Diving Puako

The storms seem to have passed, the swell subsided, time for another dive.

While the invitation was extended to all of our usual crew, Pete was the only one to accompany us for the day. A small dive party this time, no problem, the arrangements were a little last minute. Some swell was forecast so we headed to a sheltered spot, End-of-Road, Puako.

With our tanks in for hydrostatic testing it was necessary to rent a pair for the day. No problem, just rent a couple tanks at Kohala Divers for the day. They always have tanks available for walk-in business. Worse yet, we have to return them, and they are just downstairs from Kohala Burger and Taco for an after dive lunch. Inconvenience all the way around.

Conditions at End of Road were fairly good, a bit choppy perhaps, but no current in the cove. Visibility was OK, but not great, a little bit of murk floating in the water from the swell. Having not used the End of Road site lately, we followed the usual plan, cut north out of the cove to drop into the first couple canyons. The goal was a long, relaxed, shallow dive to explore the caves and canyon walls.

I came across nothing new or spectacular on this dive. There were sleeping turtles everywhere in the caves, we found at least a half a dozen. A big moray met me face to face in one crevice. A nice weekend dive, another 80 minutes spent underwater.

The battery compartment on my strobe flooded. When I realized this I quickly surfaced and removed the batteries. At least the compartment is sealed from the remainder of the unit, thus there was little harm. The rechargeable AA NiMH batteries themselves are likely toast, with electrochemically corroded contacts.

Without the strobe I did use a small LED flashlight to illuminate some targets for photography. But the beam was much too narrow and concentrated. Perhaps a small modeling light is in order, something with a bright, but broad beam that can illuminate a target one or two feet in front of the camera. This would be great for cave and night diving, also providing a backup.

Deb and I are off for the week. I had to use up some vacation time, Deb is on spring break from the school. Our tanks have passed hydro and are ready to pick up. I expect another dive in our near future.