This dive day was what a dive day would look like if Walt Disney designed it. It had everything: perfect weather, an amazing dive location, rare marine life, interesting underwater caves, and great company. I wish that every day of diving could be this great.

When my friends and I realized that the weather window was going to allow us to go scuba diving at Moku Manu, we almost couldn’t believe it. The entire week leading up to the dive day we were nervously optimistic, afraid to jinx what was looking like a very promising day of diving.

Then the day finally came. It was better than we could’ve imagined. Scuba diving in Hawaii can make you feel spoiled sometimes, but ESPECIALLY SO on days like this. The water was crystal clear. When we threw in the anchor, we could watch it drop down to the bottom, and come to a rest. The surface was so calm we could hardly believe it.

We didn’t expect to get to find the second underwater cave, but when we did it was mindblowing. The first cave feels like a hole in the side of the island, but the second cave feels like a portal to heaven. It has a cathedral style hole that allows sunlight to come shining in, and it shimmers in the water, bouncing off everything in its path.

We also didn’t expect to get to scuba dive with a monk seal, but a super friendly seal seemed determined to befriend us. It’s hard to say that we found him, because he swam up behind us and curiously swam near us to check out what we were, then swam from diver to diver throughout our first dive. They’re so playful, it feels like a puppy is trying to play with you underwater.

I absolutely love how untouched this dive site is. The same weather that makes it difficult to get out to is also the reason that it’s so great to get out to – nobody ever goes underwater here.

When we’re able to go scuba diving at Moku Manu, we typically try to bring three tanks. Three dives, plus surface intervals and an hour boat ride each way makes for a long day, but it’s so incredible when it happens as it did here. By the time we got home we were all sun-kissed, happily fatigued, and glowing from an amazing day of diving.

Listed below is the Wikipedia article describing Moku Manu:
(retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moku_Manu)
Moku Manu, or Bird Island in the Hawaiian language, is an offshore islet of Oahu, three-quarters of a mile off Mokapu Peninsula. Moku Manu and an adjacent small islet are connected by an underwater dike. The island was formed from debris flung from a vent of the nearby Kailua Volcano. Its highest point is 202 feet (62 m) high, bordered by near-vertical cliffs on many sides. Moku Manu is protected as a state seabird sanctuary like its neighbors to the south, Manana, Kāohikaipu, and Mōkōlea Rock. Regardless, landing by boat is nearly impossible due to the lack of a safe beach.

Moku Manu’s isolated nature makes it an excellent nesting site. Eleven species of seabird nest on Moku Manu, along with several species of migrating shorebird.

Gear List:
GoPro Hero 9
iPhone 13 Pro Max

10 Comments

  1. Great to see a new post. You must have new camera equipment – the video quality is excellent. Great editing as well.

  2. This is incredible. Great footage. Those trenches and cave shots were amazing. I’ll be out there diving in September. Blue seas

  3. i always say scuba diving is like going to new planet….you cannot survive with out transported oxygen….there is all these weird strange creatures that you would never encounter on your own planet….its amazing

  4. I would totally go there if you let me know when you do it, even if you didnt have room for me I can foil out there with gear and one tank

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