Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Hawaii-Midway-Attu, Day 4, June 15, 2008

Hawaii-Midway-Attu, Day 4, June 15, 2008
by Bob

We sailed to Kaula Rock today. We motored around the island a time or two. It was really impressive. It's about 550 feet tall, with
steep cliffs on all sides. We hoped to dive there, but chickened out because the swells from the north and south scared us when they
smashed into the rocks. Landing there was out of the question, even if it was allowed. The island is a naval target island, and a
permit is required to land there. It's got some leftover ammunition, some supposedly live and some inert. We could see some of it.

After Kaula, we looked for 5 fathom pinnacle. It is a a pinnacle in an area over 200 feet. It comes up to within 30 feet of the
surface. The chart shows a shallow area of about 1000 yards by 500 yards. But the pinnacle is maybe one tenth that size. We finally
found it by driving around and looking in the water.

We dropped the anchor at 35 feet. It dragged a bit, and then set pretty solid. Mike and I dived. We noticed that the anchor had
slipped off the pinnacle and was wedged in a crack at 80 feet. It came our alright when we were done, though. Next time you're
there, you can find the pinnacle at 21°41.22'N 160°36.20'W.

I thought the place was incredible. The water was really clear -- more than 100 feet visibility. the rock structure came up from a
200+ foot floor to 30 feet from the surface. It had huge cracks and lots of fish I had never seen before. There was a current of
maybe a knot, fairly stiff for diving.

After the dive, Melinda and Josh went kayaking. The swells were fairly high for that, but it was fun for them to be out kayaking
miles away from shore. A Hawaiian monk seal came up and swam with them for a bit. They're pretty rare, with a current population of
about 1200. This was the last time we'll be allowed out of the boat before Midway Island, about a week away.

In fact, we're not even allowed to stop the boat except in an emergency. This afternoon we entered the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Marine National Monument, or Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument as it's now named, There are lots of dos and don'ts for the
Monument area. Believe it or not, we're following the rules!

No comments: