Larry Hogan

Sandy Beach Dives Always Prove to Impress with Swim Throughs and Underwater Canyons

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unless, of course, they are tears of joy! or you drop a tank on your foot (Maxine)!  well, no crying today, but some great diving as we headed north out of Maunalua Bay and over to Sandy’s beach (home of the neck breaker shore break!) and to the excellent, and rarely dove, Skimmins Reef!  we had a blast dropping in for a drift on this topographic marvel, loaded with swim throughs, canyons, and topped with tons of hard corals.  beautiful spot!   2nd jump was another drift on the wall – this time Sea Cave, which just blows diver’s minds.  the large lava tube houses big animals – turtles, sharks, monk seal, plus some large schools of fish.  truly an awesome dive.  after exiting the cave, we drifted the wall, spotting more turtles, eels, very large  schools of idols, tangs, and butterfly fish. thanks to all for safe diving.  larry and sara

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David Sanchez

The Home of Sea Turtles in Oahu is Anglers Reef Feb 20

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JunLouBudJune, Lou, Turtle, and Buddha!

Well a VERY interesting day unfolded at 12:30pm as the Sea Hound departed the dock at Island Divers Headquarters bound for Koko Crater… aboard was 2 divers on a private charter: June and Lou! They had the run of the boat! Very lucky of me to have such an easy and fun day of diving that turned out to be an EPIC DAY! But I digress…

First stop… Koko Craters. Great visibility, small current, and lots to see was the order of the day for our diving duo. As we dropped down the line there were 4 Turtles roaming around Little Buddha…

TurtlefestA TurtleFest!

and as we made our way around the crater a few more Turtles poked their heads from under the ledges…

JuneTurtleJune and friend

LouturtleLou and Sleepy

and of course we had to play with some reef fish…

Junefrenzy2Fish Frenzy!

Junebudda2Lucky Buddha!

Soon it was on to Anglers Reef… where the usual critters hung out along the ledges… Green Margin Morays, Reef fish aplenty, and a group of 12 Puffers. But then something totally out of the ordinary made its way down the ledge right for us…

shark2Angler Shark!

A Shark At Anglers! In The Middle Of The Day! CMON! But yes there it was cruising past us… WOW!

Speechless…

Thank you to June and Lou for a GREAT DAY! ALOHA!

Koko Crater/ 32 ft/ 70 ft Vis/ 75*/ 40 min

Anglers Reef/ 43 ft/ 80 ft vis/ 75*/ 35 min

Dave- Lead

John- Capt

Lily- Crew

 

 

David Sanchez

Drift Diving at Its best, this is Why Drift Diving Specialty Certification is a Must! Feb 19

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walls

A challenging day of diving for the crew aboard the Sea Hound today as the current was ripping at our first destination: Corsair. Since it was not advisable to drop on the airplane, we decided to drift the barges, starting at Baby Barge. Jim, Sarah, David, Eric, Frank, Edward, Mike, Jason, Bill, Kelsie, and Chris all made a successful negative entry atop of Baby Barge and rode the current East. Next stop was New Barge where we made a stop and had a chance to enter the hull of the ship. Back on the current where we came to our next stop: LCU.

shark3White Tip at LCU

Soon it was time to surface, and after a 40 min surface interval and a short trip East it was on to Sea Cave for another drift. Once inside the cave there were 3 white tip sharks resting at the back wall…

sharksSharks in a Cave

back outside the cave we began our drift of the wall…

turtle flyTurtle Fly Bye

Turtles, Eels, and Sharks cruised the area and enjoyed the awesome visibility and great conditions of the day.

Thank you to all our divers for a safe and enjoyable morning out in the water. Aloha!

Drift Barges/ 85 ft/ 35 min/ 75*

Sea Cave/ 50 ft/ 45 min/ 75*

Lead- Dave

Support- Mark

Capt- John

Crew- Ashley

David Sanchez

Landing Craft Utility Wreck with Barracudas in the Deep and White Tips Underneath! Feb 12

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A glorious day out in Maunaloa Bay today… calm winds, calm seas, and calm divers made for a fantastic day aboard the Enzo. A great group comprised of Dominique (Tahiti), HSU DMcs Bill, Jason, Chris, TM Eric, and from IDH Max and Capt Joe. Our first stop was LCU where there is always great things to see…

 

A barracuda gracefully cruised the top (or bottom) of the wreck, keeping vigilance over the area like a junk yard dog!

Once we entered the bottom of the wreck we were greeted by 2 White Tip Sharks sleeping in the darkness until we interrupted their slumber and they began to swim in their usual patterns…

And outside the ship a flock of Spotted Eagle Rays flew in formation…

Awesome!

On our way to our next dive site we were met by several Humpback Whales, and then escorted by a pod of Spinner Dolphins who totally had Dominique speechless!

Next it was on to Spitting Caves for a drift of the wall… again a slight current made for great conditions and a slow, relaxing drift…

Again life abundant consisting of Turtles, Eels, Scorpion Fish, and Reef Fish of all types and colors… It rocked!

Thank you to all our divers for a safe, fun, and memorable dive! Aloha!

LCU/ 85 ft/ 74*/ 25 min

Spitting Caves/ 40 ft/ 74*/ 40 min

Dave- Lead

Kellan- Capt

Crew- Ashley

Manolo Cabasal

Sleeping Sea Turtles and Triggerfish in the Bubbles…*2*6*2015

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Actually it is when the conditions are absolutely gorgeous. The wind was moderate from the west southwest and the sun shined unabated as there were no clouds in the sky. Typical surface conditions here in Hawaii Kai. Today on the Sea Hound, we were joined by a hodgepodge of divers: first-time, students, and certified divers shaking off rust.

Koko Crater
37ft – 38min
75 degrees

With 2-3 foot waves, the boat lazily rocked on the surface as the divers entered the water in to 70ft visibility. Almost immediately, the local turtles began to frolic around the group. Unafraid at the presence of divers, cruised alongside the group for several minutes. Other fish spotted were the Hawaiian Sergeant Fish, Moorish Idols, and a school of yellowfin surgeon fish. Divers also had interaction with a huge pincushion starfish and a prickly collector urchin.

 

Turtle Canyons
37ft – 41min
75 degrees

In between dive sites, the wind lightened up and so did the waves. The Sea Hound gently rose and fell in 1 to 2 foot swells that rolled along the azure blue surface. This time the current picked up, but the visibility stayed the same at 70ft. Descending down the line a group of black trigger fish played with divers bubbles. Once on the bottom divers encountered a couple of massive snowflake eels showing off their snow white mouths. There were also a couple of napping turtles and a random porcupine fish.

A special shout out to the crew! Without these guys the day would not have been possible. Much love to Capt. John, S’moore, & lovely Lily.

 

David Sanchez

Shark Fest at LCU… Jan 26

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A blustery Monday morning out in Maunaloa Bay didn’t deter a group of determined divers heading out to explore the wrecks and walls of the area…

Adam, Bill, Jason, Dale, Jessica, Joe, Ken, Pierre, and Ross joined Larry (the bunny ear maker) and I out on the Sea Hound. There was a slight chop on the water as we made our way to our first site…LCU. Great visibility and a moderate current were the conditions of the day as our divers made their way down the lines and under the ship…

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3 White Tip Sharks swam slowly under the site, while others glided effortlessly around the cement blocks…

shark3

while around the perimeter flew a formation of spotted eagle rays…

spotted

Soon it was time to ascend back up the lines and ready ourselves for our next destination… a drift of Spitting Caves.

drift

While the current was absent here there was excellent visibility still to be had… and lots to see…

eel2

A Yellow Margin Moray Eel poked its head out from under a coral ledge…

turtle

and multiple turtles buzzed by the group headed to parts unknown.

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A big THANK YOU to all our divers for a beautiful, safe and fun day of diving…ALOHA!

LCU/ 80ft/ 74*/ 90ft vis/ 20 min

Spitting Caves/ 40ft/ 75*/ 80ft vis/ 40min

Dave- Lead

Larry- Support

Sophie/ Capt

Liz/ Crew

 

Lauren Smith

Kings, Queens and Crown of Thorns! Jan 23

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Divers ready, gear set and the Sea Fox launched into partly cloudy weather with a boat for full of advanced divers! Small waves with pockets full of sunshine during the twenty minute ride out to our first wreck to Baby Barge. On the boat today we had several Dive Masters in training and advanced divers looking to have fun! Once the boat was tied off our divers entered the water in stride, giant strides that is! Once the divers where in the water we began our descent down to the wreck. Bellow the water was cool, calm and crystal clear with 80+ visibility. With light current we made our way down to a max depth of 79ft to explore the broken barge and uncover lobsters and scorpion fish with our touches. After a peak around the sunken wreck our divers made the way down to a ledge that lead to lave tubes and caves that have been known to hide white tip reef sharks. Unfortunately the sharks where not around, but luckily for us several large sea turtles seemed to have taken their place!

DCIM100GOPRO

We soon turned around after reaching 20 minutes into our dive and headed back to the sunken wreck for one more quick look around before making our slow assent and safety stop towards the surfacing and onto the boat. On the surface divers relaxed and enjoyed the sun while we motored around seeing whale spouts in the distance! Before we knew it divers where feeling a little do dry and ready to jump back into the water for another bubble. Once we reached our next destination divers where already geared up and ready to jump! With Capt. Joe over the dive site our divers got inline for the jump… divers ready!? DIVE DIVE DIVE! One after another we entered the water and regrouped below the boat to begin drifting Fantasy Reef!

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Under the water we began searching for creatures hiding in the cracks. Our Dive Master in training had a keen eye for spotting Moray Eels and schools of Squirrel fish hiding in the shadows. A Hawaiian Lion Fish was found floating closely next to a large Crown of Thorns. A few types of nudibranchs were inching their way across the sea floor while the group drifted steady westward towards Diamond Head. Below the bottom the visibility was awesome!  Turtles surfacing with the sound the dolphins in the distance, reaching 35 minutes divers where heading into the blue to begin a safety stop before heading back to the surface.

On the top the Captain and Crew prepared the boat for departure while our divers relaxed and shared pictures as the Sea Fox motored back into harbor just in time for lunch!

Another great dive on diving in Hawaii with great divers!

W: Bradley (instructor)  Joe (captain)

CONDITIONS: Partly Cloudy, Mid 70′s , 74*F water, visibility 60+ft

DIVE PROFILES: Baby Barge: 79ft max depth, dive time 38 minutes. Fantasy Reef: Max depth 53ft, dive time 39 minutes.

MARINE LIFE: Nudibranchs, Moray Eels, Scorpion Fish, Hawaiian Lion Fish, Crown of Thorns & Green Sea Turtles!

David Sanchez

The Call of the Wild! Jan 22

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A great day to be out on the water… calm seas, good visibility, a small current, and great divers all added up to a fantastic day of diving.

Tracey, Toshiro, and James joined me on an advanced dive which began at LCU… one of my favorite sites. The Whales were out in force today, breaching, tail slapping, and the sound of their calls were amazing and sooo close! They were definitely having fun! Down the lines we go!…

shark

First up…Two White Tip Sharks circling under the wreck… sadly they both had fishing hooks jutting out of their mouths. Wished I could just go up and pull them out… but I know better! Hopefully they find a way to spit them out.

Outside the perimeter of the ship a flight of three Spotted Eagle Rays flew gracefully bye…

spotted

and finishing our dive it was back up the line to return to the Fox…

ontheline

After a short surface interval it was on to Fantasy Reef… always an awesome place to see turtles, Octopus, and Eels: it did not disappoint!

fantasy

An Octopus crept between the coral and kept his eyes out for any intruders to his home…

octo

and turtles of all sizes slept and swam along the reef…

turtle

an Eel slithered slowly bye searching for a place to make a home for the day…

eel2

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

LCU/ 85ft/Vis 80ft/74*/20 min

Fantasy Reef/ 55 ft/ Vis 85ft/74*/35min

Dave- Lead

Kendal- Capt

Ashley- Crew

 

 

David Sanchez

Craters and Reefs Tuesday… Jan 20

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A beautiful Oahu day met our divers as we left the dock and motored out to our first site… Koko Craters. Certified divers Jon, Soon, Tim, and Jon… AoW students Haley and Irena… and DMCs Anthony, Nick, and Greg (with Manolo) were all ready to explore and learn some new skills. Good visibility and a small current were the conditions of the day.

Beginning at back crater the group kicked against the current and made its way to Big Buddha where one of the main residents of the area was resting under the ledge…

Koko turtle

We pushed deeper into the crater, seeing Moorish Idols, Squirrel Fish, and Butterfly Fish go about their usual daily grind. Then a visit to a Warrior standing guard…

warrior

Back to the Fox and off to Anglers Reef… dropping onto the site with Yellowfin Goatfish, Longnose Butterflys, and Bird Wrasse darting around the reef…

eels

and of course Yellow Margin Moray Eels!

A great day of diving, thank you to all our divers for a safe and fun day in the water, and congratulations to Haley and Irena for completing their Advanced Open Water!

Koko Craters/34ft/74*/Vis 70ft/35 min

Anglers Reef/42ft/74*/Vis 70ft/30min

Dave- Lead

Joe- Capt

Imran- Crew

 

 

 

Manolo Cabasal

Living in a Postcard *1*17*2015*

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It was another picturesque morning today in Hawaii Kai. Fourteen divers boarded the Sea Fox eager to take advantage of the postcard surface conditions: Light and variable winds with a 1 to 2 foot swell. It was as if you were looking out onto a massive lake. Eager for a healthy dose of narcosis, the first dive site of the day was obviously The Corsair.

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The Corsair
106ft – 29min
73 degrees

Oahu’s only natural wreck never ceases to mystify. During a training exercise during WWII, the pilot ditched the plane in the bay after running out of fuel. Don’t worry, the pilot survived with no injury and eventually returned to dive the wreck he created in the 1980’s. With absolutely no current, the divers free descended in 70ft visibility. Besides the plane, a school of snapper, fields of garden eels, and a solitary octopus were all spotted deep in the abyss.

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Skimmon’s Reef
69ft – 42min
73 degrees

The surface conditions continued to remain spectacular. The current also continued to remain dead allowing for a trip to the east side and a nice lazy drift dive. Entering negative into 100 ft visibility delighted the divers as they were able to witness Skimmon’s Reef teeming with life. Massive schools of moorish idols enveloped the divers and a gigantic crown of thorns mystified the group. The divers also saw a couple of snowflake eels and an juvenile octopus. Before returning to the surface, they also swam through a couple of archways.

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A special thanks goes out to the Crew: Captain Joe, Everette, and the lovely Kelsey. Kelsey…you should sing more. Seriously.