Overcaset sky was clearing as I headed to the harbor today, but the wind was strong for so early. I guess it'll be choppy out there.
I had been caught up in the memory of a dive exactly four years ago with Tara B at Eel Cove, where she literally conducted a group formation of Raccoon Butterflys to come and encircle her like so many of Snow White's forest animals.
The ocean was a bit stirred up today with some residual south swell, and I didn't think we'd get to Eel Cove, so it would be a new adventure.
Rob suggested Pyramid Pinnacle since he'd seen a big frogfish there a few days ago, and we all agreed that, current willing, we'd be stoked to go there.
Immediately at the mooring there was an octopus who didn't mind checking us out from halfway out of his hole. Further on a big White Mouth Eel was almost all the way out of his hole. In the same area as we headed for the dropoff there appeared a Lantern Toby out in the water column.
As we wandered back toward the lavatube I found a small Zebra Eel who popped back in his hole as ssoon as I got this shot. Sorry everyone else. And then another curious Octo and a big Undulated Moray.
Further through the boulders and small arches there appeared a big Fried Egg nudi on a wall. then, close by in a crevasse I found what I think is an indigo dartfish, though not sure of that ID. One I am sure of is the big Puffer who swam out from an overhang right at me. Hello big guy!
Finally, here's the Leaf Scorpion that Laura and I tried to photograph. He was a bit far down in the antlers but worth a try.
ON SI today we headed south to Pawai, hoping for Airstation. One the way just by Outhouse some of us saw a whale headed south. Wondering if it was going our way. There are not a lot of them left here so to see one was cool. I got to the bow with my camera about 3 seconds too late. Here's the lot who saw the whale.
Once we got around the corner it was clear that most of the moorings in Pawai were already taken, except for Mermaids, which i'd never dived before, so great! In we go, maybe to swim down to Airstation and look for the big lion fish.
I am captivated with a very common fish: the Arceye Hawkfish, they are everywhere here in Kona, but I think they are really pretty so here is one from Mermaid's today.
I had thought that this weird little gash on the cushion star was a fire worm, but now it looks like part of the star's anatomy.
Had to capture this Ornate Butterfly, even though i seem to get one of these every dive. They're just so pretty. Out in the coral fields of Pawai there were lots of critters including this Parrot having lunch. More reef denizens showed: the blood star, the Orangespine Unicorn and the Ornate Wrasse.
There was a birthday prank today on someone on the boat. I wasn't in on it, but this arm was part of the plan. Just two days late for Palm Sunday.
OK, we found the Lionfish. I was lagging behind taking other pics and saw the Charlie Foxtrot around a small coral patch in the deep sand. Headed that was into a blizzard of kicked-up sand and particulates. Please, divers: when you are enjoying an animal on or near the sand, don't kick up a sandstorm for the other divers to swim through. I had to wait for a bit until things cleared and got a shot.
Maybe the critter of the day was this big Frogfish. He was kind of near the cliff and the surge was pumping. You had to literally get the shot flying by one way or the other. BAck out by the mooring things were a bit more tranquil, and I found a Common Longnose Butterfly feeding near an urchin.
No comments:
Post a Comment