Ocean
Explorers
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November 2005
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This last month has been busier than usual. We started with an outstanding picnic at La Jolla Shores. In one of those supreme twists of irony, the predicted waves deicede to make landfall north of Valecitos, which allowed divers into the water with a minimum of fuss. Still we had good food, good company, and lovely weather. For those who were curious, we were grilling Bubba Burgers with onion. You can get them at Vons or Safeway.
People brought some excellent side dishes. We really need to get some recipes on our web site
It was so nice that my daughter and I decided to go back the following day for boogie boarding. The southwest swell was still running and we caught some outstanding waves. Once the tide came in, the southwest swell disappeared again, and we called it quits. So, just because they say it's heavy, doesn't mean it will be heavy. High tide seems to deflect the southwest swell from Valecitos, leaving it diveable when when most other sites are good for either surfing or kamakaze diving.
Liza Suwczinsky and I went on the Underwater Photographic Society's Channel Islands trip. I seem to get back to the Channel Islands every few years, and always enjoy these trips.
It felt like half the club was on the Big Island right when September turned to October. Mary and I (along with Frances San Clemente and Bob Beitel) were in Kona for the land trip. Kevin, Robin, Jon, and Eileen on the Kona Agressor trip.Dawn and Brian were on the island for their honeymoon. Jackie and Laurie were with us in spirit. Did I miss anyone?
From what I heard, everyone had loads of fun in Hawaii. The Aggressor was great, the land based trip was outstanding too. It was so much fun to be so far away from home, yet have friends close by. We'll have full reports on the Channel Islands and the land based Hawaii trip in the near future. I always hate coming home from these Hawaii trips. Just to warn you, one day, I'm going to cash in my return ticket, take a job in a coffee house, and simply not come back.
Happy
Bubbles,
Dave Ambrose
The trip began with an uneventful flight to the big island of Hawaii. As airlines are now charging for their wonderful culinary meals, of which there is limited choice and of course, the best option is always sold out before the attendants even reach you, I recommend taking your own meal or snack on board with you.
Upon arriving at the Kona airport, we took the Speedi-Shuttle to the Keauhou Bay Sheraton, located in Kailua-Kona, which is about 15 miles from the airport.. While the one way cost of the shuttle is almost as much as one day car rental, if you book in advance with a group of 2 or more, the price is actually quite reasonable.The Aggressor picked us up at the hotel mid-day Saturday, and dropped us off at the Kona Brewing Company, where we congregated with the rest of the passengers of the Kona Aggressor. After spending the rest of the afternoon shopping, we met at the port to board onto the Aggressor at about 5:30, where we were ushered to our rooms and then served a scrumptious meal. The chef, Robert, had been trained at the Culinary Institute of America, so his meals were delicious. After the meal, we were introduced to the crew and briefed by Captain Rob. I was so tired, that all I remembered from his brief was that if the boat started to sink, swim to shore, as all of the dive sites were very close to shore.
The average day consisted of waking in the morning to a continental breakfast for the early risers, and Robert would also make a breakfast entree for those wishing for additional sustenance. Breakfast was then followed by an 8:00 morning dive. Upon completing this first dive, freshly baked cookies or muffins would be awaiting us on the top deck.
Around 10:30, we would begin our second morning dive. Afterwards, we were greeted with a first course of soup made from scratch, followed by a yummy lunch. At this point, the boat would move to its next location. We typically dove two locations per day, one location in the morning, and the second location during the afternoon and the night dive. The next dive was scheduled around 2:00, followed by another snack such as egg rolls, pot stickers, or some other appetizer. Around 4:00-4:30 the fourth dive of the day would begin the fourth dive of the day, followed by yet another delicious meal, complete with home made desert. Dinner would be followed by a night dive, and then off to bed. There was only one person on the boat that made all the dives, I averaged three a day, and I was happy with that.
While all the dives were nice and what one would expect in such a locale, there were a few that stood out from the others. First there was "The Manta Dive". This was worth the trip to Kona in and of itself. The boat anchored in the afternoon at a location called Garden Eel Cove, and it is not far from the airport - we could watch the planes land and take off during our surface intervals. We had a leisurely afternoon and dinner, after which we prepared for the night dive. The crew had already gone in and laid the way with light sticks anchored down so that we could follow the path without turning on our lights. We were asked to keep our lights off until we arrived at "the location", so as not to draw the mantas away from the circle of lights. The boat had to turn its lights off as the mantas were being distracted from the circle of lights and coming over and checking out the boat. Once we reached the circle of lights, we planted our selves on the bottom at about 35' beneath the surface, turned on our lights and held them over our heads. This last step was very important, because if you held your light in front of you, the manta wouldn't have time to get out of the way and 1,000 pounds of marine animal would hit you - not fun. The crew warned it was a good way to potentially lose a mask or get injured, not to mention injuring these delicate giants. We had three mantas show up, ranging up to 12 feet in width, although it seemed as if though there were seven or eight in attendance. They came within inches of participants and were beautiful and exhilarating to watch.
The other dive worth mentioning is "Turtle Pinnacle". It is the only known turtle cleaning station on the Kona Coast. As we arrived at the cleaning station, there was a turtle in the middle of a cleaning session, and quite like nothing I've seen before. There was this turtle, covered in yellow and black fish in the middle of a cleaning. The turtle was quietly on all fours on the bottom of the reef, gently lifting each of his front flippers so that the fish could thoroughly clean... It's a sight I'll never forget.
Jon & I also had the opportunity to snorkel with spinning dolphins. The boat anchored at the afternoon location, which had a pod of about 13 spinners hanging out in the area, so Jon put on his snorkel gear and jumped in, I jumped in afterwards. We snorkeled around, following the dolphins as they frolicked in the area. They came pretty close, but not too close, as they had a baby dolphin, a few feet long among them. Very awesome!The crew of the Aggressor was great, and the trip was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this live aboard to anyone who wants a vacation with nothing on the agenda but sleeping, eating, & diving!
Things I recommend on the big island of Hawaii :
Issues with 6351 Alloy Aluminum Tanks -- Many local dive shops are refusing to fill 6351 alloy aluminum scuba tanks due to cracking in the neck of the tank. These cracks affect the structural integrity of the cylinder. Although there has not been a recall and the vast majority of these cylinders are fine, it will become increasingly difficult to get these cylinders filled at local dive shops. Be warned, however, that these same dive shops are willing to visually inspect them and charge you for the inspection, but then will not fill the tank. For additional information on this issues, go to: http://www.psicylinders.com/library/cracking.htm .
Shark Shield -- Sea Change Technology, located in South Australia, has designed a range of shark deterrent products, for activities ranging from surfing, to scuba diving, to commercial diving. In the early 1990's scientist from the Natal Sharks Board of South Africa discovered a unique electronic wave-form that deterred sharks, but did not affect any other form of marine life. After many years of research, this technology was developed and incorporated over time into the Shark Shield. In over 10 years of use, in both scientific tests and real life, it has proved effective in deterring a wide range of sharks, including Great Whites. Additional information can be found at http://www.sharkshield.com/ .
DAN On-line Auction -- DAN is holding an on-line auction beginning November 1 through December 1, 2005. Winning bids help support the DAN Endowment, as well as DAN Research and DAN outreach programs. Items being auctioned include underwater MP3 players, books, artwork, vacation at resorts and on live-aboards, and lots of equipment! Go to www.DiversAlertNetwork.org for more information. (Alert Diver Nov/Dec 2005) Whale Sharks in Captivity
-- A new Georgia Aquarium is unveiling the first ever wale shark
exhibit in North America. The state of the art aquarium will hold more
than 100,000 animals representing 500 species, including two juvenile
male whale sharks. The aquarium is nearly 100 yards long containing
five million gallons of seawater - the largest indoor display ever
created for fish. The pair of juveniles were captured off Taiwan
and flown to Atlanta in custom built tanks aboard a 747. The
exhibit is expected to be opened to the public this month.
We're starting on our next round of trips. Come to the next meeting
and whisper suggestions to Liza and Elizabeth.
From the Travel Bargain Bin -- Brac Reef Beach Resort is running a "Quick Escape" special. $699 for 5 nights, 4 days of 2 tanks diving, breakfast, and dinner. Trip dates are January 1st through March 31st, 2006. You need to book by November 30 and a group of four to get this special price. If you're interested please drop an email to Dave Ambrose and we'll get you all in contact with one another.
Renewal rates are $20 single; $30 for a family. If you can't make it to a meeting, send your renewal to Mark Clausen; 1862 Willow Way; Vista, CA 92083.