Jun Look is the Corporate Sales Manager for Hilton and she is constantly doing little things to make sure I feel welcome and keep coming back.
3 years ago
Monday, February 16, 2009
Happy President's Day
When I got back to my room this evening, I found this:
Jun Look is the Corporate Sales Manager for Hilton and she is constantly doing little things to make sure I feel welcome and keep coming back.
Jun Look is the Corporate Sales Manager for Hilton and she is constantly doing little things to make sure I feel welcome and keep coming back.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
February 14, 2009 Dives - Mahi & Makaha Caverns
On Saturday, February 14, 2009, I dove with Al Pedden and Joanna (divemaster) from Ocean Concepts. We did two dives, the Mahi, a 95 foot deep dive on a ship that was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef and Makaha Caverns, a 50 foot deep dive on a shallow coral reef with lava tubes and swim-throughs.
I dove with Al. Jo was the divemaster for our group. There were 9 divers and two "guides", so they paired up all the divers and the two guides each took a group. Our group was the first in this time, and Al and I were the first in the water. Headed down the mooring line when all of our group was in.
We dropped right down to the bottom at the bow of the wreck and immediately spotted a huge Great Barracuda swimming slowly away off the side of the ship. It was too far away to get a photo of. The visibility was great today - about 80 feet and the water was very clear and blue.
When the group was all assembled, we started slowly swimming around the wreck and there were Spotted Eagle Rays everywhere! They were just hanging around the wreck and not leaving. Usually when we see them, they just do a swim-by and it is so far in the distance that you just barely see them. Not today! They hung around is pairs and groups of three or four and singly - it was amazing.
As the group was completing our circle of the wreck, there was a group of three rays that were swimming along side us and I just edged out to get closer to them. rather than fleeing, they just slowly swam alongside me and I was able to get a video of them. It was great fun. The rest of the divers were a little apprehensive that I was not coming back, so I turned to swim back to the group, and the rays turned and followed me - so cool!
This one was just hanging out over the center of the wreck.
Al kind of did a disappearing act on me toward the end of the dive as I was taking the last couple of photos. I swam back to the mooring line and began my ascent. I could see him above me then so I wasn't worried about where he was. After a safety stop, I got out. This dive was really all about the rays!
When I got out of the water, there was a humpback whale breaching right behind the boat! I missed it, but those on-board were talking about it. As I was making my way to my seat and getting out of my gear, it surfaced again alongside the boat, but quite a ways out. I managed to see it just as it humped its back in a huge curve and dove deep. Its tail fluke came clear out of the water and would have been a great photo if I had been ready with a camera.
If the first dive was all about rays, the second one was all about urchins. We did the normal circuit through the site and all the regular swim-throughs, but everywhere I looked there were cool urchins to photograph.
Ran into this guy hanging out under a rock near the end of the dive. Probably to largest Whitemouth Moray I have ever seen!
As I was about to end the dive, Jo called me over and showed me this Panther Flounder. It was the first I had ever seen. Very difficult to see and even harder to photograph!
Ascended without a safety stop since I was about out of air.
I dove with Al. Jo was the divemaster for our group. There were 9 divers and two "guides", so they paired up all the divers and the two guides each took a group. Our group was the first in this time, and Al and I were the first in the water. Headed down the mooring line when all of our group was in.
Al Pedden descending to the Mahi
We dropped right down to the bottom at the bow of the wreck and immediately spotted a huge Great Barracuda swimming slowly away off the side of the ship. It was too far away to get a photo of. The visibility was great today - about 80 feet and the water was very clear and blue.
When the group was all assembled, we started slowly swimming around the wreck and there were Spotted Eagle Rays everywhere! They were just hanging around the wreck and not leaving. Usually when we see them, they just do a swim-by and it is so far in the distance that you just barely see them. Not today! They hung around is pairs and groups of three or four and singly - it was amazing.
Spotted Eagle Rays
As the group was completing our circle of the wreck, there was a group of three rays that were swimming along side us and I just edged out to get closer to them. rather than fleeing, they just slowly swam alongside me and I was able to get a video of them. It was great fun. The rest of the divers were a little apprehensive that I was not coming back, so I turned to swim back to the group, and the rays turned and followed me - so cool!
This one was just hanging out over the center of the wreck.
Spotted Eagle Ray
Spotted Eagle Rays
Al kind of did a disappearing act on me toward the end of the dive as I was taking the last couple of photos. I swam back to the mooring line and began my ascent. I could see him above me then so I wasn't worried about where he was. After a safety stop, I got out. This dive was really all about the rays!
When I got out of the water, there was a humpback whale breaching right behind the boat! I missed it, but those on-board were talking about it. As I was making my way to my seat and getting out of my gear, it surfaced again alongside the boat, but quite a ways out. I managed to see it just as it humped its back in a huge curve and dove deep. Its tail fluke came clear out of the water and would have been a great photo if I had been ready with a camera.
Jo Hanging Out Waiting for the Second Dive
If the first dive was all about rays, the second one was all about urchins. We did the normal circuit through the site and all the regular swim-throughs, but everywhere I looked there were cool urchins to photograph.
Marlinspike Auger
Rock-Boring Urchin
Thomas's Urchin and Red Pencil Urchin
Needle-Spined Urchin
Rough-Spined Urchin
Banded Urchin
Rough-Spined Urchin
Ran into this guy hanging out under a rock near the end of the dive. Probably to largest Whitemouth Moray I have ever seen!
Whitemouth Moray Eel
As I was about to end the dive, Jo called me over and showed me this Panther Flounder. It was the first I had ever seen. Very difficult to see and even harder to photograph!
Panther Flounder
Ascended without a safety stop since I was about out of air.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February 7, 2009 Dives - Airplane Ledge, Shallow LCU & Shallow LCU
On Saturday, February 7, 2009, I dove with Mike Darrah and Jo (divemaster) from Ocean Concepts. We did three dives, Airplane Ledge, a 110 foot deep dive on an airplane that was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef and two dives on the Shallow LCU, a 90 foot deep dive on a Landing Craft that was sunk as an artificial reef.
I dove with Mike on the first dive and with Jo on the other two. Jo was the divemaster for our group. Three of the divers had cameras. There were 10 divers and two "guides." Three of the divers were divemaster candidates. Mike was one of them.
Our group was the first in this time, and I was the first in the water. We congregated at the mooring line until all of our group was there and then descended. The site consists of a deep coral reef at about 80 feet. It forms a ledge, hence the name, and falls off to about 105 feet where the airplane wreck, or what is left of it rests. It has been dragged out to deeper water several times by big storms and they have gone and found it and drug it back. All that is left is the wings and they are in pretty bad shape.
The mooring line is anchored to the edge of the reef ledge, so we congregated there and then headed over to the wreck. The wing was full of Hawaiian Squirrelfish and a couple of Yellowstripe Squirrelfish. I tried to get a photo of the Yellowstripes, but couldn't get them to hold still long enough.
There was a large Yellowmargin Moray Eel in a hole in the wing and a big Day Octopus under the edge of the wing.
We swam over to the ledge and found a Decoy Scorpionfish in a little hole and a small Whitemouth Moray Eel.
As we were heading back to the mooring line, we came across a Kangaroo Nudibranch and Jo discovered an enormous Ridgeback Slipper Lobster that was at least two feet long under a ledge.
We also came across a couple of Leaf Scorpionfish.
It was pretty chilly during the surface intervals tonight. The wind was blowing a little and the temps were lower. I was glad to have a jacket. Since we are doing three deep dives, we lengthened out the safety stop to 5 minutes and then took long surface intervals.
The second and third dives were on the Shallow LCU, the same dive that I flooded my camera on back in September on a three-tank night dive. Mike was finishing up his divemaster training with Carlos, so I was buddied up with Jo.
We swam around the wreck and saw lots of nudibranchs, even a couple that I have never seen before. I got photos of a Desirable Nudibranch, a cluster of Imperial Nudibranchs, a Trembling Nudibranch, a Varicose Phyllidia, and several Bluedragon Nudibranchs.
We also saw two Commerson's Frogfish. One was bright red and the other was larger and brown.
I ended the dive with the best photo I have gotten so far of a Hawaiian Dascyllus.
It was even colder on the boat after the second dive. We were all shivering, even with jackets and towels. After the surface interval, we giant strided into the water off the boat and headed for the bottom. I got a couple more shots of the Red Commerson's Frogfish.
I spotted a Cusk Eel and while I was trying to get the camera ready to take a photo, it ducked into a passageway on the boat and just then an emormous Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle came out of the same passage. I managed to snap a photo of its head and right front flipper.
I managed to get a pretty good photo of a Crowned Toby right at the end of the dive.
All-in-all, got some very good photos on these three dives.
I dove with Mike on the first dive and with Jo on the other two. Jo was the divemaster for our group. Three of the divers had cameras. There were 10 divers and two "guides." Three of the divers were divemaster candidates. Mike was one of them.
Our group was the first in this time, and I was the first in the water. We congregated at the mooring line until all of our group was there and then descended. The site consists of a deep coral reef at about 80 feet. It forms a ledge, hence the name, and falls off to about 105 feet where the airplane wreck, or what is left of it rests. It has been dragged out to deeper water several times by big storms and they have gone and found it and drug it back. All that is left is the wings and they are in pretty bad shape.
The mooring line is anchored to the edge of the reef ledge, so we congregated there and then headed over to the wreck. The wing was full of Hawaiian Squirrelfish and a couple of Yellowstripe Squirrelfish. I tried to get a photo of the Yellowstripes, but couldn't get them to hold still long enough.
Hawaiian Squirrelfish
There was a large Yellowmargin Moray Eel in a hole in the wing and a big Day Octopus under the edge of the wing.
Yellowmargin Moray Eel
Day Octopus
We swam over to the ledge and found a Decoy Scorpionfish in a little hole and a small Whitemouth Moray Eel.
Decoy Scorpionfish
Whitemouth Moray Eel
As we were heading back to the mooring line, we came across a Kangaroo Nudibranch and Jo discovered an enormous Ridgeback Slipper Lobster that was at least two feet long under a ledge.
Kangaroo Nudibranch
Ridgeback Slipper Lobster
We also came across a couple of Leaf Scorpionfish.
Leaf Scorpionfish
Leaf Scorpionfish
It was pretty chilly during the surface intervals tonight. The wind was blowing a little and the temps were lower. I was glad to have a jacket. Since we are doing three deep dives, we lengthened out the safety stop to 5 minutes and then took long surface intervals.
The second and third dives were on the Shallow LCU, the same dive that I flooded my camera on back in September on a three-tank night dive. Mike was finishing up his divemaster training with Carlos, so I was buddied up with Jo.
We swam around the wreck and saw lots of nudibranchs, even a couple that I have never seen before. I got photos of a Desirable Nudibranch, a cluster of Imperial Nudibranchs, a Trembling Nudibranch, a Varicose Phyllidia, and several Bluedragon Nudibranchs.
Desirable Nudibranch
Imperial Nudibranchs
Trembling Nudibranch
Varicose Phyllidia
We also saw two Commerson's Frogfish. One was bright red and the other was larger and brown.
Commerson's Frogfish
Commerson's Frogfish
Commerson's Frogfish
Commerson's Frogfish
I ended the dive with the best photo I have gotten so far of a Hawaiian Dascyllus.
Hawaiian Dascyllus
It was even colder on the boat after the second dive. We were all shivering, even with jackets and towels. After the surface interval, we giant strided into the water off the boat and headed for the bottom. I got a couple more shots of the Red Commerson's Frogfish.
Commerson's Frogfish
I spotted a Cusk Eel and while I was trying to get the camera ready to take a photo, it ducked into a passageway on the boat and just then an emormous Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle came out of the same passage. I managed to snap a photo of its head and right front flipper.
Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle
I managed to get a pretty good photo of a Crowned Toby right at the end of the dive.
Crowned Toby
All-in-all, got some very good photos on these three dives.
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