October 2014 - Page 2 of 5 - Island Divers Hawaii

TURTLE SHOW!! 25 Octoberpus

October 25, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

Yay, we got to dive today! we made the most of some beautiful Hawaiin weather by cruising out on the Sea Fox to dive the famous wreck of the Corsair airplane! the current was a bit strong, but everyone used the great underwater line set-up we have and enjoyed the dive. some nice schools of fish were hovering in and around the plane, the big eel (instructor Nates’ friend!) was in the fuselage, and there were a thousand garden eels out in the sand around us! viz was good! 2nd jump was a drift of spectacular Fantasy reef. we were right on time for the turtle show, and it was highly entertaining, as they cruised, ascended, descended, nipped at each other for top resting spots, and just plain napped. lots of fish, some big eels, and a great octopus also showed up along the way. thanks to all for safe diving!! larry, zak, kelsea,and cap’n joe

Corsair 107 depth 25 min 120 viz

Fantasy reef 52 depth 50 minutes 100 viz

Cruising Rays 10/24

October 24, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Mark Savel

Another wonderful morning off the Sea Fox today as we headed out to the Kahala Barge for the first dive. We had great viz on the wreck as we headed down the line. There were reef fish all over the wreck with schools of pennant and pyramid butterflyfish as well as tangs swimming about. Right at the end of the dive we had a spotted eagle ray come cruising by the wreck.

For the second dive we drifted Fantasy Reef and again had a nice dive. We found a few turtles around the site resting under ledges and a couple swimming about. There were also tons of reef fish and a few eels on the reef including a large white mouth morey. Right at the end of the dive we had another spotted eagle ray come cruising by checking us out.

Birthday Diving 10242014

October 24, 2014/in Images, Scuba Diving Certification/by Manolo Cabasal

Today on the Sea Fox we had a single student and a hand full of certified divers going out on the afternoon dives. The trades were light and the surge and current were moderate in strength. Today’s dive sites were Pa’a’awa and Koko Craters.

The bottom conditions were their normal spectacular selves: 60ft visibility and a warm 81 degrees at the bottom. The surge and current were moderate and noticeable. There were many standout creatures today: a baby octopus, dragon moray, spanish dancer, pincushion starfish, scorpion fish, and a giant Hawaiian Sea Turtle.

Happy Birthday to Lisa! Thank you for spending your birthday week with us on the boat. It’s been a blast to dive with you!

Congratulations to Mike for completing his Open Water Course. Now you’ve got to take your advanced with us so you can keep up with your wife!

A big thank you to the crew: Capt. Joe, Max, & Larry

THANKS DAVE ! 23 Octopus

October 24, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

“Near perfect conditions,” said Instructor Dave, surfacing after tying the Fox up to the underwater mooring at Koko Craters. and boy, he was right! the sky was a sunny blue, and the water was crystal clear, easily 150 foot viz, and the current was mild. he was joined by Alex, working on his Advanced cert, and i took michael, jim, ang, and, che, the last two divers visiting from China! as soon as we hit the bottom we found two huge green sea turtles, one napping under a ledge, and the other getting his shell cleaned by reef fish. as we cruised around we saw eels, small schools of fish, a slipper lobster, and, of course, more turtles! 2nd jump was over at Turtle Canyons, and while the current had picked up significantly. but we had fun, spotting more turtles, some huge eels, including a viper moray (see photo below), and an octopus. thanks to all for safe diving! larry, dave, kendal

koko craters 38 feet 40 minutes 150 viz

turtle canyons 35 feet 37 minutes 130 viz

Joys of Calm Days 10/22

October 22, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Mark Savel

It was a wonderful morning off the southeast side of Oahu. There was very little wind and a small south swell while the water was crystal clear out at the LCU for the first dive. We had 100+ft viz but some current as we made our way down to the wreck. Right away we found a large school of goatfish swimming about the wreck. Once under the wreck we saw a small group of white tip reef sharks hiding out including a 5-6 ft one. As we swam about the wreck we found a frogfish blending into the side and had a great relaxing time before heading back to the surface. As we motored to the next site we had a large pod of spinner dolphins cruising with us being very active in our wake.

For the second dive we drifted Fantasy Reef and again had a great dive. The viz was down a bit from the first dive but there was life all over the area. We found a couple turtles resting on the bottom. There were also a few eels hiding about the reef and colorful reef fish swimming all about. We had a great morning and it was a great ride back with no wind and glassy waters back to the dock.

A Laid back afternoon 1022*2014

October 22, 2014/in Uncategorized/by Manolo Cabasal

This afternoon on the Sea Fox we were joined an international cast of first-timers, students, and advanced divers. Surface conditions were glass-like with minimal trade winds and virturally no swell.

The bottom conditions were even better: 90ft visibility and minimal current. As close to a pool as you can get in Hawaii. The dive destinations today were Koko Craters and Angler’s Reef. Tons and tons of creatures came out to play today: Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles, a HUGE octopus, blue dragon nudibranch, giant green morays, reef crabs, and pennant monarchs.

Congratulations to Marti on completing her Discover Scuba Diving experience and Alex on completing his first two training dives.

Shout out to the crew: Capt. Joe, Danny, Marnie, Davy, & Manolo

Dive Stats:

Koko Craters & Angler’s Reef
38ft – 46min & 46 ft – 50min

Studious Tuesday! Oct 21

October 21, 2014/in Uncategorized/by David Sanchez

The crew of the Sea Fox set out on Tuesday afternoon to begin Matt’s Open Water Certification adventure, finalize Holly’s quest for certification, refresh and welcome back Roger to the undersea world, and to introduce certified Magdalena to the wonders of our shallow reef sites. Robin and Laurie joined us for an afternoon of snorkeling.

Our first site… Turtle Canyon. Both Matt and Holly accompanied me for skills while Roger and Magdalena were escorted around the site by Jessica. The vis was so-so (40 ft) and there was a small surge, but both students came through their skills with flying colors. During a brief dive around the site many fish were observed feeding: Pennant Butterfly, Reef Trigger, Achilles Tang, and the Hawaiian Sergeant to name a few…

After a brief surface interval our divers geared up and the POOL WAS OPEN at back crater (Koko Crater) for more skills and a chance to encounter a sea turtle. Vis improved to about 60 ft, once again both Matt and Holly showed great skills and perfect buoyancy during our dive, and of course on cue in dove a turtle from overhead and sat down right in front of them. A perfect photo op for Holly. Later on in the dive an octopus made an appearance, more fish, and an eel.

A great day of diving for all and a thank you to them for all diving safely and conserving our reef and its inhabitants for future divers… ALOHA!

Lead Dave Sanchez

Support Jessica Fett

Captain Joe

Crew Ashley

Turtle Canyon 40 ft

Koko Crater 37 ft

Post Hurricane Clarity 10202014

October 21, 2014/in Uncategorized/by Manolo Cabasal

Today at Island Divers a mixture of students and certified divers boarded the Sea Fox under a sunny skies and a light breeze. A complete change of pace from the 24 hours of rain courtesy of Hurricane Ana. Anxious to see the conditions under the water, the boat set out to Koko Crater & Angler’s Reef.

Greeted by a mild swell left over from Hurricane Ana, the divers were met with 80 ft visibility and a mild current at both dive sites. The aquatic seemed to carry on like normal. Armed with GoPros and other underwater cameras the divers get up close and personal with several local celebrities: Hawaiian green sea turtles, porcupine fish, trigger fish, 7-11 crabs, massive trumpet fish, an octopus, and a numerous assortment of eels.

Dive Stats:

Koko Craters & Angler’s Reef
40ft – 47min & 46ft – 50min

Congratulations to Alex for completing his PADI Open Water Certification! We wish you good skill as you move on to your Advanced Open Water Diver class!

Big shout out to the crew: Capt. Joe, Max, & Brad (the new guy)

STORMY WEATHER (NOT!) 17 Octoberfest

October 18, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

Looking outside you would never guess that a hurricane/tropical storm was headed towards the islands! Just perfect dive conditions, blue skies and clear blue water. Koko craters was our first destination this afternoon, as everyone wanted to see turtles and Kokos always delivers! Current was mild, water was warm, and the viz was excellent. Out today were craig, pat, and logan (just moved here!), plus the two Heathers who are here for a conference. We all enjoyed seeing the huge and beautiful turtles, as well as the myriad reef fish, and several eels peering out from their pukas. Marnie was out with student Alex, doing Open Water 1/2, and I hear he was stellar! 2nd jump was over at Turtle Canyons, home to lots of beautiful hard corals, schools of shoaling fish, a huge viper moray, more turtles, and a few octopus! Thanks to all for safe diving, larry, marnie, capt. joe

koko craters 38 feet 44 minutes 140 viz

turtles canyons 35 feet 49 minutes 110 viz

Calm before the Storm! Oct 17

October 17, 2014/in Uncategorized/by David Sanchez

Another beautiful day before Tropical Storm Ana makes its presence known on Saturday. We departed with divers Jason and Jonathan, a group of ZX divers, and a few IDH divers and friends. As we tied up to LCU it was noted that a significant Diamond Head current was ripping by the site, so all divers used the line and made their way down to the wreck. 6 white tip sharks were sleeping lazily underneath the ship, an eagle ray flew bye, and an octopus made an appearance! Alot to see for all our divers…

Jason showing great form

After a 45 minute surface interval Capt Joe parked next to China Wall for a drift dive. Perfect entry by all our divers and we started a calm and relaxing drift… turtles, grouping frog fish, and eels all welcomed the group as we glided bye… all had a great time and thanks to all our diver for diving safely and responsibly…

A trio of frog fish

LCU Depth 89 ft

China Wall Depth 50 ft

Water Temp 77 *f