Tag Archives: Diving

The Numbers Game #95

A black triggerfish showing colors when it is agitated or aroused
An aroused Black Triggerfish.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 217. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Northern Pintails.
A native I’iwi.
Divers in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.
Divers down!
The blooms of a yucca plant.
Yucca flowers.
Sailboats in Kawaihae Harbor.
The entrance to Emesine Lava Tube on the Powerline Trail off Saddle Road.
The entrance to Emesine Lava Tube on the Powerline Trail.

Photos afloat

A tug and barge enter Kawaihae Harbor in Hawaii
A tug and barge enter Kawaihae Harbor in the early morning hours.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Afloat.’ See more responses here. Let’s start with boats.

Strong winds whip up whitecaps in Kawaihae Harbor in Hawaii
Even in a sheltered harbor, staying afloat isn’t always easy.
A Coast Guard buoy ship in the waters off Hawaii
A U.S. Coastguard ship servicing buoys outside Kawaihae Harbor.
Canoe paddlers head towards the shore off the coast of Hawaii
Canoe paddlers head for shore.

But they’re not the only floating things.

A Hawaiian Coot swims in a lagoon in Hawaii
A Hawaiian Coot afloat in a pond, oblivious to the need for a bit of personal grooming.
A diver down flag in the waters off Hawaii
In the U.S. this flag signals, “I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed.”
Lily pads and reflections in Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
Lily pads floating on Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden.

Search helicopter over Mau’umae Beach

I saw this Hawaii County Fire Department Search and Rescue helicopter flying over Mau’umae Beach, just south of Kawaihae. I think it was just on a training exercise, but we have had a run of missing fishermen and free divers so it might have been associated with one of those searches.

The body of one fisherman was located submerged along the coast, but no trace of the others has been found yet, to my knowledge. The standard practice on the Big Island is to search for three days. If nothing is found by the end of that time, then they call it off.

There are strong currents around the island and if a swimmer or fisherman is injured in the water, it’s easy for them to be swept out to sea, where the chances of finding them diminish rapidly. Sad as it is when a body is recovered, it’s almost harder when nothing is found and there is no sense of closure for families and friends.

Divers down

It’s always a bit strange to come across divers when I’m snorkeling. For starters, there’s the stream of bubbles. Then there’s these large creatures with splashes of color and shiny tanks.

I’m not sure these two even knew I was floating above them. I took my photos and left them to their explorations.

Divers down

Divers in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.Divers in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.

Not surprisingly, Hawaii is popular with divers. Warm, clear waters and lots of fish and coral means there’s lots to see. For snorkelers, like me, the divers themselves are something to watch for.

I saw this group heading out toward deeper waters and liked how the light caught the bubbles of air, and also the colorful fins of two of the divers.

Divers in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.