Scuba Dive Reports Oahu - Page 88 of 96 - Island Divers Hawaii

4/02 – Pool and Plunge in the 808

April 2, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Kellan Bernhardt

Wednesday – We started the day with a couple from San Jose, Krishna wanting to Scuba and Spandana along for some excellent snorkeling. Krishna had never been in the ocean, he confessed to me, but absolutely *had* to go scuba diving his last day on an impromptu spring vacation to Hawaii. We jumped into our world class pool, and he excelled at the skills necessary for Discover Scuba Diving. Then it was lunch and onto the real thing: diving into the big blue. We hit Koko’s for some up close and personal turtle action, where you can get literally face to face with a reptile as big as you are, and then moved on to Mermaids reef for some tropical fish and hermit crabs and ichthyapiens.
Thanks Krishna and Spandana, I hope you guys had a really fun time. It’s the smiles on your faces that make this the greatest job in the world. I’m glad I could help you out on your last day here.

I’m on a boat!

Geared up for diving. Plainclothes version

Actually geared up for diving

Weather conditions: 2 to 4 foot south swell, building trade winds
Dive sites: Koko Craters and Mermaids Reef
Dive conditions: Kokos; max depth 40ft, 40 minute dive, temp 74 f, light west current: Mermaids; max depth 30ft, 40 minute dive, temp 76 f, light west current
Marine Life observed: Green Sea Turtle, Cushion Star, Pebble Collector Urchin
Staff: Captain Joe, Crew: Dene, Instructors: Kellan

Quick Dip on the Corsair Followed by a Rare Encounter with a Sea Chicken – April 1st, 2014

April 2, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Lauren Smith

Welcome back folks to another edition of Diving Adventures and Rare Creatures with PM Pete.

Swell and wind were up as the team of 7 divers made their way across Maunalua bay out to where the Corsair lies around 107′. The hightened wind and swell posed no major obstacle to the savy group of underwater eploreres and we had little difficulty making our slow descent down the long lines that lead to the 70+ year old plane wreck. We spent a short 25 minute dive exploring the wreck where we encounted all of the wreck’s inhabitants, took some great photos then headed back up to the Sea Fox after our 3 minute safety stop scrabled our way back onto the decks.

Capt. Kendal scooted us back into the bay where conditions where much more amiable so Pete could quickly tie up the Fox before the divers enjoyed their surface interval munching on the provided snacks and hot drinks.

When the alotted time rolled to an end, once again the divers dipped back down, this time to a much shallower depth of 45′. They explored the healthy reef covered with hard corals, reef fish, and a Hawaiian Octopus that just barely slipped away from Pete with a strategically placed squirt of black ink.

It was short after the Octopus encounter when the divers came across something very rarely seen in our coastal waters. The extremely rare, kinda weird lookin’ Hawaiian Sea Chicken. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the first time ever documented on film the elusive Sea Chicken.

Yet another amazing first for Island Divers Hawaii and their Instructor, Pete, who only last week defended another team of divers from certain doom.

Thanks for tuning in! And be sure to check in next week for another installation of Diving Adventures and Rare Creatures with PM Pete.

Going deep!

The Corsair.

White-Mouth Morray showing off those pearly whites!

Rare Hawaiian Sea Chicken seen here in its natural environment, the sea.

Staff:

Captain: Kendal
Dive Guide: Pete
Boat Crew: Parker

Weather Conditions:

Weather: Mostly Sunny
Swell: Moderate-High
Winds: Moderate-High E Trade Winds

Dive Sites:

The Corsair
Turtle Canyons AKA Mermaid’s Reef

Dive Conditions:

Visibility: Corsair: Excellent, Turtle’s: Moderate
Current: Moderate-High Koko Head

Marine Life Observed:

Humuhumunukunukuapua`a
Cushion Sea Stars
Blue Dragon Nudibrach
Yellow Margin Morray
White-Mouth Morray
Snowflake Morray
Moorish Idol
Day Octopus
Rare Hawaiian Sea Chicken…

STARFISH FOR LUNCH? Dive Report 3/31/2014

April 1, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Larry Hogan

Another brilliant Hawaiin day – sunny blue above and mysterious blue below!!! I always think of ‘brilliant’ as a rather British word (too many Hugh Grant movies?), so it’s very apt today, as i had a couple of really great Brits along today! Shauna and dad, Adrian joined me for a ripping good time, and coincidentally, the current was also ripping at Baby barge, our first dive site. Despite the current we tied up (thanks to captain joe’s ability to maneuver the Fox like a jet ski),then we superman-ed down the line, and paid a visit to the shark cave. which was full of giant turtles! no shark, but well worth the trip down. by the time i collected the mooring line and climbed aboard Max had already changed over everyone’s gear, served them hot tea (very British!), and saved enough warm water to pour over my salty head. 2nd jump was a drift dive of Fantasy Reef, and, of course, the current turned moderate! but it was perfect, as we had a leisurely time, spotting more turtles and some massive eels, and the rare opportunity to see a Trident’s Trumpet attempting to swallow (?) a cushion starfish (see photo below) as we followed a winding course through the beautiful topography of Fantasy reef. And i think Monty Python is hilarious (most of the time) !!

.

Sunday Wreck Tour Spectacular 3/30/14

March 31, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Mark Savel

It was a great morning on the waters of southeast Oahu today. There was a little bit of wind but great viz and only a couple of divers on the three tank trip. We left the dock with Dave and Sam for a couple wreck dives and a nice reef dive this morning. For the first dive we decided on drifting the Barges with a decent current. We dropped in on Baby Barge and right away had a few turtles resting on the bottom and a spotted eagle ray cruising by the wreck. As we made our way to New Barge the spotted eagle ray stayed with us for a while as we drifted over the sandy bottom to the wreck. There was another turtle resting at New Barge but not much else around. Just before we ended the dive we drifted pass the LCU but sadly didn’t have the air to see if any sharks were home.

For the Second dive we motored around Diamond Head and headed for the YO-257. The current had eased up with the tide change and the viz was pretty good. There were fish everywhere around the wreck with blue striped snapper and butterflyfish all about plus the Atlantis submarine was cruising back and forth between the wrecks. We swam over to the San Pedro to check out the fish live around that wreck before coming back to the YO to finish off the dive. We heard whale song throughout the dive but the were a little ways off.

For the final dive we came back around Diamond Head and drifted Fantasy Reef. The current wasn’t that strong and we swam a bit of the reef but the life around the area was great. There were a few big eels hiding around the area and reef fish all about. There were also a few turtles resting among the ledges and rubble. It was a great way to spend a Sunday.

Spotted Eagle Ray

New Barge

Atlantis sub passing the YO

San Pedro

Dave and Sam on YO-257

Yellow Margin Morey

Weather: 15-20kt E winds, 2-3ft swells, and partly cloudy skies
Sties:
Baby Barge-LCU drift, 80 ft viz, strong current, 85ft 30min
YO-257, 70 ft viz, mild current, 87ft 26min
Fantasy Reef, 70ft viz, mild current, 54ft 40min

Something Sinister Lurks in the Deep — March 21, 2014

March 31, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Lauren Smith

Staff: Capt. Joe, Dive Guide Pete, Boat Crew Erika

Weather Conditions: Swell: Mild, Winds: Moderate Trades

Dive Sites: The Corsair & Angler’s Reef

Dive Conditions: Visibility: Good, Current: Mild

Marine Life Observed: Green Sea Turtles, Blue Dragon Nudibrach, Yellow Margin Morray Eels, Moorish Idol, Harlequin Shrimp, Hawaiian Octopus, Leopard-Print-Evil-Cracken-Sam of the Deep…

The short ride out to the Corsair went quick as Pete deliverd his briefing. With the Sea Fox tied up the team of divers worked their way down the lines to where the WWII era wreck rests in 107′ of crystal clear seawater. We spent around 15-20 minutes exploring the incredibly well preserved wreck, now host to a myriad of sea life including Yellow Margin Morray’s, Sea Stars, an Octopus & countless other reef fishes. A nearby pod of humback whales serenaded us as we explored the plane though none came by for a visit.

Once everyone was safely back on the Sea Fox, Capt Joe navigated us back into Maunalua Bay where the divers could relax in calmer waters during their 45 minute surface interval.

Then it was back down for a drift dive at Angler’s Reef. All things were proceeding as planned as the team explored the ledge discovering octopus, Moorish Idols, Hawaiian Sergeant Major’s just to name a few. But about 10 minutes into the dive, the divers came accross something no one was expecting…

Something lurks in the deep…

No one was sure what to make of the strange creature donned in the leopard print. At first it seemed as though it was meerly curious. But it wasn’t long until the true nature of the beast was revealed and it began to attack our divers!

Fortunately our dive guide for the day, Pete, was adequately armed and defeated the treacherous beast in single underwater combat and everyone survived. He saved the divers, the day, and probably the whole world from certain destruction.

We all owe our lives to this great hero.

Harlequin Shrimp

Soomething evil looking fabulous in leopard print

The Corsair

March 21’s Divers

3/29 The Current Rips at Corsair, Sea Cave is Great!

March 30, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Kellan Bernhardt

Saturday morning: we make moves towards the Corsair because it’s a super awesome dive site, and it’s been specially requested. The mooring being taken makes a drop inevitable. Unfortunately, the currentt the site is the strongest it’s ever been. Making the downline becomes a hurculean task. I may have had difficulty holding onto it. Next up is Seacave. We sight a white tip shark! Note to self: next time bring a flashlight. Large hermit crabs have also set up shop. The rest of the dive goes by super calmly. What happened to that current?

Due to corrupted files, no media is available for this report. Sorry.

Conditions: Calm sea, medium swell, partly sunny

Dive Conditions: Strong current, high visibility, 76f, fish density:high

Sites: Corsair, Sea Cave

Staff: captain Joe, crew Kelsey, inst Kellan

Kickin’ It, Maunalua Style

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

Weather seemed a little iffy as we pulled out of Hawaii Kai onto Maunalua Bay this afternoon. It was a pleasant surprise to find partly sunny skies and calm seas at both our stops this day. At Koko Craters, 10 Divers (plus 2 Instructors) hopped in to enjoy some pretty decent visibility and nice diving conditions. Cruising around the main craters, some moray eels and a few green sea turtles were spotted. And, special thanks to Jarrod for locating my dropped dive light (less than a week old). It was a short steam over to our second site, Turtle Canyons, where we toured some of the nicest coral growth in this area and came across the cutest little Honu ( Sea Turtle). We also saw some Puhi (eels), lots of Uhu (Parrot Fish), even a Leaf Scorpion Fish and two Devil Scorpion Fish. Eel species included a Zebra Moray, Viper Moray, White Mouth Moray, and a Stout Moray, pretty nice variety. Overall, it was a very pleasant afternoon with another great group of Divers. Mahalo to you all for joining our trek out on the Bay.

One of those Uhu

Headin’ down at Turtle Canyon

Who’s This Guy?

Coral Head Fly By

Staff: Captain Joe, Crew Kelsey, Instructors Matt Negaard and Mark Savel
Conditions: Wind 5 – 10, Seas 1-2 feet, Current near zero, Partly Sunny, Air Temp. 80 F
Dive Sites: Koko Craters, Turtle Canyons, Visibility 50-60 feet, Bottom Temp. 74 F
Marine Life: Green Sea Turtles, Various Moray Eels, Parrot Fish, Scorpion Fish (Leaf and Devil), Coral

Landing on a beautiful day 3/26/2014

March 29, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Maxine Markert

We departed on time on this beautiful Hawaiian day at 8:30. We went out to the Corsair, getting in the water at 9:05. We enjoyed the pleasure of the Corsair and the serenity of the site surrounded by garden eels and some beautiful horned helmets. After a 20 minute dive we did a 45 minute surface interval with whales jumping and breathing all around. Where we then made our way to Fantasy reef, entering the water at 10:30 when we did a 30 minute dive, seeing a magnificent white tip reef shark about 8 feet long. After the dive we started making our way in with high spirits about our wonderful day of diving in Maunalua bay.

Cone shell

Fantasy Reef

Descending on the Corsair

Horned Helmet

Shark in the water!

Weather conditions: 2 to 4 foot south swell, light trade winds
Dive sites: Corsair and Fantasy reef
Dive conditions: Corsair; max depth 107 ft, 20 minute dive, temp 74 f, light east current: Fantasy reef; max depth 55 ft, 30 minute dive, temp 76 f, light east current
Marine Life observed: White tip reef shark, horned helmet, and cone shell
Staff: Captain Joe, Crew: Dene, Instructors: Maxine and Larry

Hawaiian Monk Seal sighting during Scuba Diving

A Dive to Remember!

March 28, 2014/in Dive Reports, Uncategorized/by Amy Bossler

Hawaiian monk seal

Weather Conditions: Sunny with a slight breeze
Dive Sites: Skimman’s Reef and Sea Cave
Dive Conditions: 80′ visibility, slight current
Marine Life: Monk Seal, green sea turtles, white tip reef shark, dragon moray eel, trumpet shell, yellow legged hairy hermit crab, sponge crab, and various species of nudibranchs
Staff: Capt. Jo, MSDT Amy, and Eric (crew)

Aloha,
Thanks for choosing to dive with Island Divers Hawaii. We had a beautiful morning of diving. Wes, Paul, Alex, and Elena joined us for some fun in the Hawaiian waters. With the light winds and flat waters we decided to drive over to the south/east side to hit up some less commonly dove sites. Our first site was a :35 dive on Skimman’s reef (named in memory of our good IDH friend and coast guard pilot). This site is an amazing topographic dive. Lots of valleys, walls, and swim thrus. Our team saw some green sea turtles, nudibranchs, flat worms, and octopus. However, this site is by far known for its structural beauty. During our quick surface interval we watched some squid on the surface and attempted to catch some fish. After fueling up on Famous Amos and Red Vines, we headed in for dive two at Sea Cave. Today’s dive was one that will not be forgotten in the near future. We saw a white tip reef shark, yellow legged hairy hermit crab, sponge crab, various nudibranchs, multiple green sea turtles, AND a MONK SEAL and a DRAGON MORAY!!!! For those of you who don’t know, both are incredibly rare. There are currently less than 1000 monks seals left in the wild and they will very likely be extinct in our lifetimes. Anyone lucky enough to dive with one of these majestic creatures is truly blessed. Additionally, we found a dragon moray (equally rare). This was only my fourth sighting in HI waters in over seven years of diving!!! I’d like to think that our AZ friends brought us good luck today. Thanks to our four customers for diving with us and choosing IDH. We had a blast sharing the underwater world with you. Until next time, dive easy!

Aloha,
Amy and Capt. Jo

March 27, 2014- Clearfin Lizard Fish Chomps a boxfish

March 28, 2014/in Dive Reports/by Davy Eleen Vercoe

Watching the world through a camera can be frustrating. You miss things, but you also capture things beyond our wildest dreams. Today’s diving was a good example of this. Klaus and I dove with a group of divers consisting of Jack, Thyra, Brian, Diane, Glenn, Tom, Jesse, James, and Anna. We dropped on LCU to find the sharks missing and the frog fish so disguised we couldn’t see it. Later I find out that Anna came face to face with a baby frog fish and a baby shark. It seemed mother nature had her eye on someone in particular today.
Our second dive was at Spitting caves, we dropped into a bustling current that whipped us farther down the reef than I’ve ever been. Along the ride we encounter a Clearfin Lizardfish who just snagged lunch (see movie clip), a white tip reef shark with a busted jaw holed up in a cave in front of an old school turtle. I snap a couple go pro photos and proceed to record the moment. Or so I thought. The shark and turtle start to get nervous from all the attention. The turtle asks the shark to move, the shark comes out at me just enough to capture his busted jaw and enough to allow the turtle escape to the surface. The shark settles again and I look up to find a another turtle swimming over head. It was incredible!
I missed the whole thing on my Gopro, but got to see it first hand live and true. Nothing beats a great day of diving.

Safe Diving,

Davy

Crown of Thorns Star

FIsher’s Star

Davy down line

Weather: Sunny with 2ft seas
Dive Sites: LCU & Spitting Caves
Dive Conditions: 60-8-ft viz, Temp: 76F
Marine Life: Sharks and LizardFish
Staff: Captain Kendal, Davy, Klaus, Crew-Mia

4/02 – Pool and Plunge in the 808

Quick Dip on the Corsair Followed by a Rare Encounter with a Sea Chicken – April 1st, 2014

STARFISH FOR LUNCH? Dive Report 3/31/2014

Sunday Wreck Tour Spectacular 3/30/14

Something Sinister Lurks in the Deep — March 21, 2014

3/29 The Current Rips at Corsair, Sea Cave is Great!

Kickin’ It, Maunalua Style

Landing on a beautiful day 3/26/2014

A Dive to Remember!

March 27, 2014- Clearfin Lizard Fish Chomps a boxfish

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