Hawaiian Monk Seal sighting during Scuba Diving

A Dive to Remember!

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DSC00070 Entrance to Sea Cave Trumpet Shell Green Sea Turtle Swim Thru @ Skimman's Reef

Hawaiian monk seal

Hawaiian monk seal

Weather Conditions: Sunny with a slight breeze
Dive Sites: Skimman’s Reef and Sea Cave
Dive Conditions: 80′ visibility, slight current
Marine Life: Monk Seal, green sea turtles, white tip reef shark, dragon moray eel, trumpet shell, yellow legged hairy hermit crab, sponge crab, and various species of nudibranchs
Staff: Capt. Jo, MSDT Amy, and Eric (crew)

Aloha,
Thanks for choosing to dive with Island Divers Hawaii.  We had a beautiful morning of diving. Wes, Paul, Alex, and Elena joined us for some fun in the Hawaiian waters.  With the light winds and flat waters we decided to drive over to the south/east side to hit up some less commonly dove sites.  Our first site was a :35 dive on Skimman’s reef (named in memory of our good IDH friend and coast guard pilot).  This site is an amazing topographic dive.  Lots of valleys, walls, and swim thrus.  Our team saw some green sea turtles, nudibranchs, flat worms, and octopus.  However, this site is by far known for its structural beauty.  During our quick surface interval we watched some squid on the surface and attempted to catch some fish.  After fueling up on Famous Amos and Red Vines, we headed in for dive two at Sea Cave.  Today’s dive was one that will not be forgotten in the near future.  We saw a white tip reef shark, yellow legged hairy hermit crab, sponge crab, various nudibranchs, multiple green sea turtles, AND a MONK SEAL and a DRAGON MORAY!!!!  For those of you who don’t know, both are incredibly rare.  There are currently less than 1000 monks seals left in the wild and they will very likely be extinct in our lifetimes.  Anyone lucky enough to dive with one of these majestic creatures is truly blessed.  Additionally, we found a dragon moray (equally rare).  This was only my fourth sighting in HI waters in over seven years of diving!!!  I’d like to think that our AZ friends brought us good luck today.  Thanks to our four customers for diving with us and choosing IDH.  We had a blast sharing the underwater world with you.  Until next time, dive easy!

Aloha,
Amy and Capt. Jo