Dive Report – Waikiki 9-13 January 2010
Sites: Kewalo Pipe, Corsair, Corner Pocket, YO-257 & San Pedro wrecks, Turtle Canyon, Sea Cave, and the Sea Tiger wreck
Dive Op: Gabe Scotti, Kaimana Divers, “Scottitheduck” ScubaBoard - View Profile: scottitheduck
gives a ScubaBoard discount!
Yay! My first chance to get wet in 8 months!
Please bear with me as this is my first dive report – I hope it is of use.
Gabe Scotti is an independent divemaster / instructor that gets you out to the best places and shows off his beloved home waters. He runs a tight op and puts safety first, which was great for us vacation divers. By the second trip, I was remembering how all this stuff works again! One should bring one’s own snacks and water on the boats. Also, be flexible, as the currents and such this time of year make any particular dive spot a crap shoot.
We went out on two boats – Cpt Carl’s catamaran and Cpt Joe’s regular boat. I dived – sort of – five days. Okay, 9 dives. I don’t think Gabe quite knew what to do with a diver that regularly spews like a shook-up soda can. Silly me, I failed to start medicating the day before like I should have. Anyway, the first day, 3 foot seas kicked my rear and I bailed out of the second dive. :yuck: The vis was pretty shook up – maybe 30-40’.
The second day was awesome – glassy, glassy seas. This was quite amazing as the north shore was building waves to record highs. The previously resident eel has left the suncken WWII Corsair, darn it, but there were big schools of fish to photograph.
My favorites were Turtle Canyon and Horseshoe Reef. We saw 10 sea turtles – per Gabe – I think I counted two as the same pair. Big, lovely creatures without a lot of concern about our presence . . . at least, until Gabe tried to kiss one sleeping on the Sea Tiger . . .
We saw a most rare and beautiful Dragon Morey Eel! ^&%^$^ camera battery had died! 
The most interesting was the Sea Cave – a cavern (more like a swim-thru) with a 30’ skylight, maybe 30’ straight through with a dark area to the left. Being in the rear, I could see everyone display excitement “at” the dark area. Then a guy in front of me began a swift ascent to the ‘skylight’ . . . kicked up silt and my photo and vision ruined. There was a White Tip Reef Shark sleeping in the dark, and I missed it.
So, I’m kind of trying to edge closer into the dark area, but can't help watching the guy that surfaced. Gabe went up after him, bringing him down. It was all very smooth and matter-of-fact; I thought it was a training practice and was quite impressed. Until, that is, Gabe forcefully thrust Gabe’s spare air into the diver’s mouth, latched onto his BC, and in no uncertain terms dragged him through to the surface. He signaled us to wait. Numbnuts had not changed over his tank in the surface interval and was empty. Since he wasn’t Gabe’s client, but was just trailing along, Gabe didn’t check him. As I was taught to check air at three initial points (first hookup, before jumping in, and on descent), I do not get it.
Diving Hawaii in the winter is “a crap shoot”. Swirling currents, winds, etc., cause the dive sites to be called on or off at the dive site. The vis is still wonderful – 40+ feet – but not as good as it is in the quiet summer months. The depths tend to hard bottom at 120’ or less, so there is plenty of time for one to dive. The water temps were ~ 73º in the deep areas, and 75º in the shallows. No thermo to be felt.
The not so happy part is that Hawaii’s coral beds have been beat to pieces. There is little of the bright corals one could expect in tropical areas. The good news is that there is obvious improvement over the past eight years as patches of new coral dotted the sea landscape. The wildlife – while not teeming as some places, is still quite varied and thrilling. With the air temps around 77º constantly, Hawaii definitely is a great winter get-away!
Sites: Kewalo Pipe, Corsair, Corner Pocket, YO-257 & San Pedro wrecks, Turtle Canyon, Sea Cave, and the Sea Tiger wreck
Dive Op: Gabe Scotti, Kaimana Divers, “Scottitheduck” ScubaBoard - View Profile: scottitheduck
gives a ScubaBoard discount!Yay! My first chance to get wet in 8 months!
Please bear with me as this is my first dive report – I hope it is of use.
Gabe Scotti is an independent divemaster / instructor that gets you out to the best places and shows off his beloved home waters. He runs a tight op and puts safety first, which was great for us vacation divers. By the second trip, I was remembering how all this stuff works again! One should bring one’s own snacks and water on the boats. Also, be flexible, as the currents and such this time of year make any particular dive spot a crap shoot.
We went out on two boats – Cpt Carl’s catamaran and Cpt Joe’s regular boat. I dived – sort of – five days. Okay, 9 dives. I don’t think Gabe quite knew what to do with a diver that regularly spews like a shook-up soda can. Silly me, I failed to start medicating the day before like I should have. Anyway, the first day, 3 foot seas kicked my rear and I bailed out of the second dive. :yuck: The vis was pretty shook up – maybe 30-40’.
The second day was awesome – glassy, glassy seas. This was quite amazing as the north shore was building waves to record highs. The previously resident eel has left the suncken WWII Corsair, darn it, but there were big schools of fish to photograph.
My favorites were Turtle Canyon and Horseshoe Reef. We saw 10 sea turtles – per Gabe – I think I counted two as the same pair. Big, lovely creatures without a lot of concern about our presence . . . at least, until Gabe tried to kiss one sleeping on the Sea Tiger . . .
We saw a most rare and beautiful Dragon Morey Eel! ^&%^$^ camera battery had died! The most interesting was the Sea Cave – a cavern (more like a swim-thru) with a 30’ skylight, maybe 30’ straight through with a dark area to the left. Being in the rear, I could see everyone display excitement “at” the dark area. Then a guy in front of me began a swift ascent to the ‘skylight’ . . . kicked up silt and my photo and vision ruined. There was a White Tip Reef Shark sleeping in the dark, and I missed it.
So, I’m kind of trying to edge closer into the dark area, but can't help watching the guy that surfaced. Gabe went up after him, bringing him down. It was all very smooth and matter-of-fact; I thought it was a training practice and was quite impressed. Until, that is, Gabe forcefully thrust Gabe’s spare air into the diver’s mouth, latched onto his BC, and in no uncertain terms dragged him through to the surface. He signaled us to wait. Numbnuts had not changed over his tank in the surface interval and was empty. Since he wasn’t Gabe’s client, but was just trailing along, Gabe didn’t check him. As I was taught to check air at three initial points (first hookup, before jumping in, and on descent), I do not get it.
Diving Hawaii in the winter is “a crap shoot”. Swirling currents, winds, etc., cause the dive sites to be called on or off at the dive site. The vis is still wonderful – 40+ feet – but not as good as it is in the quiet summer months. The depths tend to hard bottom at 120’ or less, so there is plenty of time for one to dive. The water temps were ~ 73º in the deep areas, and 75º in the shallows. No thermo to be felt.
The not so happy part is that Hawaii’s coral beds have been beat to pieces. There is little of the bright corals one could expect in tropical areas. The good news is that there is obvious improvement over the past eight years as patches of new coral dotted the sea landscape. The wildlife – while not teeming as some places, is still quite varied and thrilling. With the air temps around 77º constantly, Hawaii definitely is a great winter get-away!
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