Diving the Old Kona Airport

It has been far too long since we were in the water. For over a month the dive gear has sat unused in the garage, an unacceptable situation. This morning we corrected this sad state of affairs.

Joining up with the usual guys from work we headed for the end of the runway at the Old Kona Airport. We were concerned as there was a little surf, but a little cove gave sufficient shelter to make an easy entry and exit. Easy access, parking close to the water, showers, bathrooms and changing areas, the old airport offers a very nice dive site with access to good reef.

With the choppy water we did not want to swim very far on the surface, opting to dive as soon as we were out over the coral. A fairly typical Kona reef greeted us just out from the cove. A wide shallow plain of finger corals and some shelf corals without a lot of terrain. Further north we found a large rubble field, it is clear that this area gets a lot of surf when the swell hits the Kona coast.

This excursion featured the first outing of the Canon G11 in the waterproof housing. Upon reviewing the results I was very pleased with the photographic results. The usual fish, with some nice opportunities for photographs. My first good shot of the very common Goldring Surgeonfish, and a pleasing shot of the very shy and very pretty Potter's Angel.

We noted a huge amount of soft waving octocorals in among the other corals, it was everywhere. Will have to ask about this coral when we next meet one of the experts on the Kona reefs. Maybe Thursday evening when the next Reef Talk will be in Waimea.

Nothing spectacular or unusual, just a pleasant dive. Max depth only 55ft and well over an hour under water with 3k air in the tank. We took it easy this dive and did not cover a lot of ground. Preferring to look close and spend a lot of time with our masks close to the coral and fish while we both fired away with the cameras.

There will not be as long an interval between this trip and the next, I have already loaded the tanks in Deb's vehicle and asked that she get them filled soon, so we are ready to go again.