Pre-hurrican dives at Lonetree-Big Arch/Freezeface and Shark Alley 7/25/2020

The day before Hurricane Douglas was scheduled to slam into the islands we snuck out for a couple of dives along the Pine Trees area of west Hawaii.  Since there appears to be a kerfluffle over dive boats mooring near the point at Freezeface we moored at Big Arch.  Actually there may not even be a mooring at Freezeface anymore, so we had to swim down there.

HIghlight of the day for me was that I got to see three animals I'd never seen before.  Gosline's fang Blennie, Steindnacher's Moray, and Crown of Thorns Star Shrimp.  

We got to the entrance of the Freeaeface swimthrough, and there was enough surge that I decided not to take the camera in there.  So I swam around to the north and caught the group as they exited.

EArlier, though we cruised briefly through Big Arch and Janine found a couple of Tom Smith nudis on the ceiling.  I only got one out-of-focus shot because I was too clumsy and lazy not to flood the area with bubbles.  Immediately after leaving the arch we stumbled onto a very large Devil Scorpion, a Gold Lace nudi, and a rare Steindachner's Moray.

Another highlight of the day was finding a couple of Day Octopus that had gotten a room.  They seemed like they didn't mind people watching.

See the two sets of eyes?

Shark Alley inshore lava tubes and caverns were calm, if a bit murky, and we went through them looking for nudis.  I did end up finding a couple of White margins laying eggs.  Back out toward the deeper ocean Janine found a Crown of Thorns Star with two teeny shrimp underneath.  Are Crown of Thorns Shrimp even a thing?  I guess they are.  Near the end of the dive someone spotted this very large Frogfish.  Meanwhile, as I puttered around the pinnacle near the mooring I found a Gosline's Fang Blennie poking its head out of a hole.  Yay!

There are two shrimp here, sorry they aren't popping in the pic better.

Gosline's Fang Blennie

Yellow margin Eel

Hoovers Tower and Kaloko Canyons 7/21/2020

This morning the ocean lay flat like a billiard table, sunny and no wind.  Perfect day for diving.  I hadn't slept well and was up early watching the sunlight spill over onto the west side of Hawai'i Island.  Gear was in the car, and I was at the new harbor gate by 7;15.  Saw Johnny C's blue t=shirt moving away from the Kona Honu slip.  He was walking in my direction.

We talked for a while--me from the car-- until Janine showed up with the truck.  Not a lot of tanks in the back because there were only 5 divers plus Janine and John on Kona Honu Divers big Newton 46 _Honu One_.  Was like a private charter.  Which instantly reminds one of the fact that a lot of travel related jobs have been lost, and the people who lost them are trying to find ways to buy groceries and pay rent.  What an upside down year.

Johnny asked where we should go and I volunteered "Hoover's Tower."  One of my favorite spots for structure, day mantas, and a dramatic drop off.  I hadn't been there since 2018.  Everyone agreed so we headed north.

No discernible current which was the last hurdle.  In we went.  The massive tower jutteed up from the bottom just north of the mooring.  We headed west toward the drop off.

Immediately there were banded coral shrimp in every hole along with a few flame backed ones.  But as the dive unfolded we realized it was Nudi Tuesday.  Lots of nudi pairs getting it on.  Below are the Strawberry nudis and the Gold lace nudis cuddling up together along with a lone Red Spot nudi..

As if not to be outdone by nudibranchs, fish were pairing up too.  Here's the female and male Spotted Boxfishs.  They had been more discreet perhaps.

 

Kaloko Canyons hs become one of my fav spots.  The collapsed lava tubes create so many little walls and crevasses for things to hide. The make navigation a bit of a challenge, but I was following Janine so didn't even look at my compass until we weree still out on the sand flats south of the structures at the hour mark.  Hmm, maybe at least figure out a heading back to the boat.

On the way through the canyons I had my eye out for the Wire Coral Gobie I'd seen last time i was here.  And ther he was, right after a visit to a Dwarf Moray who didn't try to hide.  At that point the critters just didn't stop coming out to play.  The Male Whitley's Boxfish, who ai hadn't seen for a long time was right where he should be out near the second mooring.  Laura and iI chased him for a while because he really wanted to show off his butt.  I finally snuck up on him for a side shot.

This Octopus was in his shallow hole and not moving.  maybe nesting?   But she had her eye on me.

 Here's a beautiful catch of Spanish Dancer eggs, a Sea Rose.  I didn't think to look for egg eating nudis, and there probably were some.  Below is the Wirecoral Shrimp, at least his lower left side.  he ewas under s ledge and I could only get this angle.

Janine found this little circular fritter.  Is it a baby urchin?  Janine told me after the dive but i can't remember now.  Below is a Hazlett's Hermit Crab, another of Janine's finds. You fan just see his little feet and eyes.

Manybar Goatfish and Cleaner Wrasse

 This is a apunctured Miter, I think.  He was just hanging there off a ledge.  In the sand flats I found a Razor Wrasse darting about.  On the way in I ran across a yellow Cone, but didn't mess around to see if the animal was home.

Dotties and Turttle Heaven July 7, 2020

Rolling the dice on a beautiful Kona morning...where to go? Dotties and Turtle Heaven were dialed in.  We couldn't have known what good choices those were,  Dotties is always good, but the highlights were the Eel convention at Turtle, the Dragon Moray, and the great structure Kona Honu Instructor/Capt Janine Maira found in both spots. 

Dotties is a dive site in North Pine Trees, Kona, with something very unique:  soft coral.  The beautiful Protopalythoa corals are only here, as far as I know.  And they are not the only attraction at Dotties: there are arches and nudibrach festooned canyons, and on good days you can get Eagle Rays and other big Pelagics out by the drop off.

Here's a look at the soft coral from today.

Soldier fish hiding under a soft coral ledge

Heading out toward the dropoff we found a Tiger Snake Eel out in the open, a couple of banded Coral Shrimp, and a couple of nudis.  The second one a beautiful Red Spotted Nudibranch.  My first ever!  And Janine found a Wire Coral Gobie.

Pustulose Nudi

Red Spotted Nudibranch

We weren't likely to find any Harlequins today so I left the Linckia Stars alone.

Here are the fun fish we found enroute to the Eel Convention.

Long Nose butterfly

Transitioning Yellow Tail Coris

Orange color trumpetfish

And then this happened: Eels everywhere, Undulated eels, Yellow Margin eels, White Mouth Eels.  Some just hanging out together. 

As if this wasn't enough, next we found a Dragon Moray deep in a hole and an endemic Lionfish in an unlikely place; Antler Coral at about 35 feet.  Usually they are deeper out in rubble. 

The reef at Turtle Heaven was so healthy.  Here are some soldiers and a Peacock Grouper that were just hanging out.