Dives
5 through 9, Oahu
style
I
wanted to make the most of my first trip to
Hawaii, so my wife encouraged
me to complete my open water certification beforehand, which I did
(in San
Carlos, MX.) When we arrived
in Honolulu airport I was ready,
temporary certification card in hand, to go on the various dives I
had arranged in preparation for the journey. I expected to dive on
the West shore first, then the East, then the North.
I
chose them in that order because it was my understanding that the
West was easiest and the North was most difficult, especially this
time of year. Unfortunately, the dive company I was diving with
failed to anticipate a regional fishing tournament being held at the
port of call used for the West shore dives. When the dive shop van
arrived at my hotel to pick me up, I was informed that we were going
to dive the North shore that morning instead of the West. We arrived
at Waimea harbor and boarded a dive boat of approximately
twenty-five feet in length. As we proceeded out to our first dive
site, Waimea point, the dive boat following in our wake soon turned
back, presumably because of high seas. Oh well, I thought to myself,
at least I have a dive master who will stay with me and they are
letting me use a Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV.)
After gearing up and
diving into my fifth open water dive (first in
Hawaii) I gave the OK sign to
my instructor and we began our decent. After equalizing through the
depth of fifteen feet, panic struck me. I knew, consciously, that I
was going to be ok and that I was prepared and that I was safe and
that I was with an experienced dive master, but my unconscious was
overwhelmed with panic, which manifested primary as rapid, shallow
breathing. Being in rough seas was tossing me around more that I
would have liked and is probably what triggered my response. Was I
going to hit the button? Was I going to inflate and abort this dive?
I had a scooter, surely that would bring me to place where I’d be
ok. If I surfaced I’d be in even rougher currents. Rationally, the
choice between ascent and descent was clear; there is no reason to
surface. Emotionally, fear was trying to take charge. Breathing is
the key. Slow it down. Deep breathing. Less fear. Descend. Equalize.
Success! Now I’m ok! The panic is gone as quick as it came. This is
what I came here for. Down, with my scooter, with the dive master,
down to the bottom to see what is there. Depth? 70 feet, a little
more, maybe 72. Equalizing the whole time, following the dive
master. He continually asks if I’m ok and I respond affirmatively.
The scooter isn’t right though. Does it have some sort of time
delay? It doesn’t want to shut off when I let go of the switch. The
switch is something someone rigged up in the shop. Apparently the
factory switch stopped working, maybe years ago, and was replaced by
something handy. The switch, when subjected to depth pressures not
found in a pool, has now shorted out and is engaged all the time.
This scooter is fast and it won’t shut off. I steer it into the
bottom to slow down a little, my instructor sees this and wonders
why. Later he says that at the time he thought I lost control of it.
As we progress along the dive site, we see various fish, but nothing
noteworthy. When air gets down to 1000 pounds we begin to ascend to
our first safety stop. Then the instructor comes to me to take the
scooter because he sees I am not stopping. We progress back to the
boat at the correct depth for our safety stop, but with the scooter
towing both of us so that we don’t go as fast. Even with both of us
though, the scooter still moves along at a brisk pace. After a
minute at that safety stop, we move to three minutes at fifteen
feet. The scooter is still moving along the whole time, with both of
us. Eventually, we get back in the boat with no problem. I’m happy
about making my fifth dive, let alone having such an adventure.
While there was nothing spectacular as far as scenery or wildlife,
it was a great dive for me and I was lucky to have such a great dive
master as my buddy. On the surface the weather got worse. Rain and
high seas have kept my wife and son from their planned snorkeling;
it had gotten pretty stormy while we were at depth.
We head back to shore
and then to the hotel. I try to accommodate them with warm tea &
soup so as to provide some sort of comfort to them while I gloat
over such a meaningful fifth dive. The eastern shore is tomorrow for
me, the western shore for them as they plan to snorkel with
dolphins. We awake the next day ready to each go on our respective
adventures.
Upon entering the dive
shop van in front of my hotel I ask if we are still on schedule to
dive the eastern shore. He responds affirmatively but not with any
specific information about where exactly we will go because, I’m
told, it depends on conditions. We board a large dive boat in
Waianae
Harbor. Dive #6 is Baby
Barge, 60 feet and swift current. With no scooter the current takes
me. The dive master takes me back and I remain at depth, holding the
mooring line until I get down to 1000 pounds of air. Visibility is
good and there are more fish here than where we were yesterday but
examining every facet of the barge around the mooring line isn’t
very exciting. At least I’m fine-tuning the communication skills
between my instructor and I. It was another good experience with
respect to making good judgment calls regarding safety.
Back in the boat for a
one hour surface interval as we go to our next dive site. The
Captain says Fantasy Reef will be the site for my seventh overall
dive. Finally to a place I’ve heard about before! This should be
good. Only 50 feet but a fair assortment of fish. Dive number seven
whet my appetite for seeing more underwater sights and built my
confidence in breathing and buoyancy control.
Two days later we went
to the Western shore for dives 8 and 9. This proved to be the best
diving on Oahu. Mild current was the
most we had to fight but usually there was almost no current. “It is
almost always flat as a pancake out here,” says the Captain. Black
Rock is at 90 feet and the best dive sight yet; it is almost a cave
but more of an overhang- open on three sides. Again I feel lucky to
be with such an experienced, safe dive master. A fair amount of fish
and coral, certainly more than I’ve ever seen before.
Papio
Pass was next. 37 feet and
tons of fish and coral, it made me feel like I was in an aquarium
(especially after having just seen the Waikiki Aquarium the day
before.)
To conclude, I now know
that the next time I plan to dive in
Hawaii, I need to plan it as
far away from the new moon as possible so as to minimize the
currents I will face. It is important to me that I be at my dive
site during high tide, meaning early morning, so that I will have
plenty of room to maneuver without bumping into the coral reef every
few feet. This is especially true when snorkeling in Hanauma Bay; if
I had been there at high tide I could have swam though the channel
connecting the outer reef to the inner reef and seen them both. Also
a benefit of being on site early in the morning is that no one else
is there yet, so the visibility is best.
Mahola!
-Pete
Dives
24 through 27, Oahu
style
Scuba diving is an
especially rewarding way for me to recreate not just because I am a
paraplegic and full-time wheelchair user but also because it
refreshes my soul in ways that I never imagined possible. To dive
into the ocean is to travel into another realm, both an escape from
limitations that otherwise restrict my physical movement and a
journey to aspects of consciousness that are as unblemished as the
seemingly undisturbed seafloor. The mental baggage that accumulates
during the course of my busy days can be exhaled as soon as I begin
my decent. While submerged, each breath releases tension that had
relentlessly fastened itself to my being. As a car goes through a
car wash, so too do I feel cleansed by seawater; especially when I
am surrounded by hundreds of tropical fish in vivid colors of
unimaginable rainbows. I dive to continue feeling good about myself,
my world and our society. The positive energy gained from an
undersea perspective is truly a healing remedy for all the trauma
with which life burdens us. I am not alone in my
appreciation of this activity. Nearly all the divers I have had the
pleasure to dive with agree that after a day of diving, life just
can't get much better.
Above, I was very happy to tell you
of my June 2004 scuba diving adventure in
Hawaii. Those were my first
dives after completing nearly a year of pool training as well as the
four open water dives required for scuba certification. That
expedition was both exhilarating and inspiring. One of the main
lessons I learned on those dives was to schedule my future dives
between the full moon and the new moon so as to avoid large tidal
surges; but that is only part of how I planned the August 2005
dives.
Since returning from last year's
Oahu dives I completed
additional training and practiced what I had learned on several more
dive trips. The Oahu dives in 2004 were so
much fun that I was motivated to stay physically fit in preparation
for more dives. I kept true to my exercise routine at my local gym
because I wanted to be ready when the time came. I began to really
feel good about my strength, my endurance and my overall ability.
When each of my dive trips came up, I was ready because I had been
working out in the gym. Soon came more diving: three more trips to
Mexico and one to
Aruba. I normally do two
dives per day on such trips. That is fourteen more dives. As I
completed each one I began to perceive them as relatively easy
dives.
Then back to Oahu. When I arrived at the
marina Saturday morning I was very happy to be back on
Oahu's west side. The
weather was clear and the seas were calm. I knew today would be a
terrific day. Once the boat was loaded we cast off and made a
fifteen minute ride to our first dive site. The Mahi was a wreck
sitting in about 91 feet of water. My partner and I dove in and
began to descend. We surveyed the exterior decks from bow to stern.
At one point a half dozen Hawaiian Spotted Rays glided by us. Of
course we were occasionally visited by schools of neighboring
tropical fish as they pursued their quest for survival. Sometimes we
were surrounded by bright yellow tangs or butterfly fish or by
angelfish or an occasional Trigger fish or Parrot fish munching on
the coral reef. This dive, like so many others was relaxing,
energizing and rejuvenating. The practice I had put in since my last
visit was really paying off because I was proficient in utilizing
the information provided by my underwater dive computer. Without
hesitation I was able to determine exactly what I needed to plan my
safety stops with only a glance at the palm sized display.
My partner and I began to make our ascent cautiously and
purposefully, being mindful of our position and time at each safety
stop. Everything was going perfectly. I climbed back into the boat
and after a short wait for the remaining divers to make their
return, we were off to our next dive site of the day. Whether it was
another spectacular reef or merely a turtle cleaning station thirty
feet below the surface, the August 2005 Oahu dives were all that
I'd hoped for and more.
Dives 28 through 31,
Oahu
style
28th
of April, 2006.
I
arrived yesterday with plenty of time to check into my hotel, get
settled and still have a decent amount of rest; I wanted to be
completely ready to go the next morning. The hotel was different
this time, the Ohana West. While the location was better, more
central, it was the first time I’d been to that hotel. The reason I
had to switch was because the Ohana Surf East, my previous hotel,
was sold to another company and they were remodeling it. As soon as
I got into the room I knew I would be happy with this place. It was
even bigger than the previous one, the roll-in shower & bathroom
was better and the price was only about $10 more per night. The
location really was much better because it was right across the
street from a supermarket and the international market, two places I
often went to anyway. This trip was much shorter than the other ones
so the less sidewalk time I spent going back and forth the
better.
I
was alone this time, which was also a huge plus. I didn’t have to
worry about anyone but myself. I was able to really clear my head
and focus on what I was doing. I had a really great
time.
Seven
thirty
Friday morning the dive shop picked up as usual. We were diving the
south side of the island today. I was looking forward to finally
seeing the Corsair because that is not a sight they show during the
summer. As it turned out, one of the other divers didn’t want to see
it because he had already seen it that week. Instead, we decided to
see a wreck called the LST. That is the acronym for Landing Ship
Transport; it was an amphibious vehicle used to put troops and
equipment on the beach but was sunk to become part of the coral
reef. It was in the same depth of water as the Corsair and I had
never seen it before so for me there was no difference.
We
boarded the boat. I had been on this boat before. It was Honey Dew
II and the Captain was Captain John. My diving partner was an
instructor from the shop, Jeff. He was here diving with his wife,
Melanie. Both are experienced Scuba Instructors. The weather was
great. It could have been a little sunnier I suppose but the cloud
cover was light and the waves were mild. I was really feeling great
about finally getting back into the ocean. I had all my equipment,
including the scooter I rented the first time I came here. I made
sure that they repaired and tested the scooter at depth before
renting it to me this time, so I knew I would be able to depend on
it. Over the side we go and then follow the mooring line
down.
It
took me a while to equalize because my sinuses were still so
congested. That’s ok though, I just took my time on the line
equalizing little by little. I was not about to create any
unnecessary anxiety. Down we go for dive number 28. I wasn’t the
first one down but it didn’t take me long to follow the other four
divers. We went right down to the bottom and saw a 7 foot white tip
shark. I did not know that white tips were afraid of people so I
became somewhat concerned. I was not as terrified as I expected I
would be but I was definitely uneasy. The shark was circling the
whole wreck. As the other divers left, the shark came under the LST
and began making smaller circles not far from my partner and I. I
found out later that the shark merely wanted to go back to sleep.
White tips sleep directly on the bottom. Apparently we were
intruding in it’s bedroom. I didn’t know that at the time though so
whenever it pointed itself at me during the course of it’s circling,
I was uneasy. Eventually I decided to leave and the shark did not
follow.
I
still had plenty of nitrox left in my air tank but decided to start
a gradual assent along the mooring line. Visibility was still great
and I spotted plenty of small reef fish. Back in the boat and then
to the next dive sight. Fantasy reef was dive number 29. I was here
in August but was glad to return to a spot I had been to because I
was hoping to be familiar with the layout of the terrain. Such was
not the case. There were so many beautiful fish and coral that it
all looked the same. I tried using my compass but was still very
disoriented. The scooter was still working strong but the current
was almost as strong, so the going was slow. At least I didn’t get
washed away though, the scooter was stronger than the
current.
Back
in the boat and back in the hotel to wash everything off and get
ready for tomorrow. It had been a truly excellent day of diving.
Everything went perfect and spotting a white tip was a real
bonus.
The
weather on Saturday was even better than Friday. We went to the West
side this time and it was clear, sunny and flat as a lake. Dive
conditions were great too, no current to speak of. Water temps
almost as high as August; 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Dive number 30 was
to be the wreck of the MAHI. I
had also been here before as well but the bonus was spotting a 12
foot Hammerhead. I already knew they were skiddish of people, so I
wasn’t worried. I just took my scooter and enjoyed all the sights.
Lots of fish: Black Triggerfish, Yellow Tangs, Cornet Fish, Unicorn
Fish, Cowfish, Squid, Eagle Rays, Cleaner Wrasse and thankfully- no
jellyfish.
Dive
number 31 was Papio
Pass. I
had also been here before but had no better luck feeling like I knew
the place. It was so beautiful with so many beautiful fish and coral
that it was like new to my eyes. My nitrox mixture was a little
richer for this dive- 36%. That is as it should be. I truly felt
great. Even the scooter was behaving itself and I was starting to
get a feel for how to maintain proper buoyancy. Buoyancy control is
still something I’m working on though. While I did manage to avoid
the Sea Urchins, I was not successful in avoiding the coral. I was
really trying not to bump into anything but I’ll have to try harder
next time.
Dives 28 through 31 were great. Four
dives that couldn’t be better. My first time seeing sharks; very
memorable. The whole trip, including food and cab fare and tips was
had for $1,600. When it comes to refreshing getaways, this really
fit the bill.
Dives 83
and 84, Oahu
style
April
15th, 2008. I
was coughing for the first part of this trip so I didn't get to dive
until the Robitussin started to kick in for the end of the trip. One
dive day is better than none :-)
Finally,
after diving Oahu
for a few years, the timing was right for me to dive the Corsair and
it really was worth it. Some people may consider it old and desolate
and not much to see- not me though. I really like it because it is
very clear, deep and the tether line goes straight down. If you like
deep wrecks, this is certainly one to see because it is easy and one
can practice some of the basic technical dive skills necessary
for more complicated wrecks. Being mindful of air and depth and
buoyancy are all good things to practice here in a relatively safe
setting. The current was somewhat mild on the day that we were there
but my understanding is that it sometimes can be rough.
An
especially pleasant plus for this dive was that Aaron's Dive Shop
had a new scooter (Dive Propulsion Vehicle) for me to try out. This
scooter was a little bigger and much heavier because of the bigger
battery. Was it worth lugging around? If you want power and
silence, yes! While the handling and controls are slightly
different from what I'm used to, having that scooter at depth is a
real bonus. I would not be able to carry it at all by myself
while traveling, but I think I can get around that part when
the time comes.
After
the Corsair we did a shallow dive at Angler's Reef. This was a good
dive to see lots of fish and relax. Thanks again to Aaron's Dive
shop, the best shop on Oahu
for lots of reasons.
DIVER
STRESS & RESCUE QUALS
May
2009
Aaron’s Dive shop
was up to the task of going the extra mile. Their Instructors helped
to complete my Diver Stress & Rescue dives in May 2009. Thanks
Kevin :-)
May
2010
Dives #115 & 116 were a bit
choppy. Roger (from Aaron’s) was there to get me through it. The South
shore of Oahu was a bit rough
but we completed the dives.
August 2011
This trip to Hawaii I dove two islands. That's
my first time doing that. I completed twelve more dives
(#157-168.) It's been a while since I've been to Oahu but I returned
to dive on August 28th and 29th, 2011. The timing wasn't great
because my third day of diving was canceled due to the large summer
swell. This is a phenominon that comes late summer each year. During
the summer swell, the normally calm leeward sides of the island are
rough and the normally rough windward sides of the island are not.
While my first two days of diving were great for me, not all divers
had the same good luck. One diver was actually lost while doing a
drift dive. The last I heard, he had not yet been recovered. I hope
and pray that this diver finds peace. With these two days of diving
in Oahu, I completed dives #157- 164.
Then it was off to Kona for my Manta Ray dives
with Kona Honu divers. They are great. They treated me so nice I'll
definitley be back. As an added bonus, I happened to meet one of the
Dive Pirate directors there and we were able to lay the groundwork
for future Handi-Diver activity with Kona Honu divers. By the time I
was done diving there, I completed four more dives #165-168. I
invite you to see the blog for some detailed descriptions and the
photo gallery for some photos.
Mahola
