Camera Phone

Believe it or not Captain Deron took this shot with his waterproof cellphone! nice.

Whale Shark!

Captain Deron saw a pod of Humpbacks about three miles offshore, after that encounter this guy showed up. We're gonna estimate about a 30ft Whaleshark! It hung out with the boats over an hour and wasn't shy, bumping the boats around with it's nose! Not a common site, some divers can go their whole life and not see one. This was a special day for all of us.

Mahalo to Francine for sending in these great pictures.

Another Kayak Issue!

So another kayaker was hurt down at the bay. She slipped on the rocks, hurt her wrist and apparently the couple couldn't paddle back? HFD sent the helicopter$$$$$$ down for the rescue. Seaquest ended up transporting her across the bay to the ambulance. DO NOT DRAG YOUR KAYAK OVER THE REEF. STAY OFF THE CORAL AND ROCKS!

Chanting

If you are lucky enough to have Sunny as your crew, you may get to hear him chant. This is a traditional Hawaiian chant asking permission for us to enjoy the water and have a safe day on the ocean.

A Whale Story

...The Whale... If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same

Whale Season 2010

The first Humpback whale arrived in Kealakekua Bay on the 10th. It can take between four to eight weeks to make the 3500 mile trip down from Alaska. They all don't show up at once or leave at the same time either. We won't start our whale watches for a while now until the whales can give us a good show.

Capt'n Tony

Capt'n Tony is back on the water again! We're proud to have one of the most experienced captains on the Kona Coast working with us here at Seaquest. A lot of people don't know Tony actually came to Kona with Captain Cook...

(yes the water is really that blue!)

And he told two friends...

High tide at the boat ramp is turning into a popular lunch spot for the green sea turtles.

Blackfish

The Pilot Whales are not afraid of the boats. I think they are just as interested as we are.

Kayaks!

We have seen less kayak activity but still people are destroying the reef by walking on it. DON"T TOUCH ANYTHING UNDER WATER! (Capt'n Kyle is not happy about the situation)

Honu Lunch

When the tide is just right the turtles come up on the boat ramp to feed on the green sea grass. yum...

Cruise Ship Day

Every Wednesday is Cruise Ship Day in Kona. This ship is based in Hawaii and does the interisland route.

Summertime Whales

Humpbacks are fat and happy back in Alaska right now. So all our whale action has been Pilot whales. We've had some lucky days when the pod is not more than a couple of miles offshore. Easy viewing for us!




Don't forget to check out all Susan's photography at


http://www.susanknightstudios.com/

Mauna Kea

Just before sunset at Mauna Kea State Park, no vog up here.




Waiting for the green flash back down at sea level.

Jackson's Chameleon

These guys were introduced into Hawaii during the 70's as pets. They have spread to all the islands and don't seem to be a problem. This guy was hanging out in our lime tree.

Happy Fourth of July!

Kailua Kona fireworks.

BOOK 'EM DANO!!!!!!!

Five O is back!!!! Can't wait for the fall season.

Fuel

Q: How much fuel do you use?
A: About twenty gallons a day.

Capt 'n crew

Captain Mar and Joe mugging for the camera.

Breach in Kealakekua Bay!

This doesn't happen a lot, now we have it on film. Don sent in this shot of a whale breaching in K Bay on a March 1st trip. The Humpbacks are now on their back to Alaska, we had an awesome whale season. Thanks again to Don! Aloha.

Expedition Trip 3/26/2010

Busy day at Pu'u Honua O Honaunau with views of palm trees, clear waters and other Seaquest boats in the bay. The Expedition trip meandered south and checked out a Black sand beach at the base of a spectacular and fast (it traveled up to 6 miles an hour) lava flow that came down the pali (cliff) in 1950. This flow from Mauna Loa spewed more than 500,000,000 cubic yards of lava in a matter of weeks. That equals several years' production from currently erupting Kilauea. The flow doesn't stop at the edge of the water either. Areas like this are an amazing place to see life in action. A fresh lava flow means a brand new coral reef is forming and we get to see it as happens. Bit by bit. Year by year. Instant scientists, we are. Susan K [Pics from this trip at www.thecottoncandystudio.com.]

Voggy Days

Last couple of months it's been howling up north, gusts up to 50 mph! The wind will blow the vog away, unfortunately it all blows down into south Kona. This video was taken at the Natural Energy Lab, see all the vog piled up on the south side of Hualalai volcano.

Squid Leftovers!

Captain Colin found this floating out in the deep offshore water. By the looks of the teeth marks a Pilot Whale chomped this squid in half and popped it's eyes right out! Calamari anyone?

Morning Prep

As soon as the snorkelers hit the water the crew goes to work prepping the snacks. Sweet Maui pineapple, red apples, cookies and chips - breakfast of champions.

Friendly Monk Seal

Our resident Monk Seal was back in the bay again. I think he just wants a friend to play with.

Expedition Trip 3/16/2010

Today we headed out to snorkel and on the way we had to stop as a small whale breached in front of and around the boat. Everyone was so quiet. This doesn't happen everyday! Well, maybe all were in awe and speechless. Also, it was Violet and Brian's Honeymoon, so perhaps the whales decided to celebrate with them. Congrats! More pics at www.thecottoncandystudio.com.

Expedition Trip 2/09/2010

Whales, water and lots of sea caves. Need we say more?

Whale Watch 2/09/2010

Well, whale season is past for another season as the wonderful Humpback whales, though we still have a rare sighting, have mostly moved on back to Alaska. It was a busy season with lots of interesting experiences. Now, we'll catch up with stories and pics on our blog and continue to have great times and more stories with Snorkeling adventures!

Whale watch 020910. This was a great day out on the water with an amazing ballet of two of the most synchronized whales we have seen. Check out this awesome tandem diving as the huge flukes lift up and out of the water. More pics at www.thecottoncandystudio.com. Aloha whales. Susan K.

Coastal Fsh

If you've been on one of our trips you should see the humor in this video.

X Trip 2/18/2010

We traveled the coast. Felt the wind in our hair. Saw some whales. Visited the fish. And all came back for an afternoon nap. Some of us had just gotten married.