one of the small islands on the east side of Kalaupapa called Okala Island. It had a big swim-thru on a part of the island and life hidden all around it. There were large crap all around it including a 7-11 crab and a sponge crab. We also saw a pair of bandit angelfish, a native fish rare to us Oahu scuba divers.

After a nice lunch and motor to the NW side of Molokai we dropping in on a great shallow reef area for the final dive. There were large rubble piles everywhere for life to be hiding out in including groups of spiny lobsters and reef fish all about. Right at the end of the dive a few of us spotted a few bottlenose dolphins that quickly took off from the area. It was a great trip with a wonderful ride back to Oahu as the sun was slowly headed for the horizon.

Lauren Smith

They Call Me The Monk Seal Whisperer

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WRITTEN BY Andrew Corley

Hawaiian Monk Seal

On my first dive back from a trip to Thailand I couldn’t have had a better way to be welcomed back to Oahu! We tied up at the 90′ LCU wreck and dropped in on one of the juvenile resident white-tips sleeping under the wreck. Outside of the wreck we came acoss a well camoflaged day octopus who came out to play with us.

On our second dive we went to the wall to see who was hanging out at the Sea Cave. Sooo glad we did because a critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal (# N19), was there and ready to play. As we swam under the archway, N19 came down and played with our bubbles and curiously looked at the O-rings blown by our new intructors Davy and Kendal. She swam up to just about all of the divers to say hello and smile for the cameras. After spending just about the whole dive inside of the cave, we ventured out to cruise the wall and I looked back to see the Monk Seal come out of the cave after us as if to say, “Why are you guys leaving? I want to play more!” (See the video below!) An amazing way to be welcomed back to the islands. Thanks to all who came out today, it was truly a pleasure to share such an experience with you guys.

Lauren Smith

Whale Symphony at Night

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Sponge Crab on the Corsair Wreck dive

Aloha and Good Evening folks!

Sponge Crab on the Corsair Wreck dive
Nature has been kind to us the past few days, and it still keeps on giving! Sorry for all you surfers out there, this is scuba diving week. Conditions were excellent as we prepared to leave dock for a two tank Night Diving charter our of Hawaii Kai.

Oahu scuba diving is fantastic during the day, and we had a few first time night divers to prove that it was also just as fantastic at night. We chose to do the Corsair wreck dive first. The sun set fast and dusk was already upon us as we descended. Kyra and Isaac were doing their Nitrox Specialty and Night Advanced Open Water certification dive, and were stoked. Strong current siphoned awesome jellies and weird alien looking creatures past us on our way down.

About halfway down the underwater symphony began. Humpback song echoed around the bay as we dove, giving us a bit of a theme music background as we explored the wreckage. It was loud and amazing. We were looking around just expecting to see one swim by….again 🙂 The frogfish were posing awesome on the tail, the moray was in the engine, surrounded by a red hawaiian lobster and a crab. Two spongecrabs were hugging under the prop, and schools of moorish idols slept on the inside of the cockpit. On our ascent the bio’s were awesome. Bits of blue encircling anything that moved!

Our second dive was at Baby Barge, another Oahu Wreck Dive. We tied up and headed down. Current was still ripping but the bio-luminescence was everywhere! Turtles slept about and got a little upset when our lights woke them from their slumber. One of these guys even decided to ram Ryan and his monster camera! A few morays were hunting around the underside of the wreck, and the whales could still be heard in the distance. The wreck looked uber cool with 10 lights lighting it up from multiple angles, and flashes from cameras occasionally giving a wide view. on the surrounding reef, the fish all sat in the nooks and crannys to avoid the current and get some well earned rest.

We all got back on the boat and enjoyed some hot cocoa and tea, and made it back to dock, but only after a minty hot towel! Mahalo from staff and crew for coming out at IDH!