Oahu diving at its best!

It was a great day to learn how to dive! We have been graced with some fantastic weather the last few days and it definitely showed today underwater. We had a sunny day with a slight breeze which made for great conditions up on deck. We were joined by many families aboard the Sea Fox, many of which came from all levels of diving, which made for an exciting day. We headed out to our first site, Turtle Canyons, and dropped down into some crystal clear waters.

With a wide variety of divers, we decided it would be best to separate into groups to make our dives more efficient. Jessie and Carlos took a group of first time divers for their Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) experience, and they had a fantastic time! There really is nothing like being underwater for the first time. Larry led a group of certified divers who were very anxious to get their feet wet again. I (Marnie) took a few students, one who was working toward their Open Water certification, another doing a Navigation specialty. We made our way through a predetermined course using our compass as our guide. It such a great way to advance your skills as a diver, and its a lot of fun!

During our surface interval, we had some time to review our skills, look up some fish, and learn a little bit more about diving. For some of the divers, it was great to swap stories and travel experiences with other divers. After all, there is always something we can learn about our underwater world.

At our second dive site, Koko Crater, we again had the chance to see a lot of eels! Today was definatly a day for looking at all the different species of eels that we have here in Hawaii.

The students had the chance to yet again work with the compass and navigate around the dive site. Koko Crater is such a fantastic site to train at, and there is always so much to see!

The certified divers had a chance for a longer dive which allowed for them to check out the overhangs and all of the cool features of this underwater “cleaning station”. We of course were greeted by the friendly sea turtles and had a great time experiencing their world.

We made our way back aboard the Sea Fox and made our way back into the Hawaii Kai marina just before dinnertime. Such a great way to spend a Thursday afternoon!

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CREW: Marnie (instructor) Jessie (instructor) Larry (instructor) Carlos (divemaster) Steve (crew) Kendal (captain)

WEATHER CONDITIONS: 86*F, Sunny, 81*F water temp, slight southwest current

DIVE PROFILES: Turtle Canyon: 36ft max depth, 38minutes, 80ft visibility

Koko Crater: 41ft max depth, 39minutes, 100ft visibility

MARINE LIFE OBSERVED: sea turtle, nudibranch, moray eel, sergeant major, moorish idol, unicornfish