Thanks Oahu for Incredible Diving

[Nicholaa]

Sadly, I had only 3 days to dive the beautiful sites off of Oahu last week and I must say those 3 days were the highlight of my 10+ day vacation. If I wasn't with my children (and the rest of my entire family -ugh-), I think I would have gone diving everyday.

Thanks to Gabe Scotti with Kaimana Divers who was my instructor for my AOW course and also my Nitrox speciality certification. He is one incredible guy to go diving with. He knows where to find some amazing fish (loved that frogfish and of course the octopus, turtles, sharks, etc.). I was the *only* student (mostly it was just 3 of us diving) - so it was completely private lessons and by far, he surpassed all of my previous instructors from back east in New York. Thank you Gabe! I miss diving with you already!! I read your awesome post on your blog about our shark encounter on the Corsair: http://kaimanadivers.blogspot.com/ -- it was definitely an experience I will never forget.

I'd post a lot of pictures, but I know that you guys have seen all the sites of Oahu, so I won't post them here on this board - I'll have save them for my other sites -- but my favorite highlights were:

1) Getting scared by a giant sea turtle on the YO -- dang thing cut me off as I was turning to look for my buddy - literally almost bumping into me and I was so shocked I made this huge blurbling noise.

2) Experiencing the sadness of seeing an injured (and probably dead by now) octopus. I believe firmly in the touch nothing - leave only bubbles, but this guy, it was almost like he wanted comfort as he clung to us and climbed up our arms and such. It broke my heart to see him missing an eye and half of his tentacles. He barely even inked, just the slightest bit.

3) The encounter with the 6-foot White Tip Reef Shark at the Corsair (in Gabe's video on his blog).

4) Swimming through the YO even though I said I'd be too scared to do it.

5) Being in awe at all the incredible sea creatures, coral, etc.

Thank you Oahu - for allowing me to see and experience your sites and believe me, I want to come back and dive the entire time and dive with Gabe again!! Go go Kaimana Divers - I've been wearing my shirt!!!

- Lynne

 

[ronbeau]

Sadly, I had only 3 days to dive the beautiful sites off of Oahu last week and I must say those 3 days were the highlight of my 10+ day vacation. If I wasn't with my children (and the rest of my entire family -ugh-), I think I would have gone diving everyday.

Thanks to Gabe Scotti with Kaimana Divers who was my instructor for my AOW course and also my Nitrox specialty certification. He is one incredible guy to go diving with. He knows where to find some amazing fish (loved that frogfish and of course the octopus, turtles, sharks, etc.). I was the *only* student (mostly it was just 3 of us diving) - so it was completely private lessons and by far, he surpassed all of my previous instructors from back east in New York. Thank you Gabe! I miss diving with you already!! I read your awesome post on your blog about our shark encounter on the Corsair: http://kaimanadivers.blogspot.com/ -- it was definitely an experience I will never forget.

I'd post a lot of pictures, but I know that you guys have seen all the sites of Oahu, so I won't post them here on this board - I'll have save them for my other sites -- but my favorite highlights were:

1) Getting scared by a giant sea turtle on the YO -- dang thing cut me off as I was turning to look for my buddy - literally almost bumping into me and I was so shocked I made this huge blurbling noise.

2) Experiencing the sadness of seeing an injured (and probably dead by now) octopus. I believe firmly in the touch nothing - leave only bubbles, but this guy, it was almost like he wanted comfort as he clung to us and climbed up our arms and such. It broke my heart to see him missing an eye and half of his tentacles. He barely even inked, just the slightest bit.

3) The encounter with the 6-foot White Tip Reef Shark at the Corsair (in Gabe's video on his blog).

4) Swimming through the YO even though I said I'd be too scared to do it.

5) Being in awe at all the incredible sea creatures, coral, etc.

Thank you Oahu - for allowing me to see and experience your sites and believe me, I want to come back and dive the entire time and dive with Gabe again!! Go go Kaimana Divers - I've been wearing my shirt!!!

- Lynne

Why not post the pictures? Not all of us are fortunate enough to dive in Hawaii.

 

[justleesa]

Yeah! Share your pics! I never tire looking at pics from my favorite dive sites

Sad about the octo, the eye won't grow back, but the tentacles will - as long as it doesn't starve in the mean time. When I went diving with John Hoover and John Randall we were checking out the possibility of a new octo species...the cut off a piece of one tentacle for a DNA test. They said it was as if you or I would cut our nails.

 

[Nicholaa]

Well, since you really pulled my leg for these I can't help being excited!!

I threw together our own shark video into a little movie format on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XumzJJY2Q4Q

And here are a few pictures:

My 104 Foot Depth at the Corsair (My favorite dive -- the YO was second):

The YO Sea Turtle that almost made me spit out my regulator (I swear he was bigger than he looks in this picture -grin-):

Can't get enough of the dang Hawaii "Shaka" - Figured I might as well show how cool I thought that sea turtle was:

The Ailing Octopus that made me almost cry:

Gabe Scotti from Kaimana Divers - Dive with this guy - he's FUN!

The Corsair resident Moray Eel:

The Big Eyes at the Corsair:

A Butterfly (I think Milletseed?) Fish:

That's about it for now... I have to pull some more off the camera and resize them down. Dang, I wanna go back!!

 

[justleesa]

Like the Shaka/turtle! Gabe is a great guy, glad you had a good time with him

Hope you get to come back someday soon!!

 

[Spratman]

You did great with the pics, girl! And that was a nice edited shot of the White Tip. Consider yourself fortunate. There have been many of us diving that have never even seen a shark in open water.

Congrats on your AOW cert! NOW DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!!

 

[Killjoy]

I've been diving with Gabe now for a little over a year now, and he is the number 1 reason I dive as much as I do. He's one of the few guys that takes the serious side of diving and some how makes it fun. I've done all my certs with him and even started towards my DM with him. I couldn't think of another instructor/guide that I'd rather dive with.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Glad you had a good time. In the years I've been traveling to and diving on Oahu I've only had two bad dives, one this past January. As far as I'm concerned Oahu is a vastly underrated dive destination.

If you go back I think you will enjoy the diving even more. It never gets boring, or routine.

 

[scottitheduck]

Awww....

Thanks for all the kind words folks. It is fun when you get a student like Lynne who has some reservations about certain things (depth, visibility etc) and you can help them overcome them. At the end of our 3 days I can honestly say that Lynne is a better diver and will enjoy a lifetime of great underwater adventures..... it was a pleasure to take you an Al out diving. Hope the rest of the trip wasn't too crazy and at least you guys got to get 3 days in, huh?

Aloha and thanks again for diving!

G

 

[Lopaka]

the[y] cut off a piece of one tentacle for a DNA test. They said it was as if you or I would cut our nails.

Yeah, but did you ask the tako what he thought of it all?