Upwellings: Sharkfin Rock and Eel Cove (Fish bowl) 4/13/21

I was wondering why, on such a calm day, we were heading for Pawai–our winter haven from the north swell. Not unhappy; I love Pawai moorings, with Lionfish, Psychedelics, frogfish, Whales (in season), and endless other species. But then I overheard that Honu One was headed for Sharkfin Rock, just off Old A's. This was great news; I hadn't been to Sharkfin Rock in a couple of years, but I remember the wirecoral gobies, pinnacles, and endless structure.

Rob towed us over to the first big pinnacle and right there we found multiple Wirecoral Gobies. On the way over I found a Dragon Srawsse and a nice Goldring Surgeon.

The big find at Sharkfin, by Laura P, was a Gloomy Nudibranch. She dragged me over to a pinnacle near the mooring as I was contemplating an early safetystop. On the way I found a Manybar Goatfish.

Fun SI project: go do laps around the huge Yacht, Vida, that appeared in the bay on Sunday.

Heading north I was wondering if we might check out one of my all-time fav spots, Eel cove, or Fish Bowl. Capt John and the crew must have been thing the same thing because just past Outhouse we slowed. I looke ahead..hmm, a small boat on Rose Garden but Eel Cove was unoccupied. And that's where we moored for our next dive.

The big question was, how to find Gooseberry? Would he be deep, would he be shallow, or in between? Last week Rob swam the grid from 40 ft to 70 ft and didn't find him. However, today we all spread out and did a sort of organized scan of the rubble west of the mooring. I looked down the slope from mu line at about 40 ft and saw Laura flashing her strobes. That can only mean one thing: she found him. And she had. I got there just as she finished getting her shots and here he is. Also at home was the big, old Viper Eel back in his little spire near the mooring, but in a different hole and not sticking out of the top like he used to. The Peacock Grouper in a hole was nearby.

I decided to cruise back out toward the dropoff and look in the boulders. Found these guys out there. A white mouth eel, Raccoon Butterfly couple, and a Big Scale Soldier.

The fish were definitely out today, and not being too shy were a Fourspot Butterfly, a Ringtail Wrasse, and a Threadfin Butterfly.

BAck by the inshore wall again i noticed Laura flashing at something under a coral patch. It was a baby yellow Frogfish. Turn around and there is Dee with her camera in a crevasse. She'd found a baby Trembling nudi. Whee...I'll just follow these divers around and will probably find more things than I'd ever have an eye to see on my own.