Dive Log, April 13th, 2005

We packed it all in today, and only got back one hour late! We started
with a dive at "Pipe Dream", the most western point on the island and a
great spot for the chance of a Big Animal encounter. Today the biggest
thing we saw here was a turtle. We also had the pleasure of spotting an
octopus and watched as it changed colors while trying to hide from us.
We headed offshore for the surface interval and found a big group of
pilot whales spread out over a mile. Of course, we couldn't resist
jumping in the water to swim with them. All were amazed by their
beauty, and all were thankful for the chance to see them up close and
personal.

On the way back in to our next dive spot we spotted a small pod of what
we thought were pygme killer whales. We came in closer for a better
look and confirmed our guess. As we approached they started spy
hopping, a behavior I have never seen that particular species engaging
in before. It was so cute to see their little faces peering out with
their big white lips... it looked like they were smiling at us. We
hopped in to get a look and they swam away. It turned out that we out
numbered them. They were only 4 and we were 6 in our group. Anyway, it
was time to go diving again.

We decided to head to Turtle Pinnacle and check out the cleaning
station, where the turtles lay around in their version of a bath house
as the tangs eat the algae off their shells. The dive site was still a
good 10 minutes down the coast, so we dragged lines along the way. As
luck would have it, we hooked up with a Mahi Mahi! So, we had to catch
a fish too before we could dive!

What a day!