The best of 2006

[lazyturtle]

As 2007 winds down, I was thinking about the year. So many good times, personally I've had a great year.
But as this is a dive board I was wondering:
What's the single best thing you saw while diving this year? Be as specific as you want (but be honest, no fish tales.....pun intended).
I'll go first: Last February a friend and I spent 30-45 mins with a cow and calf humpback whale at a dive site called Hawaii Loa on Oahu (Hawaii Kai) Hawaii. It was perfect. The water was very clear, no current, about 45-55 feet deep. The cow ignored us. The calf wanted to check us out but momma wouldn't let him. We both had cameras (but no wide-angle!!! everything was a little blue for my liking, but still great). I'd say that at our closest we were 50 feet away (close enough to realize how big a humpback is or conversly how small I was!) I couldn't stop thinking about how great a moment that was for weeks.

Anyway that was the single best dive moment of the year (and on the top 10 list for sure) for me, how about you?

 

[Cacia]

ohhh...that's near where I saw "my whale".

Two years ago though...

THIS year, here it was the monk seal at Sea Caves. I was alone and we found each other for ten glorious minutes before the tribe showed up and shared the love.

Love those guys. Yea, the whale thing goes on replay for quite a while, eh? I was with Suzette from Capt Bruce's, so at least I had a witness. Some stories need one!

 

[terrasmak]

I thought it was still 2006 , but best dive was on the USS Emmons in Okinawa.

 

[JAMIE MCG]

My best Dive this year if I had to have one, would be The Spiegal Grove, that was amazing coming down in front of it's bow and it just appearing in all it's glory, litterally breath taking.

 

[Nut Bubblefish]

Best in 2006: I have several, but the 50 minutes with manta rays continuously passing by over my head in Komodo comes to my mind first. I had also few world class dives there.

Another good one was in Alor: we saw a strange white creature with arms and legs but no actual head moving underwater. Before the dive, we had a chat with the local guys on the boat who told us that they were afraid to dive because of the spirits underwater. It looked so much like one !!!

I have to admit that it took me a couple of seconds before I could recognize a goat, floating head down, attached to the coral with a rope. It's the only time I wish I would have had a camera!!! The guys on the boat would have freaked out!!!

Still, I don't understand how it got there.

 

[del_mo]

Being encircled by dozens of sand tiger sharks on the wreck of Caribsea off North Carolina. D**m if that doesn't get your heart pumping!

 

[Mike Veitch]

the goat is a sacrifice.

they do that quite often there. my friend photographed one in October, was to do with the opening of a new school, sacrifice was for it to be a success

 

[DeputyDan]

A large octopus that would not give up his tin can in Bonaire - July 2006!

 

[jpsexton]

The Oriskany! Words really can not descibe it. I don't think I'll top that for a long time.

 

[ScubaGil]

Last dive off of a live-a-board in Belize. Just a handful of us went down, and were greeted by a playful devil-ray that showed off is acrobatic abilities for about 20 min....beautiful. Nothing too special, but that one dive just affected me and made me smile for the next 3 months