Upwellings: Mostly the Usual Suspects, first day back on the boat

Back on Honu One, with Kona Honu Divers today–first day since March 16 on a dive boat. Visibility was great at Kaloko and Eel Cove despite the lingering south swell, water temps about the same as in March at 79 degrees. I was glad I brought the 5 mil instead of the 3, which I'd initially selected. So, ignoring any little rust pockets in my dive skills, it was like always: a great day in and on the water and under the sun.

When I arrived at the landing I noticed that the engine doors on Honu One were all open, allowing me to see the brand shiny new engine that had been dropped into her during the dry spell. I wondered if everything was ok, and Carl replied that we were a go.

Tried Aquarium first but the south swell was still making Pine Trees too rough, so we wandered back toward the harbor and moored at Kaloko, one of my favorite spots for the deep trenches, canyons that mark the locations of collapsed lava tubes.

I always wondered if my nav skills were good enough to find my way back through the labyrinth of canyons to the boat if I ever got lost. Well, after lingering for a while taking pics of the not-shy Female Whitleys I got to find out. I was already the last in line, which is usual. So when I finished getting the shot I wanted of Ms Whitleys I looked around and ... not even any bubbles. OK, so I knew the plan was to swim out past the outer mooring toward the sandy patch, so I headed that way, still... no bubbles... did they go the other way?

Ms Whitleys

Just about that time the small northward current that was running when we got in got stronger. Current sees a camera as though it were a sail. So I tucked the rig in as much as I coud to streamline and continued heading south west. Until, still no bubbes, I decided to head back to the boat. Drifted along through the canyons and soon I could see the mooring. YaY! Cruised around the canyons so me more in search of the wire coral Id seen there in the past. It had been a home for gobies which would have been a nice reward, but the wire coral was gone.

And after a while suddenly coming from the southwest...bubbles! Rob had brought the lot back from their adventure, which Included an octopus, I heard. But I'd seen a turtle so we were even.

Next stop was Eel Cove, or Fish Bowl. Water was super clear and there didn't appear to be current. But close in there was some surge. We knew not to go in the cave the the south, though I did look into it: votex of tiny bubbles means do not enter. So I didn't.

There were a lot of fish at Fish Bowl, which you might expect, but conspicuously missing were Gooseberry the Cowfish and the old Alpha Viper Moray from their chosen haunts. We all had scoured the rubble field at about 40 FSW a the start of the dive, and even went back and swam the grid again after an hour, but Gooseberry must have been somewhere else. Likewise, the big Viper that lives in the pillar of rock just east of the main mooring was not home. He's been away for extended periods before, so I don't worry, and for all I know, not having been there sinfe March, he might have just gone off for the day.

Fair amount of fish faces today, which is unusual because fish tend to be skittish and give you their butts. But today the fish seemed really tame, and they didn't run away like usual. Maybe the two months without humans made them forget being scared of us. Anyway, here are the rest of the fish that were around me today.