November 2014 - Island Divers Hawaii

The Return of the Humpbacks! 11_30_2014

November 30, 2014/in Dive Reports, Dive Travel, Diving Courses/by Manolo Cabasal

It was another full house for the Sunday 3-tanker this morning on the Sea Fox. With personal gear slung over shoulder, 15 hardcore avid divers waltz through the door and straight onto the boat. With clear skies, moderate winds, and a small swell, the boat ride towards Kewalo Basin was picturesque. Prior to arriving at the first dive site, The Sea Tiger, a pod of 5 humpback whales were spotted. I can’t wait for the first chance to go scuba diving with humpback whales this year, a rare treat that happens usually a dozen times a season.

*The Sea Tiger*
100ft – 30min
77 degrees

While descending on the Sea Tiger, the divers were met with absolutely no current and 60 foot visibility. Captain Joe was right on the money. Hovering over the side of the deck and looking down, the divers spotted a 5-foot white tip reef shark lurking along the bottom. A pufferfish, schools of snapper, and a giant green moray also were spotted on this scuba dive.

*YO-257 & San Pedro*
99ft – 31min
77 degrees

En-route to the YO-257 the pod of humpback whales was spotted again, this time further out to sea off Waikiki. Too bad they didn’t stick around on site. With the current beginning to pick up and 50 foot visibility, the encounter would had to have been a close one. Diving in high off the second whale siting, YO-257 and San Pedro didn’t fail to disappoint. Bigger schools of snapper and fusiliers surrounded the wheelhouse of the YO and free swimming eels darted across the sandy bottom. At the San Pedro, an old turtle with battle scars (an apparent shark bite to the shell) cruised a long the wreck while another white tip was spotted napping in the bow.

*Angler’s Reef*
46ft – 44min *drift*
77 degrees

With the winds picking up and the current beginning to blow, the divers opted to continue on with the day’s theme of chilled out diving and go for a drift dive on Angler’s Reef. The whales had come and gone, but there were still plenty of things to see with the 80 foot visibility. A beautiful school of Moorish Idols swam through the group while an octopus and sponge crab hid from prying eyes and flash strobes. Instead of giant green morays, many snowflake eels of all sizes peeked their heads out as the divers eased down the current.

Congratulations to Serena on completing her Advanced Open Water Diver course! Look us up when you’re read to move on to Rescue Diver.

Thank you Captain Joe, Max, & Dave for crewing and making today possible.

RIDERS ON THE STORM 29 november

November 30, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

take a long holiday, in the ocean play. Well, no storm, but weird winds gave us occasionally huge waves, and a fun ride on the Fox. but waves are never a problem when Captain Joe is driving, as he knows how to move the boat through them (unless he gets a fish on the line) as smoothly as possible! Under the surface the diving was epic, as the shark population at LCU seems to grow everyday! and we divers are loving it. plus the rays are consistently flying around. current was moderate to strong, but not a problem, and viz was good. no frog fish today, but the sharks and rays more than made up for it! 2nd jump was a drift of Fantasy reef, and the current was mild, allowing us to move back and forth across the spectacular lava formations, spotting huge turtles, sharks, lots of eels, some octopus, and more eagle rays! great day of diving! thanks to all for safe diving! larry, captain joe, kelsea

LCU 90 ft 100 viz 35 min.

Fantasy 50 ft 120 viz 44 min

Where’s Toto? – 29 November

November 30, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Matt Negaard

It was a fantastic day to dive the West side of Oahu! Great weather and excellent conditions underwater were the order of the day. We had regulars Morgan, Jason, Ryan, and Deb along with visitors Ruth, Gary, Garrett, Pilar, and Tim. Josh brought along Mary, Sabina, and Sulfiati to complete the group. Captain Mike took us over to the Mahi first and conditions were great for us. The usual puffers were absent, but we ran into a large school of Bluestripe Snapper, a Whitemouth Moray Eel, and a nice size Octopus.

Mahi Tako

Ascention..

Josh’s Group

Second stop was Oz. With varying topography (walls, canyons, sand, and ledges), this is becoming one of my favorites on the West Side. Here we saw a few Turtles, a Spotted Eagle Ray that hung out for about 3 minutes, Moray Eels, and spectacular views all around! Too soon, the dive was over and it was time for some bun-less burgers and refreshments.

Friendly Flyer

Honu

Great diving with all of you on some memorable dives! Till next time, Aloha..

Weather: Wind 15 to 20, Swell 2-3 ft., Mostly Sunny 84 F.
Dives: Mahi Wreck – 90 ft. 35 minutes, Visibility 100 ft., No Current
Oz – 55 ft. 55 minutes, Visibility 70 ft., Mild Current
Staff: Mike (Captain), Matt (Instructor), Howard (Crew DM)

S’CUZE ME !! 24 days til Christmas

November 27, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

while i kiss the sky! oh, sorry, just some Hendriks music. but excuze me is what I had to say to all the SHARKS swimming around us beneath the LCU! man oh man, what a great dive today! with a nice mix of locals and visitors, who were all stoked after seeing all the shark activity today! we could also happily kiss the sky, as it was blue and sunny, a perfect dive day! Craig from NZ, (sneaking away from his brand new wife to go diving), Michael from germany, and natalie from France, were our internationals today, along with uncle Paul, Noah, eric and irina, and Kent, and Nolani all out for some fun. LCU also had a frog fish sitting in the antler coral on the deck, plus a slipper lobster doing the same. also 3 octopus and eagle rays! 2nd jump was a drift of spectacular Fantasy reef, and it was! huge turtles, eels everywhere, barracuda, and great arches and swim-thrus! thanks to all for safe diving, Larry, Max, Joe

LCU 90 ft 100 viz 35 minutes

Fantasy 50 ft. 120 viz 45 min.

Turtles before Turkey! Nov 26

November 26, 2014/in Uncategorized/by David Sanchez

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The day before Thanksgiving and a happy band of divers set off for a Wednesday of Adventure! Allison began her DSD day learning a bit at the IDH shop before entering the pool for a quick skill session… which she ACED! then we met Peter, Charles, Unmesh, Prabha, Melissa, Jason and Gil back at the shop to board the Sea Fox. Our first destination… Koko Crater. We tied up and all divers entered the water safely and descended using the lines. We started our tour at Back Crater, crossed over to Big Buddha, and were met by a host of turtles.

They were very active and friendly, swimming in , through, and around the divers who did their best to stay out of their way. As we made our way to Little Buddha we came across an Eel laying under the crater lip…

and darting about the sandy bottom were a couple of small Founders…

Next stop was Anglers reef. Squirrel fish, Butterflys, Sergeants, Triggers, Eels, and a variety of other fish hurried about the reef. All in all a great day of diving was had by all. Thank you to all our divers for a safe and fun day of diving! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

KOKO CRATER / 34 ft/ 75*

ANGLERS REEF/ 42 ft/ 75*

Dave Sanchez- Lead

Marnie- Support

Joe- Capt

Max- Crew

LCU doesn’t dissappoint…

November 25, 2014/in Uncategorized/by David Sanchez

A gloomy morning morphed into a sunshine filled day for our trip out on the morning Fox. We were pleased to have the Londono family (Luis. Sophie, Mary, Katrina, and Nicholas), Paul, Margaret, Jack, Lauen, Ali, Noah, Drew, Sean, Ryan, and Trevor. Once moored up there was found a strong current, so all our divers used the descent lines on their way down to the LCU. Several sharks circled under and around the site…

while a family of 4 Spotted Eagle Rays flew in formation around the blocks…

All our divers ascended safely and after a surface interval we decided to Drift Anglers Reef. All our divers entered the water and began a slow gentle drift in the current…

Eels, Octopus, Butterflys, Tangs, Moorish Idols, and Squirrel fish danced in and out of the reef… a great dive.

Thank you to all our divers for a safe and fun day of diving!

LCU Depth 85*/ Temp 76*

ANGLERS REEF Depth 45*/ Temp 77*

Dave Sanchez/ Lead

Manolo/ Support

Joe/ Capt

Max/ Crew

Holiday Diving (Nov25)

November 25, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Marnie Cadden

We had the sun peek through the clouds this afternoon for dives in Maunalua Bay. Despite the rain we had for the past few days, we had clear skys and sunshine for our dives.

At our first site, we came across so many different creatures! When we spotted our first turtle amongst the reef, it triggered a series of unexpected encounters.

Immediately after, we spotted a massive octopus, followed by a eagle ray cruising by! Talk about a lot of action!

We found huge shells and experienced a lot of things that are fantastic to see underwater. Im sure our first time divers were breathless!

At our second site, we dropped into huge schools of this little guy, the sergeant major. They had just laid many eggs and were protecting their nests.

The craters were full of life and it was a great way for all of our divers to experience the beauty of these Hawaiian waters. Thanks for coming out guys!

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CREW: Marnie (instructor) Brad (instructor) Ashley (crew) Joe (captain)

CONDITIONS: 76*F air, 79*F water, Partly cloudy

DIVE PROFILES: Koko Crater: max depth 40ft, dive time 30 min, visibility 90 ft

Turtle Canyon: dive time 29min, max depth 38ft, visibility 70ft

MARINE LIFE: octopus, sea turtle, eagle ray, sea star, moray eel, white mouthed eel, Moorish idol

Cloudy with a side of Octopus (Nov24)

November 24, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Marnie Cadden

It was a bit chilly today when we headed out of the marina for our afternoon dives today. We had some determined divers who wanted to get in the water, despite the rainy skies.

At our first site, we spent most of our time enjoying the turtles in each of the craters, while some of the students worked on their skills for certification. Its a great spot with lots of marine life and sandy bottoms.

We came across some eels that were weaving in and out of the corals. They were all different species and all different sizes, so much diversity today!

At our second site, we came across so many different things, like this slipper lobster. We also saw schools of wrasse and triggerfish swimming along the reef.

We spotted a trident shell along the sand, it was about 6 inches long, one of the smaller ones that I have seen around these sites.

Towards the end of the dive, we spotted this Hawaiian octopus amongst the coral formations. He was huge! Very fun for our first times divers!

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CREW: Marnie (instructor) Dave (instructor) Kendal (captain) Chris (crew)

CONDITIONS: 72*F air, 79*F water, cloudy with scattered showers, mild surface current

DIVE PROFILES: Koko Crater: 40ft max depth, 29min dive time, 90ft visibility

Turtle Canyon: 38ft max depth, 32min dive time, 80ft visibility

MARINE LIFE: trident shell, octopus, sea turtle, wrasse, trumpetfish, triggerfish

SUBMARINES AND UNICORNS !!! 23 Month before Xmas

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

how many dive sites offer a submarine as part of the underwater attraction? no too many !! the YO 257 does, and we love to show it to divers! it is a real extra treat, considering that the YO 257 stands alone, without a sub, as a spectacular dive site. huge schools of various reef fish in shoaling behavior, huge turtles, huge whitetip sharks, huge eels, huge eagle rays, and huge smiles on the divers faces. the viz was good, and the current was mild, so we dropped down on the sister wreck – the San Pedro seeing those turtles and sharks, while the sub cruised right by us. over on the YO we had an unusual treat, as a small group of unicorn fish were around, several of which were at the cleaning station on top of the wheelhouse. after surfacing we headed over to the wall to world-class Sea Cave. waves were building a bit, but no problem for this group of intrepid divers! heading into the cave, we found a big turtle, two more sharks, and an awesome vision of the cave with light pouring in through the top. 3rd jump was a drift of Spitting Cave, and we saw turtles, scorpion fish, several frog fish, and octopus, as well as spectacular lava formed walls and caves. congrats to sean on completing his DM ! great job!! and thanks !!! and thanks to all for safe diving, larry, manolo, sean, captain joe, lauren

YO 257 100 feet 100 viz 100 minutes (naw, just 40)

Sea Cave 50 feet 120 viz 44 minutes

Spitting 50 feet 90 viz 45 minutes

Fun for the whole family!

November 24, 2014/in Uncategorized/by Lauren Smith

This morning started in the rain on the Sea Fox, but that did not stop the buzzing of our divers! Today we had a family of 6 diving with us: Jen, Rachel, Allison, Cory, Amy, Rhett with their Aunt Debbie soaking in the sun and along for the ride. This morning we selected a deep wreck dive at the Kahala Barge. The seas where a bit choppy and the current strong, but everyone had a pretty easy time following the drop line to the mooring and descended towards the top of the wreck. At the top of the Kahala we were meet by to Eagle Rays that seems to be suspended in the current. Our second dive was just as awesome once we descended for our drift through Fantasy Reef. Below at 50ft we all caught up with a big Green Sea Turtle cruising around. After we hung out with a few Moray Eels and a cute Kokala Porcupinefish :). Dive conditions on the surface we a bit cloudy and windy but the visibility today was awesome, the reef alive, and all of our customers excited!

_ CREW: Bradley (instructor) Larry (instructor) Joel (instructor) Kendal (captain) CONDITIONS: Cloudy, 71*F, 79*F water, visibility 80+ft DIVE PROFILES: Kahala Barge: 92ft max depth, 28min dive time – Fantasy Reef : 50ft max depth, 38min dive time MARINE LIFE: kokala porcupine fish, spotted moray eel, green sea turtle, spotted eagle ray, butterfly fish and nunu trumpetfish!