September 2014 - Page 3 of 4 - Island Divers Hawaii

Unforgettable Views 9/14

September 14, 2014/in Uncategorized/by Mark Savel

There were some wonderful dive conditions today despite the large south swell. On our way out to the LCU this morning we had a pod of dolphins cruising in the bay and such clear skies you could see Molokai, Maui, and Lanai. When we got the wreck we had great visibility and very little current. There were a few white tip reef sharks found right away hiding under the wreck and reef fish all about the area. We found a frogfish sitting on the side of the wreck and an undulated morey hiding on the top of the wreck. Soon we were off the the next site.

We decided to head to the east and do Skimin’s Reef and again had great viz and we dropped in for a drift dive. The site is great with cool swim-throughs and archways and nice drop offs. We had fish all about the area with butterflyfish and wrasses swimming about the reef. We also had a spotted eagle ray come cruising of the top of the reef but quickly took off from all the divers. As we finished the dive we cruised around to China Walls to have a great view of the large surf and watched the surfers on our surface interval.

There was a bit of a surge on the shallower sites so for the last dive we picked a deeper reef. We dropped in on Keanu Reef for the last dive and it was a wonderful chose for the end. There were reef fish everywhere. We had schools of tangs and butterflyfish all over the reef as well as damselfish protecting small patches of the reef that they claimed as theirs. We found a few more eels about the area including a large yellow margin morey. It was a great Sunday and a perfect time to be out on the water.

OCTOPUS DATING !! 13 september

September 13, 2014/in Dive Reports, Uncategorized/by Larry Hogan

Blue skies over the incoming large swell greeted us this afternoon as we headed out for some diving at Koko craters. The waves were growing and there were lots of surfers out catching. Tomorrows’ waves are predicted at 6 to 8 foot! grab your boards! Kokos had some real surge, which churns up the bottom and lowers the viz, but we had a great time as all the turtles came out to swim with and around us! If you haven’t been swimming with a big green hawaiin sea turtle you have not dove!! 2nd jump was over to Angler’s Ledge, where we saw huge eels, lots of reef fish, helmet conch, urchins, hard corals, and a pair of octopus on a date. check out the photo, see if you can see the white colored octopus slightly behind the brown one! thanks to all for safe diving, larry, joe, kelsea

koko craters 38 feet 50 minutes 4o viz

anglers ledge 48 feet 44 minutes 80 viz

Fishy Friday (SEPT12)

September 12, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Marnie Cadden

What great conditions we had this afternoon on the Sea Fox! Visibility was over 100ft and the waters were calm for us to enjoy some Oahu diving.

There was a ton of marine life out enjoying the good conditions as well. At Angler’s Reef, we saw schools and schools of fish, all intermingling with each other. There was a huge crab, large moray eels, and the ever famous green sea turtle.

One of the moray eels was eating a goatfish, and we were lucky enough to see it with our own eyes! Such a treat for our first site!

Since we had such a small boat of divers this afternoon, we decided that we would drift on our second dive and head over to Spitting Caves. It was quite a treat to do this site in the afternoon, many of our divers don’t have great conditions for this site in the afternoon.

Sure enough, we dropped onto some more great conditions along the southeastern tip of the island. Spitting Caves is a personal favorite of mine, and if you dive it, you know why. There is just so many amazing things to see!

Again, there were schools of different kinds of fish and the visibility was again crystal clear. We were even lucky enough to see a spotted eagle ray swim by right after we exited one of the caves!

Thanks to all the divers who made for a great afternoon out in the water! We even did a bit of a cleanup at our second site and collected a ton of fishing weights! I love to see other divers with a passion for the sea!

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CREW: Marnie (instructor) Carlos (divemaster) Max (captain)

CONDITIONS: 87*F, slight Koko Head current, 83*F water temp, sunny

DIVE PROFILES: Angler’s Reef: 44ft max depth, 38min bottom time, 100+ft visibility

Spitting Caves: 50ft max depth, 36min bottom time, 90+ft visibility

MARINE LIFE: eagle ray, sea turtle, crab, pincushion seastar, cowfish, triggerfish, cleaner shrimp

BLUES CRUISE !! 12 September

September 12, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

Today was indeed a Blues Cruise and the ocean and the sky were just a combo of spectacular blue shades! Hard to express how nice the diving was today, and much of that was just those shades of blue. Water was crystal clear, viz being over 150 feet on both dives! We were hoping for the wall, but the waves were a bit big, so we headed over to Baby Barge and moored up. Current was strong, so we met up on the line and did a free decent toward the shark cave. No sharks today though! Heading up the ledge toward the barge we enjoyed the awesome viz and the light blue water. Lots of coral, eels, and reef fish. At the barge we saw several large turtles at the cleaning station, plus lots of fish in and around the barge itself. 2nd jump was a drift of Fantasy Reef, and it was excellent! We saw all the various reef fish, plus more huge turtles, eels, and a cute little octopus. Thanks to all for safe diving. larry, joe, max, clare

An Afternoon of Exploring (SEPT11)

September 11, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Marnie Cadden

It was a very unique boat this afternoon. We had a variety of divers, all of which shared a passion for diving. With such a small group, we had the ability to split into two smaller groups, allowing us to maximize our dive.

At Koko Crater, our first site, we explored the craters with some great visibility. There were turtles under all of their normal ledges and a large amount of sergeant majors that hung around the middle of the main crater. Divers got to spend anywhere from 35-50 minutes underwater enjoying the warm summer water.

Looking at all of the smaller marine life is one of my favorite things to do, and there was so much to see today. From this tiny seastar to the nudibranch that crawl across the reef.

We made our way back onto the Sea Fox and spent some time at the surface. We talked about all different kinds of diving and travel and enjoyed some light snacks before hopping back into the water.

We first thought we would check out our new mooring at Hawaii Loa, however we were worried the visibility wasn’t too great. So we made our way over to Angler’s Reef and were blessed with clear waters!

It seemed as though there was an excess amount of sea urchins that were lining the ledge, and the eels who were out seemed enormous! We got to spend almost an hour at this site looking at all different kinds of marine life. Such a great way to spend the afternoon!

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CREW: Marnie (instructor) Carlos (divemaster) Kendal (captain) Steve (Crew)

CONDITIONS: Slight Koko Head Current (E), Sunny, 86*F,

DIVE PROFILES: Koko Crater: 40ft max depth, 82*F water temp, 38min bottom time

Angler’s Reef: 43ft max depth, 82*F water temp, 44min bottom time

MARINE LIFE OBSERVED: green sea turtle, octopus, trumpetfish, nudibranch, helmet conch, moray eel

Happy Turtle Day from IDH!

September 10, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Amy Bossler

Swimming in the schools

Not so shy..

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, slight breeze
Dive Sites: LCU and Fantasy Reef
Dive Conditions: Medium Koko Head current and 100′ of viz
Marine Life Observed: White tip reef sharks, green sea turtles, blue dragon nudibranch, frog fish, a variety of eels and reef fish
Staff: Capt. Jo, Amy, Everett, and Max

Aloha,

Thanks for choosing to dive with Island Divers Hawai’i. We had absolutely lovely conditions on the Fox today. We had David and Robert joining us from Australia and Heinz and Chris joining us from Switzerland. Our entire boat were a bunch of dog lovers so Cammie, my little scuba diving dog, was requested. She came to provide puppy kisses and cuddles in between and before/after dives. All of my men were great divers and eager to hop into the warm and clear Hawaiian waters. Captain Jo and Max led our group out to our first site, LCU. This wreck sits in about 90′ of water. We enjoyed great underwater conditions today! The sharks at back to cruising under the wreck so we had the opportunity to check out three white tips reef sharks, a large frog fish, a variety of eels, and a school of small ahi (tuna). For dive #2 we headed over to our IDH favorite, Fantasy Reef. This beautiful reef system in found in about 55′ of water. We had a strong Koko Head current used it to our advantage! Our team had a nice leisurely :50 dive. We counted 11 turtles!!! That’s right, I said ELEVEN turtles! The turtles were everywhere today. We also found some beautiful eels, nudibranch, and reef fish. Overall, it was a great day of diving. Thanks again for choosing to dive with Island Divers Hawai’i. Stop by one of our shops if you are interested in getting certified to go out and explore our beautiful underwater world! Until next time, dive easy!

Aloha,

Amy

A Great Turtle Day 9/9

September 9, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Mark Savel

What a great afternoon we had on the Sea Fox today. There was a wonderful group of divers as we headed out for a couple shallow reef dives. For the first dive we hit Koko Craters and had perfect visibility and a slight current as we descended to the bottom. Right away we found a couple turtles resting under some ledges and fish swimming all about. There we a couple more turtles about area and eels hiding all over the site. There were a couple large yellow margin moreys and small stout moreys. It was a nice dive but soon it was time to surface and head for the next site.

The second dive we dove Turtle Canyons and had a spectacular dive. There was little current and fish everywhere. We had schools of wrasses and butterflyfish all over and more eels hiding in the reef. We also came across a few leaf scorpionfish and a devil scorpionfish blending into the bottom. It was a great day and congratulation to Adam for finishing his PADI open water class today.

What to bring on a Scuba Diving Trip in Hawaii or Anywhere!

September 9, 2014/in Uncategorized/by Lauren Smith

What do you bring on a dive trip?

When you spend valuable vacation time and hard earned money to go on an exotic (or not so exotic) dive trip it’s essential to make sure you are fully prepared.

Many of the best dive locations in the world are in remote areas, some are even out of the country. This means the accommodations may be removed from cities and other populated areas. You aren’t necessarily going to have a mall or convenience store at your fingertips. What about a fully equipped dive shop with a repair center? Pharmacy?

These lists aren’t just for faraway places, if you do shore dives or go out on a pals boat some of these tips for your kit may save your own or your buddies dive.

Experienced divers usually have some sort of a save a dive kit, but you may need to beef it up a bit for international trips. Having gone on 13 international SCUBA trips, I would like to think we learned a thing or two on how to prepare and what to bring along.

Of course you know to pack your clothes, toiletries and dive gear. Now that we have you thinking about dive travel and how location can necessitate what you may need, here are some ideas you may want to incorporate into your dive kit in the future.

Prepare

If you have not been diving in a few months or longer, it would be best if you did a dive or two prior to taking off on a trip. Diving prior will let you know if your body is in shape for diving. This is also a great opportunity to give your gear a once over.

Make sure your BCD and regulator has current yearly service and is working properly.
Get a fresh battery in your computer.
Dive and trip insurance. There are plenty of places to buy these, but Dive Assure makes is quick and easy on with on the web sign up. Bookmark the link below.

Make a few copies of your passport. Stow one copy in a different bag than your original passport. Give one copy to a family member or friend along with your travel itinerary for emergencies. Email yourself these travel documents as well. Most international travel means your passport needs to be good for 6 months upon landing in your destination.
Have the nearest embassy phone number and address as well as phone and address of the nearest hospital and chamber.
Call your credit card company to let them know where you are going to be. You don’t want to be stuck with a non-working credit card like I was in Egypt several years ago. Not fun!
A lot of international dive locations use DIN valves, but not all. Make sure you have a compatible first stage or an adaptor.
Some airlines have special baggage rates for sports equipment, do your homework, it could save you some money. Have the airline put a “fragile” sticker on your gear. It’s free and couldn’t hurt. Carry on your regulator.
Bring your certification card/nitrox card!

Dive Kit:

Extra mask
Defog
Mouthpiece for your regulator
Zip ties
Dive tables (What happens if your computer conks out?)
Surface marker (This should be part of your everyday dive gear!)
Unbroken glow stick for your BCD pocket. (night emergency)
Back up light (Always take batteries out for travel, fire hazard.)
Fresh batteries for lights
Fin and Mask strap
O-rings
Pen and log book

Extra stuff to bring:

BYO toilet paper. In many countries this is not complimentary in public restrooms. I usually have small tissue packets in my bag at all times. (We learned this the hard way.)
Plug adapter and power strip. Phone, camera, razor, computer, e-reader…. You can’t plug them all into just one adapter.
Rash guards are awesome. Less sunblock, washable in the sink, dries quickly. Can’t beat them for travel.
Small chamois or sarong instead of a big bulky beach towel. They dry quicker, take up less room and if you are like me you will end up wearing the sarong.
Lady products. Some countries have different, unfamiliar brands and styles. It’s best to bring what you know works.
Sunblock
Bug repellant
Hat

Where ever you are going for your next dive excursion its important to be prepared and aware of your diving environment. Again if you haven’t dived in a while schedule a check out dive before you leave with us at Island Divers Hawaii. Remember a confident diver is a safe diver! Contact us today to get back in the water or to find out where we are diving next! www.oahuscubadiving.com/dive-travel/

Matt and Sheila on the liveaboard vessel Siren at the Voli Voli resort in Fiji

You’re a natural…9/8/2014

September 8, 2014/in Uncategorized/by Manolo Cabasal

Being proclaimed ‘a natural diver’ is probably the highest compliment a dive instructor could give you, especially if you are doing your first Discover Scuba Diving experience. Having one in a group isn’t uncommon, but having ALL 4 in a group take to SCUBA diving in the first 5 minutes is just downright unheard of!!!

Today’s natural born divers were Jordan & Sarah, from Canada, and Jumpei and Shimpie, from Japan. The fabulous foursome met this morning @ 0900 in the morning at IDH’s Hawaii Kai location. There they filled out paperwork, watched the intro video, and were fitted for gear. Before they knew it, they were in the water at the Makai Research pier and absolutely crushed their skills in a matter of minutes. They even had time to see a turtle during their neutral buoyancy swim practice! You’re lucky enough to seen your buddy 10 feet next to you, muchless a turtle on your first training dive. After a short lunch, the prodigies joined the rest of the divers and students on the Sea Fox.

Koko Craters was the first dive site on the agenda. Upon entry the divers were met with 80 foot visibility and 80 degree Fahrenheit water. An assortment of sleeping, feeding, and swimming turtles delighted the divers. Also spotted were sergeant majors, trumpet fish, a pincushion starfish, and a spotted porcupine fish. The brand new divers were also able to pull off a 36 minute dive.

After some coaching on relaxation the divers entered the water at Angler’s reef. The visibility was spectacular, 100+ft! This time the divers saw many different morays. White, zebra, and a couple of giant morays astounded the divers with their massive size. 3-4 ft long and as thick is your leg. Yup, pretty thick. The divers also swam through a large school of banner and trigger fish before slowly ascending back to the boat. This time they pulled out a 43 minute dive. The coaching paid off.

Congratulations to Jumpei, Shumpei, Jordan, and Sarah on completing your first open water dives. You guys are indeed natural born divers and I expect to see you guys certified, traveling, and diving the rest of the world.

Also congrats to Adam and Gino (far left) for completing their Open Water Course. Honorable mention, Robert (far right), you’ve completed your first two open water dives! You’re halfway there!

A big shout out to Captain Kendal and Marnie! Thanks for helping out on the boat.

Dive Stats:

Koko Crater & Angler’s Reef
40ft – 36min @ 48ft – 43min

LOVE THOSE MONK SEALS!! 8 september

September 8, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

Gorgeous day today above and below the surface. Great group, with 2nd day of diving for Mark, Amy, Jane, and Kurt. Also out were grubby (that’s right, he likes that name) and Jeanie from Virginia, plus Trina from Chicago! Max was out was some DMCs, and we tried to dive the Corsair, but the current was too strong, so we headed over to baby barge and drifted from the shark cave to big barge and beyond. Great viz and we saw turtles and octopus, plus large schools of fish along the way! 2nd jump was another drift, and we dropped at fish garden, seeing shoaling fusiliers and lots of feeding butterfly fish. Two big treats today as we cruised along, we saw four big fin squid, which did the squid dance for us. Always fun to see! Then inside the A-frame cave, a big monk seal, who just hung out in the cave, breathing from the exhaled air trapped on the surface! great fun, great conditions, and great divers! thanks to all for safe diving. larry, max, and kendal.