Like California, except a little warmer: Turtle Pi and Golden Arches south 3/30/21

 Another drizzly, overcast spring day in Kona.  So here we go on the dive boat.  Kind of a mixed south and west swell today so we head south toweard Pawai Bay.  Right at Eel Cove it looks terrible further on so Johnny flipped Honu One around and the Ohana dive team for Kona Honu Divers retreated north.

When we overran the Turtle heaven ball I began wondering where we were going.  Turns out, to a spot I didn't know about and had never dived.  Turtle Pi.  Hmm, can't see the bottom.  Rob comews up from jumping the ball.  "It's green," he says, and not in a good way.  But here we are.

Once in the water and descending it was definitely green, but you could sort of see the bottom about 30 feet below.  That's a good day in California. Except the water was 75 degrees instead of 46, which is what it probably is on the north coast today.  That counts as a little warmer, but to my acclimated senses it's cold.

The reef here is so healthy.  Lots of vibrant finger coral, and even some plate coral and lobe coral.  lots of reef fish and a few eels.  A couple of Maninis were doing something together, being friendly or fighting; I could'nt tell.  Moorish Idol, Pinktail Trigger, and Laura found a Steindacher's moray.

 

Navigating was tricky beacuse a lot of the terrain was at the same depth.  We'd tried to stick together because of the limted vis, and about an hour into the dive Rob, and I saw a large Tiger Shark out over the sand flats.  That was a tipoff that we were not that close to the boat.  After a quick look on the surface we adjusted out compasses and headed back to the northeast toward the mooring.  I did the last few hundred meters on the surface because I was low on gas and wanted to keep my eye on the boat in case of current.  Gave my Ok hand signal and then relaxed into swimming.  The KDC boat was just out on an adjacent mooring, and I steered clear of them.

  This episode reminded me of so many times in California and Channel Islands low visibility I'd had to get surface bearings and then beat it back to the boat, usually against a good current.  

Off we go on SI heading back north toward north pine Trees.  The sky was clearing and the sun was peeking out.  The ocdan was calming down, all good signs.

Destination Golden ARches.  Nice, a relaxing dive that is a navigational no-brainer.  We moored on the south arch and went in.  Immediately the sun was on the reef making everything look folorful and inviting.  And the fish were out.  Black side hawkfish, Blue Snappers under the arch,  some Flamebacked Coral shrimp in a hole, and a four spot butterfly in a hole being photobombed by a soldier.

 

 

Here's a longnose Butterfly above some antler coral, a very cool Magenta Leaf Scorpion, and a shy octopus.

We circled back in from the drop off to try and find a big Viper that is rumored to be just south of the mooring, but he wasn't there.  However, at home were the Arceye Hawkfish, a couple of Raccoon Butterflies and  White margin nudi under the arch on some sponges and cup coral.