Manta Mania

As you await the flying albatross of the sea, the manta ray, you find a nice hard rock with few urchins upon it to sit down and watch the dance about to begin. When from out of the depths below you think you see a large silver-ish grey creature glide through the water coming closer and closer you sit as still as possible in the sand and lava hoping that it is indeed a manta and not something with slightly more teeth. When indeed it makes it's appearance it is majestic and glorious. Then as more appear to feed upon the plentiful plankton that tickle your cheeks, lips, hands, and anything that isn't covered their dance becomes delightfully more exhilarating. This is one of my favorite dives because despite the fact that it is pitch black in the pacific, when an enormous manta basically flies over your head and kisses it briefly with a wing of a cephalic fin or tail, it is like being touched by an angel.

Amazing Manta Videos from our Dive Easter Sunday

Dennis kept getting hit by the 21 manta rays that came to feed Easter Sunday, it was amazing which is why we took so many different video shots. There are a few cameos of me ducking a few times to get out of the way of the sublime creatures who are docile and gorgeous. The way they feed is like a ballet. They will do barrel rolls back into the lights that illuminate and attract the zillions of plankton these filter feeders eat. There is even a shot where Dennis films a manta come from behind him and you can see through the gills the actual filter membrane. It is awesome. I hope you all enjoy our dark water dive to see these amazing animals. The largest that was there has about a sixteen foot wingspan and her name is Big Bertha. Each manta has a distinct spot pattern on its belly, that, like a fingerprint distinguishes one from another. We were lucky to have aboard Big Island Divers Martina, who films and studies these mantas and can identify each by name. I hope to list the names when we get our video that she filmed while we were diving.

Fish are Friends Not Food...

This is one of my favorite star fish.... it is called a pin cushion star. Here we are diving at a site called aquarium because there is an outcropping that is surrounded by reefs on either side and the light that comes through illuminates the hundreds of fish and coral that call this part of the Pacific their home.

This is Dean our dive master/instructor humorously being eaten by the pin cushion starfish. Dean also dove with Austin on many of the dives we took last December... He's AWESOME!!!
A yellow tang darting behind some coral...
Different coral and fish are found at various depths and with that comes the disadvantage of color absorption from the light being filtered through the water. The first colors to seem to disappear are red and then oranges/yellows so some photos are more blue and not as vibrant as others due to the dispersion of light.
I don't have my Hawaiian fish guide book with me... oops... I meant to bring it. But I believe this is an Achilles tang. with a sea urchin sitting on the rocks.
I have no idea what kind of fish this was but it looked so interesting, I'll have to research it when I get home.
Dean found an eel hiding in a hole or "puka" you can see the red that is beautifully illuminated by his light shining into the crevice.
This is the beautiful deep blue sea with many fish surrounding a thread fin fish or trumpet fish of some kind. It is a beautiful silver color and extremely thin!
A coral wall teaming with life, there is a lava tube cave that we went into as well along this ridge of the island wall.
Dennis checking out the lava tube cave...


I'm not sure if you can spot this HUGE spotted moray eel hiding amongst the coral, it is camouflaged quite well.
The serene view of a real life aquarium... I LOVE to SCUBA DIVE!!!

Can you spot the RED starfish?
This coronet fish was not being cooperative. It kept turning from the camera right as I was trying to take it's picture. Apparently many fish are photo shy.
Here comes Dennis... Diving at Kaiwai Bay
Another shot of a reef wall that leads to rocky/cliff volcanic shoreline breaks they make beautiful drop-offs teaming with coral and tropical fish. I love to look up at the waves that break along the reefs too.
Another shy yellow tang
A little less shy coronet fish. I actually got the whole side of him!
A picture of lava that you could easily swim under but along the top water could break over this reef it was beautiful.

Our first dive was at Kaiwai Point and after our deep descent into the abyss of the drop off we then followed up the coral shelf to find many great specimen of fish! I hope you enjoyed the photos!

My Favorite Place on Earth

So happy to be back and diving! Wish my eyes were open though...




I think if I could have chosen to be a fish, or a whale, or a shark, or anything that glides, darts, and lives in the depths of warm tropical waters; I might have chosen to be one of the many beautiful creatures that call coral reefs their home.

Today we spent the morning making our way out to a mooring called
Pawai Point. It is an aquatic sanctuary so tropical fisheries cannot take any of the many species that live here and thus you are able to see many more interesting species of fish here compared to other dive sites. Along the Kona coast there are around 115 mooring for scuba diving sites.
This dive was the first in our advanced diving instructions. It is the deep water dive we dove to a depth of 130 feet to feel the effects-if any- of nitrogen narcosis which neither of us were able to feel. (That is a good thing.) The coral stops at about 70 feet and the drop off leads out to the open sea. Once in a while it is good to look out over into the depths as you could happen upon a shark, whale, or in our case this dive we encountered an eagle ray. Dennis was able to capture a few really great pictures.





Diving has become a passion for me. It is something that I have always wanted to try and do and now I want to dive more and more every time we go out and see something new.


The best part about diving is that Dennis too, enjoys the dives and we have become closer while participating together in this pastime.

Here are a couple of Dennis diving comfortably at Pawai Bay.

The bubbles from his scuba on this one make him look Bug-Eyed :)

2nd Home Sweet Kona!

We arrived yesterday to Kona around three in the afternoon Hawaii time. First things first we immediately set out to check in and put our luggage away. The condo's we are trying this vacation are called the Kona Coast Resort. I found myself unable to take pictures right away because all of my photography equipment was still packed neatly away. I will add more photos of the unique property before we leave.

We got situated as quickly as we could because we were anxious to get to the dive shop before it closed. Big Island Divers were expecting us to dive with them Saturday morning and we needed to check in and rent wet suits/BCD's/regulators and dive computers and also set everything needed for a nitrox dive that we were planning on as well.

The weather was quite chilly and wet, low to mid-70's, and rainy, not very pleasant for Hawaii vacationers but since we weren't planning anything that Friday evening it wasn't vacation plan altering in any way.



As we were driving down the highway towards the dive shop Dennis asked what I might like to eat for dinner, as after a long flight and traveling it seems I always get famished, just at that particular moment we past a restaurant called "La Bourgogne."
I spotted it and said "let's go there." After we returned from the dive shop we found restaurant right where I'd left it just south of mile marker 119 and inquired within whether or not we could enjoy dinner in their company. >
To our delight there was room and we were seated right away. It is a small and intimate place that has perhaps a total of seven or eight tables.



We were seated after an older couple who seemed to know the place well were greeted as locals who frequented often, then Dennis and I were seated in a small booth adjacent to theirs, not too long after we arrived a group of five also were seated at a table near us. While Dennis and I were both perusing the menu I kept overhearing other patrons inquiring whether the osso bucco veal shank was available to which the answer was "indeed." When asked to what we would like to order I knew I must try this osso bucco that everyone was discussing. I'm contemplating reheating the rest of it while writing because my mouth is watering just thinking about how delicious it was. I still hadn't unpacked my camera but knowing I wanted to return for pictures I requested that perhaps I could and to my delight the matron happily agreed to allow me access later this week.


I happened to pick up a budget friendly tri-fold menu on our way out and on the back the happy little discovery is described
"Located just 3 miles south of Kailua-Kona, this small, intimate restaurant makes you think you might be at a delightful french country inn. Chef/Owner Ron Gallaher is a classically trained French cook -- a dying breed of those who have French cooking in their very veins, and it shows in everything that comes from his kitchen. The food has soul, character and an honesty one rarely sees today."
I couldn't agree more! This place is a gem.

Texas BBQ Brisket: Back to my Roots: YUMMM

Mom's Texas BBQ Brisket 

with The Salt Lick BBQ Sauce

I'll  add a picture here when it is done.... I can't wait for dinner!

BBQ Brisket

1 whole Beef Brisket, trimmed of excess fat
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
½ teaspoon each: Celery Seed, Mustard Seed, Coriander, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, and Chili Powder (adjust amounts to your liking)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups good quality BBQ Sauce such as Masterpiece (for smoked flavor choose a sauce with mesquite or hickory flavoring) 

NOTE: AMELIA's FAVORITE IS THE SALT LICK BBQ SAUCE that you can order if you are not anywhere near Dripping Springs Texas :)

3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Grind dry seasoning together with a mortar and pestle.
Rub brisket all over with Worchestershire Sauce and dry seasoning mixture.
Cover and marinate 6-8 hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator.
Bake, covered, at 225 degrees 7-8 hours. Drain all but about 2 cups of liquid from brisket (reserve for soup or gravy). Mix BBQ Sauce and brown sugar together. Pour over brisket. Return to oven and continue to bake, uncovered, for 1-1 ½ hours longer, until tender.

Alternate: Simply marinate and cook in Zesty Italian Salad Dressing, following cooking directions above.

Enter at Your Own Risk

I love it when children start to set their own boundaries. All day Darby has been pestering, bothering, disturbing and just plain "Darbinating" (as we call it) Austin. Well as I went to help him finish one of his final projects for the fifth grade Darby had closed herself off to the rest of the world. When I came out of Austin's room I noticed her gymnastics jacket wrapped tightly around the handles of the double doors to her bedroom with a small white board with the following notice attached.






The notice reads, "Who is it? You can come in Austin if it is time to pray. "
I guess we really are just a bothersome family and can't get along with anyone? :)