Scuba Dream Time

We finally had a day off together and my first day off in almost two weeks (13 straight days of work). It was great to go out there and enjoy the beautiful scenery Kauai has to offer. The other bonus was being able to take Niles out on a long walk with me. He wasn't to thrilled by the time we got to the Pihea Vista. It was a straight upward climb in the mud and he was already tired from the relatively easy part of the trail. I forget that the pup is getting old. He's a getting gray. I guess that what happens to a ten year old black dog. He really hated the part were I jogged back to the start ing point. I need to take easy on the old dog. I don't feel much like writing so I am just going to post some pictures of the beautiful vistas from the trail.

Ni'ihau diving around Lehua Rock was spectacular. Ocean conditions were blessed by the gods. It was flat calm on the surface, visibility was easily 100ft, and the creatures greeted us. Thanks to having another bubble watcher on board, Julie, I was able to do two drift dives. Julie is working on becoming an instructor through KCC. Julie did the first dive of the day at Keyhole. I did the second dive which was at Ledges. The dive was a wall dive which really added to the sensation that we were flying. Deep blue waters surrounded us and from is vast and deep blueness emerged a very large white tip shark to check us out. He did a few rounds as he checked us out. He got fairly close but not as close as another encounter we were soon to have. As we proceeded along the wall we witnessed a number of magnificent spotted eagle rays just coast by. They came single file and seem to be riding the water's thermocline as they searched for feeding grounds. As one passed and the ph...

Ni'ihau , the Forbidden Island Trips to Ni'ihau I have learned consist of a very early start to a very long day. The reward is a great day of diving and memories to last. As crew our day officially starts at 5:30 am. Our customers are expected to check in by 6:00 am. By 6:45 am we are pulling away from the dock loaded up for a full day of diving (3 tanks each), breakfast and lunch for customers and crew, plus fishing gear. The trip out took almost 2.5 hours. Its a long way across the channel. Everyone settled in nicely for the long ride. As we finished our channel cross ing Capt Andrew got a bite on one of the fishing lines he had set out. We had managed to hook a huge marlin, estimated at around 500 pounds. He was a beauty there is some brief footage of the catch in the video below. Being aware of overfishing in our oceans, Ryan cut the fish loose but managed to save Capt Andrew's prized lure. After all t he excitement we decided on the best spot for the first ...

Wednesday the South Shore of Kauai started feeling the effects of the south swell that had arrived from the vastness of the Pacific. As a result and with safety in mind we canceled boat dives and shore dives. Safety should never be an afterthought. As a result we had time to go exploring the terrain on this side of the island. With our new jobs, we don't have as much free time as we did with our previous island employer. We decided on the Maha'ulepu Trail right off of Poipu Road on the South Shore. For Hollywood trivia buffs this is where parts of the movie 6 days/7 nights were filmed. The area has incredible sandstone cliffs. Cemented sand dunes were deposited here during the last age and with wind and water erosion have become elaborate sandstone caves. The area has some incredible vistas but so does much of Kauai. You get to see the land and sea meet in a dramatic fashion; no doubt that the south swell added to the drama. It was fun exploring the cliffs and hiking r...

I am thrilled to have started working at Seasport Divers. Back in January 2008 Brownie and I went diving with Seasport and we were hooked. They are one of the most professional dive operators on Kauai. Compared with our previous dive employer on Kauai, they are far superior. Seasport has some of the most comfortable dive boats with the greatest number of on board amenities. The staff is always professional and highly skilled. Everything is simply top of the line. It is no wonder they have been voted #1 on Kauai. I am thrilled to be part of Seasport. Come visit us and dive with Seasport Divers. Soon we will start trips to Ni'ihau of which I have heard only great things. I have attached a short video from our first dive in January 2008 with Seasport Divers.

Today was an outstanding day. I was able to swim with two humpback whales. What a magnificent site. No words I write or speak can express the magnitude of the experience. They are so massive in size and yet so graceful. I was about 20 feet away from the whales in about 175 feet of deep blue water. I thought one was about to breach right next to me. There was a certain amount of trepidation just being aware of their massive size but I was so drawn to them that I couldn't stop myself from getting as close as I could. I have a guaranteed smile on my face for the day. This is one of those experiences I will never forget. It should be a once in a lifetime moment but I certainly hope I have others. And as if whales were not enough, right after them there were spinner dolphins all around. A lifetime at Disney could not top today. I don't think that even winning the lottery can compare. As I have said repeatedly, I love what I do for a living, I love where I live, and I am i...

Last night we witnessed a magnificent moon rising. Before the moon started its ascent, the sky was filled with countless stars. It was impressive to see the moon start showing on the horizon. It illuminated the clouds and made the night sky glow. The moon was so incredibly bright that the abundance of stars was lost in the moons powerful glow. Besides mother nature's wonderful light show, it was nice to be around friends. Most of the country is in the grips of winter's frigid grasp, but here on Kauai, we live in paradise. It's February and we are laying on the beach at night by a nice bonfire just watching the moon. Silhouette of Brownie and Nick by the waters edge Captain Randy, myself, Nathan, and Nick. Brownie contemplating the moon

Today was one of those diving days that just plants a permanent smile on your face. It started just like any other. There was the perk of seeing a Hawaiian monk seal beached on Poipu Beach on the way to Kukuiula Harbor to meet the dive boat. Keep in mind that these are some of the world's most endangered species. There are believed to only be about 1200 to 1300 in the entire world, and only about 25-30 on Kauai. Volunteers go to great lengths to protect the seals when the come on to the beaches to rest. On we proceeded to Seasport Divers' very roomy and comfortable Newton dive boat. On our way to the first dive sight we saw a baby humpback whale just breaching and having a blast. It was remarkably smaller that the gentle giant it will soon grow to become. I am still hoping to see a whale while diving, but until then I am thrilled with seeing them from the surface. Our first dive was a drift dive on Brennecke's Ledge. Shortly after we descended we saw a lionfish (no...

This morning started out quite dreary and windy. On the drive to Port Allen I was wondering if we would even be able to go out. The day before was very windy, occasional heavy rains, high surf, and strong ocean currents. We checked around and decided to take out the scheduled two divers from Ontario, Aileen and Brenda. And what a day it was. We all had huge smiles attesting to the wonders of the day. As we headed out to Hale O' Honu East, we did encounter a pod of four whales. They put on a magnificent show breaching their way past us. That alone would have made the day quite exceptional but unbeknown to us, we had more wonders in store for us. As I moored the boat up I could see two huge green sea turtles just hanging out at the cleaning station 40 feet down. Visibility was on our side. Luckily they were still there as my divers descended down the line. We swam around and saw numerous Lionfish, Yellowmargin eels, and white mouth eels. Those were the standout creatures i...

Beautiful day of diving at Hale O'honu. If you have to work on a holiday, diving is the job to have. There is always something beautiful to see. We had two new divers on board today, it was their first official dive as certified divers. They both did very well. All others on the boat had a great time and we saw LOTS of turtles. As we were heading to the site to moor up on the surface were three turtles just waiting to greet us. As the divers descended down the mooring line they were greeted by an even larger welcoming committee. Turtles congregate in this area to be cleaned. They never appear bothered by divers so it affords divers an excellent opportunity to view them. Besides the numerous turtles, we also saw a large school of Black Durgons ( Black triggerfish; Humuhumu 'ele'ele; Melichthys niger) swimming by. This was a treat for me as I have only seen them swimming by themselves and the sightings have been very rare for me. Hope everyone is having a wonderful...

Brownie and I celebrated Christmas a day early this year since we have to work on Christmas Day. That is one of the few drawbacks of this industry; you work when others are on holidays. The high point is that when you are off the amateurs are all at home and working. We had an incredible day. We woke up early and opened our presents. We both did very well on presents. Niles would have liked some Greenies so he he was a bit disappointed. I'll have to make it up to him. He has me so trained. After all the gift opening was done and we left all the new electronics charging we headed out to explore Opeakaa Falls and the National Forest off the same road. Brownie decided to take a dip in the freshwater creek. The water tends to be a bit chilly but no too bad. Unfortunately I had to stay dry due to a bad case of swimmers ear. Imagine a diver experiencing an ear infection. But it was worth being on land just to capture the video of him trying to get out of the water while keepi...

SEASON'S ALOHA May you all have health, wealth, and happiness.

Great diving at House of Turtles (Hale O'Honu). There are always numerous turtles. In the Keys you are lucky to see more than one turtle on any given day. Here on Kauai it's almost a constant parade of turtles. Most of the turtles do look very healthy and are very large. Some are over 6 feet long, absolutely massive. A few have cracked shells as if they have had a run in with a boat prop or a very large Tiger Shark. What is disturbing is that some of the turtles have what appear to be hard white growths on the soft parts of their bodies. The growths are very visible and obvious (below are some pictures). The afflicted turtles generally appear unaffected except for those with a great amount of growth around their eyes. They sometimes bump into you. And you must be careful because it is a federal offense to touch turtles in Hawaii. The feds will slap you with a $10,000.00 fine, if caught of course. Overall, they are amazing and gracious creatures. If you ever wondered...

This morning I drove up to Koloa Landing to meet two DSDs students and their certified diver friend for a local shore dive. I was pleasantly surprised to run in to Cole Abbott. Cole was in my IDC class. As a matter of fact we graduate 366 days earlier. I must admit that at first I failed to recognize him and when I did I could only recall the unappreciated nickname bestowed upon him by our course director, Tom Witmer. The nickname was "the colinator". Not very flattering but definitely memorable. I never thought I would just run into someone I knew on such a small and isolated island. He has been here for the past 9 months so maybe he will show us some hidden gems for diving. The diving on Koloa was very nice. The visibility is finally improving after all the rain we have been having. We saw two turtles, two eels, and countless other tropicals. My two DSD students enjoyed the dives but were doubtful that they would ever dive again. They were on Kauai from Korea fo...

We arrived in Kauai on Saturday, November 24th. Niles made the trip. He will never get in his crate again but he's alive and chasing chickens. He has finally found a sport he can throw himself at. In case you are not aware, Kauai is full of chickens. I guess all kinds want to live in paradise. We did our first Kauai diving the very next day. We went to two sites known as Turtles House East and West. The known site name is in Hawaiian but I am still working on mastering some of the basics. Soon enough I will name all the sites in the local language. The sites were loaded with TURTLES, hence the name of the site. I don't mean a few turtles here and there but a great gathering of turtles. Some were just catching some zzzz's others were there to be cleaned by schools of cleaning fish. One even mistook Pat's hair for algae and tried to catch a quick meal. Turtle Cleaning Station Brownie & Turtle Besides the turtles we also saw eels, lion fi...

We finally Made it to Los Angeles, CA earlier today. It was a long a grueling trip. There was some beautiful scenery along the way, a dust storm, and some unique characters. On Day One we drove from Key Largo, FL all the way through to Baton Rouge, LA. That was the most grueling part of the journey. We did all of Florida, through Alabama, Mississippi, and finally Louisiana. We had planned to stay closer to Slidell , LA but we couldn't find a pet friendly hotel in the area. The Choice hotel chain claims to have pet friendly locations but I don't think they really practice what they advertise. Luckily we did find a Motel 6 in Baton Rouge that was true to their advertising on being a pet friendly location. The hotel was a located in a somewhat "rough" neighborhood but it was still a welcome reprieve from the road. On Day Two we got another early start and headed towards the grand expanse of Texas. We made it through much of Texas and wound up staying at the Mote...

Today marks the two-week countdown of our move to Kauai. On November 24, we board a flight to Kauai that will embark us on a new adventure. We are looking forward to learning about and experiencing the Hawaiian culture first hand. In addition to that we also get to explore new and fascinating dive sites. Florida Keys diving is spectacular but it is not wholly representative of what the world's oceans have to offer. We have anticipated the colder waters and have ordered new Pinnacle merino wool wetsuits in 7mm. That will be a big difference from Key Largo's no wetsuit needed diving. Our dog, Niles, is not quite looking forward to the adventure as much as we are. He has been getting use to his crate and is performing beyond all expectations that we had. He has had all his tests and shots and is signed up for direct airport release. He never would have survived the 120-day quarantine previously required. For his benefit through we are driving cross-country to Los Angeles...

I had a wonderful day of diving with Silent World key Largo on the 1st of September. The water was wonderfully clear, the temperature nice and warm, and the current was nonexistent. There was also Captain Bob who was as entertaining as ever. If you ever dive with Silent World Key Largo be sure to request show tunes from Captain Bob. Lately I have taken up an interest in the local coral formations. It is so fragile and we have so precious little thanks to divers with poor buoyancy control, anchors, and mother nature. Below are a few pictures including common and scientific names. Please note that there might be some errors I am new to this and it is a work in learning. Great Star Coral with Polyps extended Montastraea cavernosa Pillar Coral Dendrogyra cylindrus Knobby Cactus Coral Mycetophyllia aliciae Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis Elkhorn Coral Acropora palmata