Dive at Panic Point Park (South Oahu)

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Oahu Dive 18. Panic Point

The entry point to the site is about 15 concrete steps down into the water. The bottom steps at the water edge are very slippery but there is a good handrail to grab on to. There are bathrooms and showers at the site. The toilets don’t have doors …it feels a bit weird when you are busy and someone rolls by in a bike.



We put our fins on at the last steps and walk into the water using a couple of big rocks and sort of slide on them into the water. The entire time I kept thinking how much of a bad idea this was but I ended up doing it like the my buddies. I dove with Sandi, Charlie, Arnie (Dive instructor) and Don, the boat captain from the “Dark Side” dive on Saturdays and Photography professor at the university.



The swim out felt long to me but not so bad just because I strained a muscle yesterday on the hike down to the Blowhole with all the weight from the gear and my legs were not in best shape (excuses, excuses). Also I didn’t adjust my fins to a stiffer mode but Charly did it for me once in the water. The site is basically a pipe that goes out from the city into the ocean. Similar to the pipe at Electric Beach but smaller. Most divers prefer to pay the fee and be taken there by boat. We saw a Blue Dragon Nudi!!!! Special thanks to Sandi Strickland for showing it to me. That made my dive. We saw a thorn back cowfish, imperial and scramble eggs nudis and Hawaiian fish and eels.



A gray cloud was hovering in the close distance and went over us half way through the dive and picked up the surge and dropped some rain. On the way out the surge was pushing me into the rocks and it got a little spooky but my awesome dive buddies grabbed my camera and fins so I got out of the water like a breeze. Can't do many solo dives in Oahu in the winter because the weather and your buddies become a great support system! Thanx guys : )! And again I would love to repeat but in the summer! 😉

Log 524 47ft 80min aprox 105mm 80cc

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Photos

Blue Dragon Nudibanch.
One of the most beautiful nudis of the area. Too bad we had that surge and I could shoot it with my +10 :(

Thorn Back Cow Fish
The surge was really bad a this point and I kept getting smacked into the pipe. I didn't have time to compose a nice image :(

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Love to hear more detail about your trip
Where are you staying and who are you diving with?

[Xeaman]

I am staying at my mom's and I been diving with locals that share interests. I posted an ad in scuba board…and it worked out great!