![]() Generally, I observed that local divers did not use flags, and only out of towners did. If you were going to surface in the channel, it would have to be no more than a foot from the flag, and even that would be no guarantee of safety. I used a flag on my first dive, and it seemed to me that boats did not slow down one bit around the flag. One final word: you are supposed to use a dive flag at this site, and I was told that the cops occasionally come out and fine divers who are not using one. So, I would suggest taking it easy, and enjoying the incredible diversity of life at this site. But on the dives where I moved slowly and appreciated everything else along the way, I enjoyed myself much more, and the big things tended to find me. I found that when I did that, I burned a lot of air trying to get to the drop off quickly, and when I got there, I didn't find what I was looking for. Another caution is that it is very tempting to try to head out to look for specific 'big things' - namely the tiger sharks or the dolphins - which tend to hang out around the drop off at 70 feet. In talking to other local divers, they told me that it was a fairly common occurrence, even among divers who do that site all the time. Yes, I was an idiot for getting disoriented that much, but it happened very easily. They were kind enough to give me a ride to my car on the other side of the marina, rather than making me take a walk of shame with all my gear on. So I just climbed out the rocks on the other side of the marina, and walked over to a local dive operator and asked for help. On one dive, which I did solo, I got disoriented enough that I ended up on the other side of the channel (across the marina), and with only 500 psi left I felt I didn't have enough air left to try to chance getting across underwater, and I certainly was not going to try to snorkel across the active channel. On several occasions I got turned around after spotting something interesting (eagle rays and turtles especially), and I was pretty sure that I was not returning the way I had gone out. The other challenge is that you are going to be diving under a very busy channel out of the marina, and that makes it dangerous to come up to the surface for visual reference if you get disoriented. The approach I used does mean making a second trip to get the rest of your gear, but I thought it was a good trade off. It was even better carrying two tanks at a time, because it gave me more balance, and I was able to use one for balance while moving the other. And by carrying the tank by my side, I was able to take frequent breaks, so that I never got tired. If I had slipped, I would have just let go of the tank. I found it much better to carry the tank first, by my side, and to use the tank as an aid in balancing on the rocks. ![]() I tried that, and found it exhausting and dangerous. A lot of people seem to prefer to suit up fully and walk over the field with everything on. First, the obvious: you have to lug your gear over a lava field. There were few shore divers around, and the ones around but they tended to be experienced, knowledgeable, and helpful. I thought the reef was very healthy and alive. There were also a lot of spinner dolphins around, though I did not see them underwater. Over the course of four dives, I saw a 10 foot tiger shark, half a dozen eagle rays, several large turtles, and innumerable eels. I thought this site was exceptional, but challenging. I did four dives here, the second week of July 2016. We unfortunately didn't see the tiger shark or dolphins but we saw a huge hawksbill turtle, 4 morays, a trevally, several puffer fish, and a monk seal! We have four more days of diving ahead of us and we will definitely do this dive again! Abundant colorful fish and tons of schooling fish, great visibility and not a lot of other people around. This is an amazing dive (or even snorkel). We stayed around 50-70 feet on the way out and then came back on top of the reef. Then we headed west toward the two moorings and then headed south once we reached the dropoff of the reef. We kicked out a bit (didn't want to be on the surface for too long because of the boats) and then dropped down after the rocks gave way to the reef. Once in the water, you have to get past some shallow underwater boulders and then you can put your fins on. There are a few sketchy areas of the hike where you have to scramble over uneven lava rocks and with all that gear on you'll be top heavy so take your time. Gear up at your car and walk/climb out onto the lava rocks to the beach, where you'll find an easy entry and you'll feel refreshed getting into the water after that trek. Hard sole booties are an absolute must (or wear tennis shoes and stash them on the beach). We dove this site back in 2013 and again twice today.
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