Category: Maui scuba diving blog

Hawaii is known for its stunning beaches and crystal-clear waters, but it’s also home to one of the ocean’s most captivating (and fearsome) creatures – the tiger shark.

This apex predator is known for its large size, immense strength, and striking appearance, and it plays a vital role in the ocean’s ecosystem.

However, they also pose a risk to humans, so understanding their behavior and movements is important.

That’s where the PacIOOS Shark Tracking Project comes in. This project, led by Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology’s Shark Research Group, aims to track the movements of Hawaii’s tiger sharks using the latest generation of satellite tags.

These satellite tags are attached to the dorsal fin and emit a signal each time the shark’s fin breaks the water’s surface. This allows researchers to track and map their movements in real time.

The project has several goals. First, it aims to collect valuable data on shark behavior and their habitat selection, helping researchers better understand these fascinating creatures.

Second, it’s testing new technologies – a new satellite tag type and a new method of detecting tag transmissions – which could have broader applications in oceanography and weather forecasting.

But tracking the sharks is just the beginning. The tags also record critical oceanographic data, including the sea’s surface temperature, temperature at depth, and oxygen profiles.

This data is available in real time to the databases informing models that predict the ocean’s circulation patterns, helping us better understand the ocean’s complex dynamics.

The project has already yielded some fascinating insights. For example, the study found that tiger sharks preferred living in an insular shelf habitat, which is an area found between the shoreline and shelf break.

It slopes gently to a depth of about 600 feet. This shelf habitat type has various prey for these sharks, and Maui has more of this habitat than the other large Hawaiian Islands together. The shelf habitat around Maui can support resident tiger sharks and those from other areas around Hawaii.

Maui areas frequently visited by tiger sharks include waters near popular ocean tourism and recreation sites. But, despite the presence of larger tiger sharks near popular beaches, the risk of attacks remains very low, which suggests tiger sharks predominantly avoid interacting with people.

The findings from this research helps State of Hawaii officials raise public awareness of the presence of sharks in Hawaii’s coastal waters.

The PacIOOS Shark Tracking Project is an exciting example of how technology can help us better understand the ocean and its inhabitants.

By unlocking the secrets of Hawaii’s tiger sharks, we can gain valuable insights into the ocean’s complex ecosystem and improve our ability to predict and respond to environmental changes.

Read more on:

http://oos.soest.hawaii.edu/pacioos/projects/sharks/

What is snuba diving?

Here are the nitty-gritty details about scuba diving versus Scuba Diving Maui. More GRITTY than you would think!!!!

 

Scuba Diving has been a recreational sport for many years now. It started off when former NAVY Divers started training scuba divers on the side, as a way to earn some extra money. The downside was they were getting trained the NAVY way. This was not at all a “bad” way.

But… Recreational divers did not need to learn the “combat” style of scuba diving. As the years went by, more and more divers were getting certified through these fledgling organizations.

As a result, Scuba Diving became more and more popular. Organizations that were involved in the training process, such as NAUI, SSI, SDI, TDI, YMCA (just to name a small few) joined the RSTC (Recreational Scuba Diving Council).

This is a self governing organization that sets the standards for Safe Diving Practices. All of the training and safety guidelines set by the RSTC MUST be followed in order for the Dive Organizations to participate.

This has turned scuba diving in to a much more safe and fun sport, designed for anyone that wanted to participate. Now the training is designed as a “FUN” way, not a “Combat” way to dive.

Scuba Diving Instructors must go through a long training process academically and physically.

A Scuba Instructor has the following certification levels as a prerequisite before starting the Instructor Development Course.

1. Open Water Diver

2. Advanced Open Water Diver

3. Rescue Diver

4. Divemaster

5. Assistant Instructor

6. Emergency First Responder Instructor

7. Then Open Water Scuba Instructor

Snuba Diving started in 1990

Scuba “Guides” are just that. They are “Guides”… Not Instructors!!! They have completed the rescue diver course but have not gone through all the dive theory and knowledge development that even a dive master has gone through.

Scuba divers; typically 4 divers per raft are secured by a 20 foot  hose to a raft at the surface, that they share with other participants. The divers below have to pull the raft along as they swim.

This is fine as long as ALL other participants are pulling in the same direction (not always the case). Along with the wind ant the surface and other divers pulling the raft where they want to go this can be an arduous task. Not to mention the entanglement of hoses with other divers that we see underwater quite often.

From Wikipedia.

“Unfortunately for Scuba divers, in case of emergency, the Scuba diver is not provided with any emergency buoyancy system unlike a Scuba diver who has a buoyancy compensatory, meaning that the Scuba diver must swim to the surface or tread water until help arrives, which could prove fatal.”

It is sad but we have been witness to some absolutely reckless scuba guides here.  There is a company that works out of most of the hotels here in Maui offering scuba. A former scuba guide of theirs told me.

Their guides (including him) are certified by an instructor that was just doing give me some money now you are  rescue diver certified without properly training  them, so they could have guides quickly due to the very fast turnover rate of guides.

Participants must answer NO to ALL questions on a medical questionnaire prior to diving. Otherwise a doctor needs to get involved.  We have witnessed these scuba guides telling their divers to cross out the YES they put down and put a NO there.

Here is a couple examples. At the Sheraton Maui  a diver said “I had a heart attack a couple years ago. The scuba guide said believe it or not, but this is the honest truth. “Just go slow and take it easy.” At the Marriott Kaanapali another diver said “I have asthma” scuba guide said. “Well we won’t be going fast you will be ok just stay close.”

Are you kidding me? This is people’s lives they are playing with. Having an asthmatic Member of my family. When an asthma attack is happen the last place they should’ve is offshore under water.

If their doctor gives the ok as only a doctor can. NOT a scuba guide. Then by all means go out and have fun.

The GRITTY on this is simple. They are paid a commission per diver.  So if they do what is right and tell them they can’t go until a doctor clears them. Then the scuba guide loses money. Sad but true.

Article in progress please check back. 

I have wrote an article on www.ezinearticles.com

If you want to take a look at it to get a little info about typical questions and answers on Maui and Scuba Diving Maui. Take a look here…

http://ezinearticles.com/?Scuba-Diving-Information-About-Maui-Hawaii&id=8017987

I welcome your feedback anythying I can add to it.

Aloha

In2Scuba Diving Maui Dive Co.

It is nearing November and the Humpback Whales are on their way to Maui. Normally we can start to see the first sightings in October. We will be keeping our eyes open for them and postings will be added as we find out more.

Aloha

Update: February 3rd 2014

Just about any beach you go to, you will be seeing the Humpback Whales of Maui playing, spouting, breaching. They put on a great display and usully are close enough for easing viewing. Yesterday driving from Lahaina to Wailea I must have seen 7 groups of Whales along my drive.

Update: January 17th 2014

Whale sightings are now a constant. The Whale watching boats are busy gathering in groups off the shore of Maui to view the Whales. We hear the Whales very loud now on every scuba dive and when snorkeling now. This will last through May when they leave for Alaska.

Update: December 15 2013

We are hearing the Whales now on just about every dive. I have seen a total of 3 breaching out of the water this last week. I was in South Maui on all three occasions

Update: December 2nd 2013

Monday the 25th of November I heard the first Whales of the year for us underwater. Yesterday I heard the second sounds of the Humpback om our dive down south in Makena.

Update: May 2nd 2014

It is that time of year again, and we have to say goodbye to the Humpback Whales, as they are leaving Maui. We have had the yearly pleasure once again, scuba diving with the sounds of the Humpbacks complimenting or dives. But they have been getting fewer and farther between. I did not hear anything on our last dive yesterday

I will be giving more updates when the Whales are returning to Maui later in the year