Today, Leap Year Day 2008, Magic finished up the qualifications for Master Scuba Diver.
YAY!
It was a long day, but a good one.
Capt. Dan is an absolute angel and made the diving so much better than it might have been otherwise.
(remember where I said it was a long day? LOL)
Goofy was also a big part of the success...couldn't have finished it without Goofy.
Saw lots of sharks today. And a BUNCH of turtles...and a big grouping of Coronet fish (which was odd, and cool).
The sharks were kinda odd hanging out in the sand, and swimming past us in the open. Hadn't done that before LOL
And, a lot of whale song. :)
A good, good day.
Aloha!
M&G
Friday, February 29, 2008
Night Diving, Night Diving...
Goofy and I went on a night dive last night. Here's a pic. LOL
You can kinda make out a fin, and the swoosh thing is a light hooked to a tank (so we can find each other in the dark - theoretically).
Usually, I am not a big fan of diving at night.
First of all...
It's dark. Very dark.
:) LOL
We went in at twilight, which we thought would give us a bit of time to get our bearings.
It did...for a few minutes. :)
Then it got pretty darn dark.
Luckily...we had lights. :) LOL
We also had a camera (for all the good it did - SEE ABOVE HAHAHAHA).
Saw a trumpet fish ... I don't know who scared whom more...LOL.
Saw a cool eel. Don't know what kind of eel, but I'll check in my books.
Saw a guy with some great lights shooting murky video. I don't know what kind of vid he got, but the lights were awesome.
It's a bit claustrophobic diving at night. And you just know that there is something lurking just outside the range of your lights. Looking at you. Knowing you can't see it, and having a good laugh over it.
Fish are quite the comedians.
Lots and lots of whale song last night. VERY COOL.
Today, we are going on an afternoon dive. Thinking about a nice calm time.
Our last dive of the trip... :(
Looking forward to a good time.
Aloha!
M&G
Thursday, February 28, 2008
And then this morning...
...we saw this mother and calf right in front of our hotel.
The calf is right in front of the mom...as always, you can click on the pic, it'll get bigger.
We stood and watched them travel slowly along, parallel to the beach.
Musta been a new baby.
Too cool!
Aloha!
M&G
Yesterday on the way home from Molokini...
We saw a whale! Even though we see them every day, it's not any less spectacular.
Goofy got this pic on the way back to Lahaina town from Molokini.
Awesome, isn't it?
Aloha
M&G
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Master Scuba Diver Goofy, and the Big, Deep Blue!
This is a shot from the boat as we were heading around the back of Molokini. It was smooth as glass on top. Wow!
Today, Goofy and I went into the Deep Blue.
We dove the back wall of Molokini...it's a drift dive.
Which basically means that the boat drops you at one end of the outer rim of the crater, and you drift along at 80 feet or so, to the other end in the current.
The boat follows along, watching your bubbles as you go, and is there to pick you up when you surface. Hopefully, you don't get caught in the current and head out for Tahiti. :) LOL
The dives themselves were amazing.
One side is a vertical wall that goes up above the surface, and down as far as we could see.
To the other side...nothing but ocean. The deep, blue, open ocean. It gets to about 300' depth right there, and out a bit 20,000'.
You do not want to drop your camera. :)
Along with the usual suspects, we saw some big fish between us and the deep blue sea. A big Trevally (aka Ulua), and a decent sized White Tipped Reef Shark (I'd say about 8' or so), along with a really big lobster were all on the back wall for us to see.
IT WAS AWESOME!
And the whales....OMG!
You could hear the whale song so clearly...too cool!
On the second dive, they sounded so close, I swear, they were just outside the viz...taunting us with their nearness. Telling us secrets that we had to listen hard to hear.
On the way back to Lahaina Town, we saw so many whales. There was even a newborn (a few hours old), accompanied by it's Mom, an escort whale (as is the usual configuration) and a bunch of dolphins, as it tried out it's "wings".
It did some tail slaps on Mom, and then discovered it's flippers. Then it tried some diving and surfacing. We were so lucky to be there to watch as it started it's time on the planet.
I didn't know that dolphins will often accompany newborns to help protect them from predators as they figure out how to move about. Very cool how they cooperate. I'm sure that there is a lesson to be learned there :)
Goofy and I finished up our specialty certifications with this dive.
So...drum roll here...Goofy has achieved Master Scuba Diver.
The highest non-professional certification. Goofy rocks!
Magic has a couple of more dives to complete, and then will follow Goofy to the Master certification too. We are shooting for completing this before we leave for home, but we need the weather to cooperate. It's been really surge-y and high surf, but Magic is determined.
Tomorrow night...a night dive on the Carthaginian, and somewhere else. WooHoo! Hopefully, we'll be able to take some photos to share with y'all on those.
Hope your days are as awesome as ours have been!
Aloha!
M&G
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Dolphins off of Lana'i
Aloha!
Today Goofy & I went out to Lana'i for some diving (duh).
Lot's of swell here with the full moon. Lot's of it! So much we couldn't get into the first or the second cathedrals this time - which is fine with me, really, as I've been there before (and will be again, I'm sure)
It was a little crazy diving in the swell...two feet forward, ten feet back with the movement of the water. The fish were pretty fun to watch, as their plight was much like ours LOL.
Viz was down a bit too...only about 65 feet (which is about 200 times the viz in Puget Sound. Haha!
First dive was out at Lighthouse along the Lana'i coast. Too much surge, but a fun dive. Lots of things to see, but not easy to get photos, since we were all moving so much.
Second dive was much better...but we had a lot of cool stuff to see on the way back to Lahaina town.
The pic today is of some of the hundreds of spinner dolphins that came to play with us as we were traveling home. They put on quite a show.
Also on the bill were some whales and a baby Manta. No good pics of those, but they are in our memories, and that's pretty cool too.
Tomorrow, we'll try for some shore diving...depends on the swell and the surf.
Hope you all are enjoying your days as much as we are ours!
M&G
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A Whale of a Tale!
So...here we are in Maui at the hotel. It's an awesome room...right on the corner of the hotel with a wrap around balcony and an ocean front view. We could not have asked for anything more, really.
We have been seeing so many whales just from the shore (so far), and here's a lovely example of one of our neighbors this evening making a heck of a racket by slapping the surface with that giant tail!
It's difficult to really relay how amazing it is to just observe the whales around here. We've never been to Maui at the height of whale season before, and for the life of me I don't know why! There are supposedly 8000 whales in Maui county at the moment.
8 0 0 0
How cool is that?!
It's funny. Since I've started diving, I have a whole new perspective on the world around me.
Most of it's covered in water (this, just in case you haven't been paying attention). :)
I feel so much peace and serenity in the water...I think I've said before that it's probably Mom's influence. She was a sailor and loved the sea and the water so much. I guess I know why. It draws me and brings me to a place where I can find peace and make sense of the senseless (mostly). It's difficult to describe, and I won't take too much time trying, but it's just a different state of being I think.
Seeing these different animals and creatures that we share this planet with - and that inhabit the larger part of that planet - has given me new insight into how really insignificant the human species is.
It's also got me thinking...if we are really SO much more evolved than the rest of "them" we really should be doing a better job at stewardship of this place we all call home.
I guess I just feel more aware.
Anyway, I'll get off the soapbox, :) it's really not my style anyway, I was just meandering down a road that I seem to be on a lot lately.
Tomorrow, Goofy and I are heading out to Lana'i where it's rumored to be calm and clear. We'll likely see more of our friends while we travel from Lahaina town to the island and back. I can't wait. I haven't really ever seen whales to much outside of aquariums - and that doesn't really count.
It's just so amazing and humbling and...I don't know...AMAZING, to realize that you are on the same planet as these huge gentle whales that give us not a thought at all.
They come here every year to give birth to their calves and mate. The gestational period for a humpback whale (and probably most others, but I don't know) is 11.5 months. They come here after wintering off the coast of Alaska and feeding and "bulking" up. Then they stay here for a few months of R&R (if you can call childbirth R&R, lol), and then they head back on up to Alaska to do it all again.
They mess with us when they feel like it though. Putting on shows (or disappearing under the waves just when you think you've gotten to a good vantage point.
Truly Awesome in all that word is really supposed to mean.
Goofy and I are hoping to have a whale encounter while we are underwater...it's not particularly common, but if they come up to where we are diving, just know that we'll be happy to see them.
We'll post more photos when we get them (and can drag ourselves off of the balcony from watching the whales).
Take care, and most of all, take time to appreciate where we all really fit in the scheme of things...it's a big planet, and a big universe, and although we think highly of ourselves as a species...honestly...we really aren't all that! :)
Aloha!
M&G
We have been seeing so many whales just from the shore (so far), and here's a lovely example of one of our neighbors this evening making a heck of a racket by slapping the surface with that giant tail!
It's difficult to really relay how amazing it is to just observe the whales around here. We've never been to Maui at the height of whale season before, and for the life of me I don't know why! There are supposedly 8000 whales in Maui county at the moment.
8 0 0 0
How cool is that?!
It's funny. Since I've started diving, I have a whole new perspective on the world around me.
Most of it's covered in water (this, just in case you haven't been paying attention). :)
I feel so much peace and serenity in the water...I think I've said before that it's probably Mom's influence. She was a sailor and loved the sea and the water so much. I guess I know why. It draws me and brings me to a place where I can find peace and make sense of the senseless (mostly). It's difficult to describe, and I won't take too much time trying, but it's just a different state of being I think.
Seeing these different animals and creatures that we share this planet with - and that inhabit the larger part of that planet - has given me new insight into how really insignificant the human species is.
It's also got me thinking...if we are really SO much more evolved than the rest of "them" we really should be doing a better job at stewardship of this place we all call home.
I guess I just feel more aware.
Anyway, I'll get off the soapbox, :) it's really not my style anyway, I was just meandering down a road that I seem to be on a lot lately.
Tomorrow, Goofy and I are heading out to Lana'i where it's rumored to be calm and clear. We'll likely see more of our friends while we travel from Lahaina town to the island and back. I can't wait. I haven't really ever seen whales to much outside of aquariums - and that doesn't really count.
It's just so amazing and humbling and...I don't know...AMAZING, to realize that you are on the same planet as these huge gentle whales that give us not a thought at all.
They come here every year to give birth to their calves and mate. The gestational period for a humpback whale (and probably most others, but I don't know) is 11.5 months. They come here after wintering off the coast of Alaska and feeding and "bulking" up. Then they stay here for a few months of R&R (if you can call childbirth R&R, lol), and then they head back on up to Alaska to do it all again.
They mess with us when they feel like it though. Putting on shows (or disappearing under the waves just when you think you've gotten to a good vantage point.
Truly Awesome in all that word is really supposed to mean.
Goofy and I are hoping to have a whale encounter while we are underwater...it's not particularly common, but if they come up to where we are diving, just know that we'll be happy to see them.
We'll post more photos when we get them (and can drag ourselves off of the balcony from watching the whales).
Take care, and most of all, take time to appreciate where we all really fit in the scheme of things...it's a big planet, and a big universe, and although we think highly of ourselves as a species...honestly...we really aren't all that! :)
Aloha!
M&G
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Lion, The Rings and the Moon Shadow
(You can click on the image above for a larger view).
I LOVE a good Sky Show!
(sometimes, Magic is such a nerd! lol)
Hopefully, everyone was somewhere that they could see the eclipse last night. It's the last total lunar eclipse until December 2010, and it was a beauty.
For once, Seattle actually had clear skies for a celestial event. It was cold and crisp and clear, and the show was amazing to watch.
I'm sure I've seen a lunar eclipse in my time. I must have. But last night...it was just spectacular.
From out in the 'burbs, we actually had a good view with less light pollution than some closer to Seattle.
The sky was so clear and bright...you could see stars and clusters that don't often show themselves to casual gazers.
Most notably, Saturn and Regulus were very visible framing either side of the Moon during it's time in the Earth's shadow.
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo (hence the Lion reference, lol). It was bright, and shining up above the moon. You can see Regulus as that bright blue star, but a lot of the constellation itself is up and beyond the frame. You can see some of it though, check the image below to get some hints (it gets bigger if you click on it too :))
Saturn is...well, Saturn. If you haven't heard of it, you probably are very lost in this entire blog entry and should just give up now.
The rings were bright and visible and the planet itself was vibrant and bright alongside, below and left of the reddish moon. You could see it in all it's beautific glory quite easily during the darkest part of the eclipse...well, you could see the rings if you had a telescope...but I digress. The planet itself was quite spectacular and easily seen.
It was worth the cold hands and feet to stand outside for a bit and just gaze up at the show. No tickets, no promoters, no riots afterward. Someone, somewhere probably found a way to make a profit, but hey, it's there for everyone to see for free, a gift of nature that doesn't mind you figuring out how to work the system for yourself...just an amazing show of nature doing it's thing without a care to what we are doing.
Helps with remembering scale and size in relation to the universe...
Life is short, folks. Make sure that you have some time every day to just enjoy it.
Aloha!
M&G
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
More on Cold Water Diving
Goofy and I are finally a bit thawed out from our Saturday foray into what should have been called...
ICE DIVING...or THICK WATER DIVING.
I am serious!
At one point, as we were descending into the greenish water, we went through a thermocline (temperature layers in the water) that seemed to be almost slushy. You know..like water or soda looks when it's come from a 'fridge that's set too cold...a little thick-ish?
Did I mention that it was cold?
Water temp was about 44 degrees on the surface...more like 40 at 25 feet. Doesn't sound that cold to you? Try filling up your sink with cold water, putting ice in it (let it sit awhile until it thickens up a bit), then plunge your face into it. Don't come out of it...stay there for about 15 minutes until your face goes numb.
Fun, isn't it? LOL
OK...I know I am a warm water wimp. I am teased about it a lot around these parts. And I now embrace it as a badge of intelligent thinking! I mean, my gawd...who in their right mind would want to plunge into those dark, murky, icy depths? I am beginning to wonder... LOL
I asked my companions that dive the Sound regularly..."you do this for fun?", to which they all enthusiastically replied "yes!".
I think this only proves my theory that the thick water has frozen some of their brain cells.
Before you say it, I know I am spoiled with all my trips to tropical waters...I get that not everyone has that as an option...but geez...I couldn't even see five feet in front of me. Just green murky, thick water drifting by my mask as I went down toward the bottom of the cove.
I did manage to see some brown stuff and a rock while I was looking for our "lost" diver. I don't know what it was...it was brown. probably seaweed, and it probably isn't brown on the surface.
Goofy saw a crab. YAY! I can see crabs all day long at Central Market...LOL.
I am trying to think of a way to convey the incredible cold of the water. I was warm enough where ever I was covered up. My hands and feet were pretty much fine the whole time we were in the water...even when we were standing around waiting for our turns.
The suit, and hood, and gloves, and boots are very limiting to motion. They keep you warm, but you can't move very well. You ever see "A Christmas Story", where the little brother is all done up in that snowsuit and can't move? That's about what it's like. Maybe not as mobile...
And then there's the lead that you have to wear in order to get down with all that buoyant suit and hood and gloves and boots on...for me, almost 60 pounds of it. (it takes about 18 pounds in warm water, and at that I'm a little overweighted still - mostly because I'd rather sink than float :) lol).
It was my face, however, that took the brunt of it. I have never (never) experienced the kind of cold that literally took my breath away - not a really good thing while diving. It was shocking. That's actually a good word for it - SHOCKING. The only relief I got was when my face finally went numb and I couldn't feel it any more.
We're having fun now!
I wonder how divers that hit that water on a regular basis avoid frostbite to their faces...but I don't dwell on it too much, as it's something I dont' think I'll be trying again soon.
Think happy thoughts that Goofy and I will see whales in the water this trip. There are a ton of them over there...somewhere in the neighborhood of 8000 whales make the trip to the maui bowl each year, so our chances are good! Hopefully, if it does happen, we'll have our cameras with us!
Aloha!
M&G
ICE DIVING...or THICK WATER DIVING.
I am serious!
At one point, as we were descending into the greenish water, we went through a thermocline (temperature layers in the water) that seemed to be almost slushy. You know..like water or soda looks when it's come from a 'fridge that's set too cold...a little thick-ish?
Did I mention that it was cold?
Water temp was about 44 degrees on the surface...more like 40 at 25 feet. Doesn't sound that cold to you? Try filling up your sink with cold water, putting ice in it (let it sit awhile until it thickens up a bit), then plunge your face into it. Don't come out of it...stay there for about 15 minutes until your face goes numb.
Fun, isn't it? LOL
OK...I know I am a warm water wimp. I am teased about it a lot around these parts. And I now embrace it as a badge of intelligent thinking! I mean, my gawd...who in their right mind would want to plunge into those dark, murky, icy depths? I am beginning to wonder... LOL
I asked my companions that dive the Sound regularly..."you do this for fun?", to which they all enthusiastically replied "yes!".
I think this only proves my theory that the thick water has frozen some of their brain cells.
Before you say it, I know I am spoiled with all my trips to tropical waters...I get that not everyone has that as an option...but geez...I couldn't even see five feet in front of me. Just green murky, thick water drifting by my mask as I went down toward the bottom of the cove.
I did manage to see some brown stuff and a rock while I was looking for our "lost" diver. I don't know what it was...it was brown. probably seaweed, and it probably isn't brown on the surface.
Goofy saw a crab. YAY! I can see crabs all day long at Central Market...LOL.
I am trying to think of a way to convey the incredible cold of the water. I was warm enough where ever I was covered up. My hands and feet were pretty much fine the whole time we were in the water...even when we were standing around waiting for our turns.
The suit, and hood, and gloves, and boots are very limiting to motion. They keep you warm, but you can't move very well. You ever see "A Christmas Story", where the little brother is all done up in that snowsuit and can't move? That's about what it's like. Maybe not as mobile...
And then there's the lead that you have to wear in order to get down with all that buoyant suit and hood and gloves and boots on...for me, almost 60 pounds of it. (it takes about 18 pounds in warm water, and at that I'm a little overweighted still - mostly because I'd rather sink than float :) lol).
It was my face, however, that took the brunt of it. I have never (never) experienced the kind of cold that literally took my breath away - not a really good thing while diving. It was shocking. That's actually a good word for it - SHOCKING. The only relief I got was when my face finally went numb and I couldn't feel it any more.
We're having fun now!
I wonder how divers that hit that water on a regular basis avoid frostbite to their faces...but I don't dwell on it too much, as it's something I dont' think I'll be trying again soon.
Think happy thoughts that Goofy and I will see whales in the water this trip. There are a ton of them over there...somewhere in the neighborhood of 8000 whales make the trip to the maui bowl each year, so our chances are good! Hopefully, if it does happen, we'll have our cameras with us!
Aloha!
M&G
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