3 Tanker Monk Seal Spanker

Commerson's Frogfish

Hawaiian Monk Seal

Epic advanced 3 tank dive charter today off the Seafox. Our first dive we headed over to the side-by-side YO-257 and San Pedro wrecks (max depth: 90 ft, bottom time: 29 mins). On top of the San Pedro we witnessed 2 enormous Green Sea Turtles battling each other for the best napping spot and then found a playful octopus to top off the dive.

Next we headed to the Sea Tiger wreck,  (max depth: 100 ft, bottom time: 24 mins), where we found some cool Morey Eels as well as the amazingly camouflaged resident Frogfish, thanks Amy! Our final dive (Spitting Caves, max depth: 45ft, bottom time: 40 mins), was truly the icing on the cake as we saw a white-tip reef shark, frogfish, sponge-crab, turtles, and even a critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal hanging out in the A-frame cave! Thanks to all who came out today it was great to share such an awesome experience with you guys, and congrats to Josh and Andrew on their Nitrox and Advanced Open Water certifications, hope to see you all out with me and Amy again soon.

Cheers,
-Drew

A Change to Scuba Diving in Oahu

Corsair Plane Wreck 

Today we headed out to the Corsair dive site for the first dive of the morning. As we headed down the line we found out the recent big swell has done a little damage to the plane wreck. After being down for over 65 years, the Corsair is showing true wear. The fuselage has broken just behind the cockpit and part of the tail in now in the sand. There are still fish all about the plane including a couple large goatfish and amberjacks. We also found a frogfish hiding out around the mooring and had garden eels all around the site.

Green Sea Turtle

Find the Frogfish!

For the second dive we dropped in at Fantasy Reef and had a great dive around the reef.  There were a few turtles about the reef resting on the bottom. We also found a few eels hiding out and reef fish swimming all about.It was a great drift now that the south swells have gone down again.

- Mark Savel

Swell? What Swell?

Yellow Margin Morey

Today it looks like the South swell has finally started to decline so we were able to get back our normal sites here in Maunalua Bay. We  started at the WWII Corsair wreck, which actually is now sitting tilted on its side from the swell that hit. Vis is back to awesome there and we got to see the resident frogfish as well as the even more camoflaged resident crocodile eel.

For our 2nd dive we drifted Keanu's reef where we saw some big moreys and the awesome staghorn coral heads which are little ecosystems in themselves. Thanks to all who dove with me today and happy Oahu diving in the future!

Can you spot the Crocodile Eel?

Cheers,

-Drew

An Afternoon of Scuba Diving Oahu

Butterfly Fish

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 viz on both dives. For the first site we dove 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.

Green Sea Turtle

A hunting eel

For the second dive we dropped in at Koko Craters and again had a great dive. We found a few turtles about the reef area and a few more eels hiding out. There were also damselfish everywhere defending their egg patches and wrasses swimming about. We found some trumpetfish around the reef as well.  -Mark

Not Oahu Scuba Diving But Molokai Diving

Finding our dive site off Molokai Hawaii

Today we did an unusual trip across to our nearest neighboring island, Molokai, for some scuba Diving. Leaving Friday night we motored across the channel with our captains Joe and Tim taking turns while the customers and staff slept in the cabin or out on the deck. After a rather adventurous crossing we made it to the NE corner of Molokai for the first dive with the hopes of spotting sharks. It was a great reef area with lots of fish life including wrasses and butterflyfish everywhere. At the very end of the dive a few divers caught a glimpse of a hammerhead shark!

Butterfly fish

We had a nice ride along the sea cliff on the north side of the island (some of the largest sea cliff in the world) even with some rain, making for some great waterfalls all along the ride. For our second dive we dropped in on one of the small islands on the east side of Kalaupapa called Okala Island. It had a big swim-thru on a part of the island and life hidden all around it. There were large crap all around it including a 7-11 crab and a sponge crab. We also saw a pair of bandit angelfish, a native fish rare to us Oahu scuba divers.

Spot the spiny lobster!

After a nice lunch and motor to the NW side of Molokai we dropping in on a great shallow reef area for the final dive. There were large rubble piles everywhere for life to be hiding out in including groups of spiny lobsters and reef fish all about. Right at the end of the dive a few of us spotted a few bottlenose dolphins that quickly took off from the area. It was a great trip with a wonderful ride back to Oahu as the sun was slowly headed for the horizon.

-Matt

They Call Me The Monk Seal Whisperer

Monk seals & bubbles!

Monk seal inspection!

On my first dive back from a trip to Thailand I couldn't have had a better way to be welcomed back to Oahu! We tied up at the 90' LCU wreck and dropped in on one of the juvenile resident white-tips sleeping under the wreck. Outside of the wreck we came acoss a well camoflaged day octopus who came out to play with us.

Monk seal fun!

On our second dive we went to the wall to see who was hanging out at the Sea Cave. Sooo glad we did because a critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal (# N19), was there and ready to play. As we swam under the archway, N19 came down and played with our bubbles and curiously looked at the O-rings blown by our new intructors Davy and Kendal. She swam up to just about all of the divers to say hello and smile for the cameras. After spending just about the whole dive inside of the cave, we ventured out to cruise the wall and I looked back to see the Monk Seal come out of the cave after us as if to say, "Why are you guys leaving? I want to play more!" (See the video below!) An amazing way to be welcomed back to the islands. Thanks to all who came out today, it was truly a pleasure to share such an experience with you guys.

Cheers,
-Drew Corley

Whale Symphony at Night

Aloha and Good Evening folks!

Sponge Crab on the Corsair Wreck dive

Nature has been kind to us the past few days, and it still keeps on giving! Sorry for all you surfers out there, this is scuba diving week. Conditions were excellent as we prepared to leave dock for a two tank Night Diving charter our of Hawaii Kai.

Oahu scuba diving is fantastic during the day, and we had a few first time night divers to prove that it was also just as fantastic at night. We chose to do the Corsair wreck dive first. The sun set fast and dusk was already upon us as we descended. Kyra and Isaac were doing their Nitrox Specialty and Night Advanced Open Water certification dive, and were stoked. Strong current siphoned awesome jellies and weird alien looking creatures past us on our way down.

Frogfish 

About halfway down the underwater symphony began. Humpback song echoed around the bay as we dove, giving us a bit of a theme music background as we explored the wreckage. It was loud and amazing. We were looking around just expecting to see one swim by....again :) The frogfish were posing awesome on the tail, the moray was in the engine, surrounded by a red hawaiian lobster and a crab. Two spongecrabs were hugging under the prop, and schools of moorish idols slept on the inside of the cockpit. On our ascent the bio's were awesome. Bits of blue encircling anything that moved!

Frogfish

  Our second dive was at Baby Barge, another Oahu Wreck Dive. We tied up and headed down. Current was still ripping but the bio-luminescence was everywhere! Turtles slept about and got a little upset when our lights woke them from their slumber. One of these guys even decided to ram Ryan and his monster camera! A few morays were hunting around the underside of the wreck, and the whales could still be heard in the distance. The wreck looked uber cool with 10 lights lighting it up from multiple angles, and flashes from cameras occasionally giving a wide view. on the surrounding reef, the fish all sat in the nooks and crannys to avoid the current and get some well earned rest.

Moray Eel

We all got back on the boat and enjoyed some hot cocoa and tea, and made it back to dock, but only after a minty hot towel! Mahalo from staff and crew for coming out at IDH!

Day after Rough Kona Winds.....EPIC IS ALL I SAY

 Aloha everyone!

Red Frog Fish

We headed out on a two tank dive charter under the shadow of moisture rich clouds, ready to release. We voted and ended up with a 9:1 vote for the Corsair wreck dive. We had a nice hour of sun while we geared up before the clouds and rain rolled in, but that was soon to be in the back of our minds. We descended down to 105 ft on the only real wreck you can enjoy while Oahu Scuba Diving. We checked out the duo of frogfish on the tail section, the octopus in the wing, and...

 ...THE HUMPBACK WHALE SWIMMING DIRECTLY AT US! 

I honestly thought it was a long lost Atlantis Submarine drifting around as it came directly at us. The whale seemed to be going in slow motion (even though they move so, so fast!) due to his 40ft size, as were my photography skills as I put my regulator back in my mouth. the 9:1 vote just went to an all around vote for the Corsair. We had a few buddy teams ascending and it was as if this playful whale knew it, and decided to make 3 circles around the wreck, so everyone got a chance to fumble about and try to get pictures of it. It was amazing seeing the whale, but even during this, the garden eels moving up and down as the whale circled, and the fish trying to avoid this behemoth of beasts. Right when bottom time was getting low, the whale left us with wide eyes and smile induced mask leaks. After a few days of rough weather and choppy surface conditions, Poseidon decided to give us epic calm surface, slack current, and nice visibility underwater.

Humpback Whale Crusin'

         

Hawaiian Green sea Turtle taking a snooze

   Our second dive was to Baby Barge wreck dive around 75 feet max. Conditions were still calm, mild current, and good visibility. It seemed it was sea turtle nap time, cause every turtle we came across was passed out! The reef fish were cruising and watching as Bob was working on his finely tuned buoyancy skills and waiting to finish paperwork at the shop to complete his PADI Advanced Open Water certification. a couple Morays were hanging out in the shark cave, waiting to get some lunch.

Sea Turtle watching divers cruise by

That dive was amazing as well, but when we returned after a nice 40 minute dive, everyone was still talking about the lifetime experience of being within 50 feet underwater of a humpback. Thanks from all the crew and staff at Island Divers for you all coming out with us today, and for all you reading this! Mahalos!