TaaaaTaDaaa TaaaaTaDaaaTaTaDa TaTaDa TaTaDaaaaa. The sun is setting on our Kona dive vacation. Today is the last day of diving and it is long range day. Three dives far away from home. It is an all day event leaving at 7am and home at 5pm.
I know today will be an auspicious day. I am flossing my teeth and I realize I had broken with habit and was flossing right side to left side, the opposite direction of my normal routine.
And it is. An hour plus long boat ride and we are at Jailhouse Rock. A site that has no mooring ball, which means it is not an official dive site. Enjoyable dive with a goodly number of the ususal suspect fish. Nothing stands out but we are not disappointed.
We move north to a site called The Dome. Don’t remember the significance of the name, the dive briefings are starting to run together. This is when the day turns special. We search the higher elevations along a wall looking for nudibranhes, and crustachions. As we head towards the deep David spots a turtle. First one in two weeks of diving. I follow the fellow trying to capture him on video. D and C are behind us photoing an octopus. Suddenly there is all sorts of commotion and when I turn around a manta ray is swimming by with at least 10 spectators. That is cool. After calming down we head deeper. A few minutes later David is banging his tank and lo and behold another manta glides ever so graciously within 10 feet of us. Wow are those animals big, 3 to 4M across. Pace that off and realize how big they are. Under the boat, at our safety stop, there is a third encounter. Right in front of us again. Don’t get to see mantas in the day very often.
Divemaster David trying to cut fishing line off Manta Ray.
Dive three we are almost back to the harbour, Devil’s Doorway. Even though we are close to the boat dock we have not been to this site before. Briefing sounds interesting and we have instructions to keep our eyes to the deep. Dive is going as planned and more commotion. This time a pair of spotted eagle rays slides by, They’re not at all bothered by divers. I have the video camera on and don’t even have to kick hard to stay beside them. As we turn away a third fellow comes from the shallows headed for the deep.
Hint of the Spotted Eagle Rays that we saw.
Our last day and we have two awesome dives. I have yet to make the connection between right to left flossing and rays but you can bet I will be consciously changing my habit on the next dive trip. Hell, if it causes that much disruption in the universe I may change my flossing style permanently.
Good bye Kona…..until next time.