What do local Big Island residents do on a beautiful Saturday morning? Well, if they are divers they probably find some gorgeous dive spot and get underwater. But what if they don't have a dive buddy, or they are not familiar with the best shore dive spot, or they are not yet certified?
Our local dive club for the Kohala coast of Hawai'i Island has a fun get together about every two to three months. We pick a location with good dive conditions and plan a potluck, dive, snorkel, and beach fun day. If you don't have a dive buddy (and you're a certified diver) just show up with gear and chances are within minutes you will meet a new dive friend to jump in with. We always have lots of divers and their families. There is something to do for every one. The best thing is: We have a lot of good cooks in our club so there is always something great to munch on.
As the day goes on the divers come up with fun stories of what they saw. Today one diver saw a manta ray a few hundred yards straight out of the bay. I heard of other encounters with tear drop butterflies, scrambled egg nudibranchs, and dwarf moray eels. Even the littlest club members got in on the action when one of our dive friends brought up a baby octopus and a few shells for our kiddos to check out. Don't worry: After the kids got a chance to check out the awesome sea creatures they were escorted all the way back down underwater to safety.
The dive club is called Kohala Coast Dive Club. It is free to join and you can find all of our upcoming activities on our facebook page, in email newsletters once you sign up, or the calendar on www.kohaladivers.com. There are also great opportunities monthly for local residents to get certified at a discount! It's your big blue backyard: Get out there and explore! See you at our next event!!
Little future diver checking out her first octopus.
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