Mark Savel

A Great Training Day 8/12

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We had a nice day on the water scuba diving off the south east side of Oahu today. We headed out for a couple shallow reef dives and had wonderful time on both dives. For the first site we dove Koko Craters and had a great dive. We found a few turtles about the reef area resting on the bottom or swimming about. There were also damselfish everywhere defending their egg patches and wrasses swimming about. We found some trumpetfish around the reef as well. We also found a rare green lionfish on a coral head not far from one of the moorings.

For the second dive we dropped in at Anglers Reef and had a little bit of a current as we descended to the bottom. There was fish life all about the reef with squirrelfish hiding under the reef and goatfish and butterflyfish swimming all about. There were also a couple eels hiding about the reef including a few large yellow margin moreysIMG_5044 IMG_5184 IMG_3214.

Larry Hogan

AN AUSSIE FROM CALGARY, and GERMANS FROM SHANGHAI !!

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big waves as Isele moves towards us, but the diving was fantastic!  current was mild on Kahala barge, and viz was excellent, easily 100 feet! a big school  of ulua (jacks), 2 to 3 feet in size were hiding in the superstructure and came streaming by us as we flushed them out!  also two octopus came and said aloha!  2nd jump was the famous drift of Fantasy reef, spectacular every time!  peter, the aussie, finished his nitrox cert, and the Pott family, dad and pia and titus, were on holiday from Shanghai.  great divers all!  at fantasy we saw turtles and giant turtles, nice eels, great barracuda, plus cj found a baby octo!  sweet day.  thanks to all for safe diving!  Larry, CJ, Joe, Max, alex

 

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kahala barge 89 feet 32 minutes

fantasy reef 50 feet  44 minutes

John Miller

Fun Facts about John

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Since my last name is Miller it is always MillerTime

I have a BA in Psychology, a BS in Health Information Management, and a MS in Health Information Systems

I am a Registered Health Information Administrator with the American Health Information Management Association.

Outside of the military and diving, I am a certified Arborist.

Married (forever) to my best friend and soulmate, Donna, currently a Divemaster.

Both our children are Master ScubaDivers.

I have been to 46 of the 50 states and 27 countries.

Avid Jeep and off road enthusiast.

Preferred beverage for after diving: rum and coke, Cruzan is my current favorite.

Upon retiring from the military I plan on opening a dive resort.

John Miller

Living the Dream

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I’m often asked “How’s it’s going?” or “How am I doing?”, and my typical response over the past 4 years is, “I’m living the dream.”  With the military assigning me to Hawaii 4 years ago,  I have been able to combine my 2 passions; serving the country I love and my love of the water.  Despite growing up in Florida, getting certified in 1986, and extensively traveling the Caribbean in the early years, the assignments in the Army were less than conducive to getting wet, so I only dove sporadically on vacation in the warmer climates.  (Yes, I’m a warm water diver.)  As I arrived in Hawaii, I bought a set of dive gear, bought a boat, and set out to earn my Master Scuba Diver Rating with Island Divers Hawaii.  After earning my MSD, a good friend of mine, also a MSD decided to earn our Divemaster and go through the class together, thus launching my professional dive career.  I realized a latent dream had become a reality, and I soon earned my instructor rating.  I have continued to climb the ladder, recently earning the elite instructor rating and becoming a Course Director.  I am truly honored to still wear the uniform and share my passion for diving as the Course Director for Island Divers Hawaii and Hawaii Scuba University.

Marnie Cadden

An Awesome Afternoon! (AUG4)

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There was so much to see today out in the water! We set off this afternoon with a group of 9 divers and some awesome weather. We had two students who were finishing up their certifications and were excited to finish up their skills.

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At our first site, students and certified divers got to spend a lot of time with the turtles. There were so many today! It was as though every corner we came to there was another turtle. It sure made for an awesome dive.

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Of course there were tons of eels, as always, and we got up close and personal with a few of them.

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Right as we were ascending, a huge school of fish surrounded the boat and gave us something awesome to look at as we made our way back aboard the Sea Fox.

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Over at the second site, we had even better visibility. With less of a current, divers had a bit more time to spend on the bottom since we didn’t seem to use as much air. That was cool because we got to see many different kinds of fish then we saw at the first site.

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There were so many urchins as well, and they all were tucked into their own little holes along the reef edge. It was great to see a lot of new fish, I even snagged this photo of the white leaf scorpion fish that I have seen around!

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It was another great afternoon aboard the Sea Fox and we came back into the marina with 2 new PADI Junior Divers! Congrats!

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CREW: Marnie (instructor) Max (instructor) Kendal (captain) Parker (crew)

PROFILES: Koko Crater: 36min bottom time, 40 ft max depth, 81*F

Anglers Reef: 42min bottom time, 40 ft max depth, 81*F

Matt Negaard

Wild, Wild West Side – 8/2/14

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This was our first 3 Tanker aboard the South Seas II on the West Side, and what a great day for it! First stop was Kaena Point, pretty much the end of the Island where the West and North Shores meet. Being anchored and with a significant current (ok, it was quite strong)j, we only got to explore a small area before heading back to the surface. But what we did see was some really great topography from old lava flows with lots of cuts and channels in the reef that are certainly worth exploring..we will be back.

Kaena Point

Kaena Point

After a leisurely cruise, Captain Mike set us up at Stars, another new site for us. With a large swim thru sky-light formation, again we were treated to wonderful West Oahu topography, along with several varieties of reef fish and a couple octopus. A mild current here made for a nice relaxing second dive, and the views were spectacular.

Swimmin Thru the Sky-light.

Swimmin Thru the Sky-light.

Rad!

Rad!

After refueling with excellent BBQ burgers prepared by Capt Mike and Divemaster Howard, we headed for our last dive of the day. It’s called Oz, and sits just a bit West of Makaha. Again with a mild current and fantastic visibility, we explored the large, dramatic reef formations. A great dive with Turtles, Eels, Reef Fish, and even an Oriental Flying Gurnard(see video above).

Must Love Honu..

Must Love Honu..

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A huge Mahalo to all of our Divers for joining us at some less frequented dive sites and for making this adventure a great one! We hope to see you in the water again soon.

Weather: Mostly Sunny, Winds 10-15, Seas 2-3 ft., Temp. 89 f.
Conditions: Kaena Point – Strong Current, Vis. 80 ft., Max Depth. 70 ft., Bottom Temp. 78 f.
Stars – Mild Current, Vis. 50 ft., Max Depth 60 ft., Bottom Temp. 78 f.
Oz – Mild Current, Vis. 100 ft., Max Depth 55 ft., Bottom Temp. 78 f.
Marine Life: Octopus, Turtles, Eels, Oriental Flying Gurnard, White Tip Reef Sharks.
Crew: Capt. Mike, Divemaster Howard, Instructor Matt

Lauren Smith

3 Things You Must Be Able to Do to Become Scuba Certified

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Scuba diving is an exceptional sport that allows you to enjoy a world that is magical, mysterious, and compelling. At Island Divers there isnt a day that goes by that we’re not celebrating the beauties of Hawaii’s amazing marine environment. And in this spirit, we are always excited when people come to us wishing to become scuba certified.

Certification is important, because by properly using the ‘Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus’ (scuba) you will be able to explore the depths easily, comfortably, and safely.

Requirements
To become scuba certified, you have to be at least 10 years old, although even children under 10 can participate in junior dive training programs. You must be fit and healthy, showing us that you can swim and float without aids. We will ask you to fill out a medical and fitness questionnaire and once all is in place, you’re ready to go!

Three Basic Elements
There are three essential elements things that go into scuba certification, and they all have to do with the techniques and procedures for safety that lead to achieving your lifetime certification.

1) Academic Learning
The first step is self-guided course work that includes quizzes and a final exam. Here you will learn the basic principles and theory behind diving and safety procedures. These include:
· How pressure affects the body
· How to choose the right scuba diving gear
· How to intelligently plan your dives

2) Pool Practice
A pool offers a sense of security until you are ready for open water training. It’s where you learn how scuba diving equipment functions and how to use it correctly. This includes:
· Clearing water from a flooded mask without surfacing
· Breathing from your regulator
· Using fins
· Controlling buoyancy by adding or releasing air from your buoyancy control device
· Descending and ascending
· Easily recovering a misplaced regulator
…and other skills.

3) Open Water Training
We call these “check out dives,” which are several dives made under our supervision. You will not be in very deep water, which allows you to adjust to the sensation of being out in the real ocean world. Here you will show us that you can handle all the knowledge you’ve gained, as well as the absolute thrill you’ll feel finally seeing some amazing underwater sights.

The Coveted Cert Card
Once we see that your skills are in place, you are ready for certification. Now you can get that coveted Cert Card that vouches for your training and qualifies you to dive in open water without supervision!

Contact Us
At Island Divers Hawaii, we are trained and certified through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) to lead courses for divers of all abilities, from beginner to advanced. Here on the island of Oahu you’ll be in one of the best places to learn, with crystalline water, extraordinary sea creatures, along with spectacular reefs and wrecks to explore. Sharing the underwater world is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, so sign up today at www.oahuscubadiving.com !

Manolo Cabasal

Fun times with the family

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Today, Island Divers was host to Four Discover Scuba Divers…

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On the afternoon Sea Fox, they were joined by James & Kalia. James, an Advanced open water diver, hails from New York and Kalia is a Hawaii native who is about to embark to grad school. Kalia completed her Open Water Training dives 1 & 2.

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The conditions were fantastic for our divers. Bright and sunny with light and variable winds and very little waves.

Koko Crater & Turtle Canyon
37ft – 40min & 35ft – 35min

Marine life:
Turtle, tons of huge morays, scorpion fish, leaf scorpion fish, pin cushion starfish, @ hermit crabs

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Big shout out to Kendal, Brent, Larry, and (of course) Sam, the dog.

 

 

Manolo Cabasal

Starting ’em young!

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This afternoon the Sea Fox was guest to 4 Discover Scuba Diving divers all aged from 11-15. Early in the morning Conrad, Nicolas, Rachel, and Akira bid their respective parents farewell as they began their Discover Scuba Diving orientation. After a quick dip at the Makai Research Pier the 4 intrepid adventurers boarded the Sea Fox where the joined advanced students and certified divers, Akira’s father being one of them.

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The conditions couldn’t have been any better for the young adventurers. Cloudy and calm on the water as opposed to the blistering sun and waves. Ronald, Akira’s father, couldn’t have been more proud of his son. Akira was even able to pull off 47 and 45 minutes dives with plenty of air to spare. The apple from this tree surely fell and rolled into the ocean.

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Dive Sites:

Koko Crater & Turtle Canyon
37ft – 47min & 35ft – 45min

Marine Life:

Green sea turtle, giant moray, black boxfish, scorpionfish, flounder, sergeant majors, & banner fish

Big shout out to Capitain Joe, Max, Mark, Kellan, & Manolo

#divehawaii

Manolo Cabasal

Another one takes the plunge

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Congratulations to Ryan Hagino for completing his Open Water Diver certification with Island Divers. Ryan performed all his skills flawlessly and remained calm and cool in the face of waves, current, and surge. Completing his dives at Turtle Canyon and Coco crater Ryan was in the water with fellow students completing their first and second open water dives. Ryan also plans on completing his Advanced Open Water Diver certification in the next couple of weeks.

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Turtle Canyon & Coco crater

40 ft – 40 min & 35 ft – 35 min

Turtles, trumpet fish, nudibranch, zebra moray, giant moray, & scorpion fish

Big shout out to Capt. Joe, Max, Kelsea, & Daveed

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