Humpback Whales Singing as SCUBA Divers enjoy the 100 Foot Visibility of the Pacific

Is that humpbacks singing?

The humpbacks were indeed singing, and they say all day long. More on that later though! It was another beautiful day in Hawaii Kai. Light and variable trade winds and a small swell made surface conditions absolutely perfect for this morning’s dive. Today aboard the Sea Hound we were joined by local divers, students, and the ever faithful and steady troop of tank monkeys. The tank monkey position is a highly sought after volunteer position here at the Dive Shop. One 4-hour shift a week filling tanks, cleaning dive gear, and sweeping the shop gets you free dives and dive courses up to Rescue diver. If you are interested in getting on the wait list for a tank monkey position, send us an e-mail! You must already be a diver. Enough rambling, let’s talk about the day’s dives!!!

Landing Craft Upside Down (LCU)
94 ft – 32 min

The lack of current and 100 ft visibility allowed for a nice and relaxing free descent to the bottom. Absent were the usual family of sharks underneath the wreck, however present was the massive school of goat fish that envelopes the wreck. Underneath the wreckage an air pocket large enough to fit ones head was found off in an odd corner (the air in it tasted a bit musky). Around the wreck a solo spotted eagle ray flew by. Further from the wreck a crown of thorns starfish was found wrapped around an unfortunate coral head and a tandem of barracuda cruised along the bottom looking for their next meal. During the whole dive the baritone song of nearby humpback whales provided the soundtrack.

Smitty’s & Keanu Reefs (drift)
72ft – 42min

After cruising with humpback whales on the surface interval, divers jumped into 80ft visibility on Smitty’s & Keanu Reefs. The baritone soundtrack of humpback whales continued to resonate in the ears of the divers. Except this time their song was much louder. Along the bottom were several fine specimens of green antler coral that yielded  several species of fish using them as protection. Most notably were the Banner Butterfly Fish and yellow and convict tangs. Also spotted were a solo green moray, the only and only unicorn fish on the reef, and another spotted eagle ray.

A special thanks goes out to the crew of the Sea Hound! Many thanks to Captain Joe and Greg for making the fun and easy!