There were 6 divers and one "guide". James and I were always first in the water.
Visibility was good - about 70 feet. James and I did our own thing and Jo took the others on the tour of the wreck. Jo's parting words were, "see you back on the boat - don't run out of air." We both did a giant stride in and descended immediately, although James was a little slow coming down because he was having equalizing difficulties.
I dropped down to the stern and looked for interesting critters to photograph. The Commerson's Frogfish was at its normal place, so I shot a few more photos of it. I also took a few photos of various soft corals, sponges and tunicates before ascending to deck level to see what James was up to. He was hanging out at the railing. When I got there, he pointed out a Yellowmargin Moray Eel.
Commerson's Frogfish
Snowflake Coral
Yellowmargin Moray Eel
I dropped back down along the side of the ship and discovered a little group of Colonial Tunicates.
Colonial Tunicate
Right near the bow, I came across a couple of Desirable Nudibranchs. I have seen lots of these, but never gotten a decent photo until today. They are so tiny and the little spikes wave in the current so much that it is very difficult.
Desirable Nudibranch
On a whim, I took this close-up of a single point on a Cushion Star. It shows lots of detail and color that you miss just looking at them.
Cushion Star
As I was swimming back toward the mast to ascend, I noticed the big barracuda hanging out near the top of the mast. Not a very good shot, but he just will not let me get close.
Great Barracuda
A little Cucumber Coral on the mast was full of little critters today. I managed to capture a Four-Lined Wrasse (I have been trying for some time and this was an accident), Speckled Scorpionfish and Common Guard Crabs. The coral is even in pretty good focus!
Four-Lined Wrasse, Speckled Scorpionfish & Common Guard Crab
Speckled Scorpionfish & Common Guard Crab
I got a good photo of a couple of Christmas Tree Worms. These are so tiny that I don't often notice them.
Christmas Tree Worms
Right at the top, in another little Cauliflower Coral, I got a photo of a Hawaiian Velvetfish (Coral Croucher). I see them, but this is the first time I have actually gotten a photo. This is about as much as you ever see.
Hawaiian Velvetfish (Coral Croucher)
I did my safety stop on the mooring line and then swam up to the ladder and climbed out with 300 psi left.
On the second dive, we made the normal tour through Makaha Caverns. This was my first "fun" dive in quite a while. I brought up the rear of Jo's group and made sure no one got off course.
Right under the boat was a huge Oval Mushroom Coral. I rarely see one of these, and this is the largest one I have ever seen.
Oval Mushroom Coral
This is a tiny Stout Moray Eel. I used to see these guys frequently, but this is the first in a long while.
Stout Moray Eel
There were quite a few Blue Dragon Nudibranchs today. They are mostly covered in sand and very pale here at Makaha.
Blue Dragon Nudibranch
Back under the boat is one of my favorite pieces of coral on this dive! It is a huge Antler Coral and it always is full of little critters hanging out in the branches.
Antler Coral
There were Speckled Scorpionfish and Yellow-Spotted Guard Crabs today, but I only managed good photos of the crabs.
Stout Moray Eel
This is the smallest one of these I have ever seen. So tiny, I almost missed it.
Dwarf Moray Eel
After shooting in the coral head for a little while, I ended the dive and got back on board with 600 psi left.
No comments:
Post a Comment