Local Boy Makes Good!

Well, the results are in and the winners have been announced.

My photo, "Kona Manta" has been selected to be part of Waikiki Aquarium's 2015 calendar. Thank you to everyone who supported and voted for me. And a special thanks to the one(s) who convinced me on the last day of the contest to enter my photo.

Also, a special thanks to Kona Honu Divers for the wonderful service and the spectacular Night Manta Dive. You all are awesome!

I'm honored to have been selected and look forward to 2015 to see the calendars out and about. Here's to continued diving the reefs of our beautiful Hawaiian waters and more photos of the spectacular life below.

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

~ Jacques Yves Cousteau

See the photo here: Kona Manta

Mahalo for Supporting Captain Bobby Mitchel



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Vote for Captain Bobby!

Well, it's been a year now and with that comes a new calendar for the Waikiki Aquarium. Despite my reluctance to enter based on what happened last year, I was finally convinced by friends and family to enter on the last day of submissions, which was yesterday, 31 May 2014.

So, this year I decided to enter just one photo and concentrate on that one photo to hopefully be chosen for the 2015 calendar.

And here it is!

Here is the link that you can select to go the Aquarium's Facebook page to vote:

Click to "Vote for Captain Bobby"

Please remember to vote again as much as possible. They allow you to vote once every 24 hour period. 

Here is a list of their rules:

Public Voting will determine 20 finalists:

• Aquarium Facebook Fans can vote daily from May 26 - June 13, 2014.
• Top 20 photos (1 per individual) with the most votes become finalists.
• Three (3) judges will select the following winners: 11 winners from the public voting finalists and 1 Judge’s Choice winner.

Mahalo for your support and hopefully, this year we'll make it into the 2015 calendar. And don't forget to share the link with your friends or post it on your Facebook page so the word gets out there!

For all you manta ray lovers, he is another amazing photo from my recent dive with Kona Honu Divers.

Mahalo for voting for Captain Bobby Mitchel

Maui ~ Above and Below

Well, I just returned from a fabulous trip back home to the islands and am hard at work downloading hundreds of photos and hours of video from both above and below the surface. 

Patience is a virtue, so please check back for updates and some great photos of Humpback Whales, Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Honu), fish, sunsets, etc. 

Mahalo for Diving and Whale Watching with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Kona-Cam

Kona Kai…our Chocolate Lab

Well, you've seen photos of her, you've seen and heard about her here on this blog, you've seen her on YouTube, and she's even been offered a TV show by a Producer on Animal Planet. You've seen her run, jump, swim, speak and use her 'inside voice' for Scooby Snacks, and even lounge around on the couch and do nothing at all.

You've heard about her, we've talked about her, and some of you know her in person, or should I say, in "dog." Yup, she's our puppy, my trusty First Officer, Kona Kai Waikoloa.

Hey, wait! What the heck is that around her neck, you ask? Well, that is a high definition, underwater video camera. Yup, my GoPro Hero 3, Black Edition that I use for SCUBA diving and lately for Hummingbirds and now Chocolate Labs.

We went to the cabin this past weekend and I decided to attach it to Kona and see if she'd accept it while she runs about the beautiful redwoods surrounding Donner Lake and the cabin. I knew we would go on a hike or two and even though there is still a little snow remaining, Kona would be bummed if we left without going swimming in the frigid lake before she left. And by swimming I mean her, not me!

Well, she did. So, Kona-Cam was born!

Here is a link to the YouTube video and Kona's new addition.

Kona-Cam

Did she enjoy it? I don't really know, but she sure didn't really mind having it on at all. I tested it both on the ground and in that water and it worked well. I was mainly worried about battery life and the collar slipping off and losing the camera; neither of the two were a problem. 

Unfortunately, we didn't come across any animals either, like a rabbit (her favorite to chase) so that was a bummer. It was probably better in the long run as this was just a testing run anyway. The only real problem I came across was the camera swinging side to side a lot and getting stuck to one side when she swims. I'll have to work on that. I really think she'd be cool with wearing a small helmet with the camera attached, but I'm afraid at what the other dogs would say.

Mahalo for Testing Kona-Cam with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Symbiotic Hunting

The Tortoise and the Hare? Not so much…How about the Moray Eel and the Ulua?

Visualize this, if you will. It' SCUBA time and you're chillaxin' in the beautiful, warm Hawaiian waters. There you are cruising along the reef just off Molokini Crater in the crystal clear waters of Kehei, Maui when you come across a huge spotted Moray Eel swimming along the bottom. What the?!?! Usually, when you come across eels, they are tucked away in their holes with their heads pointed out slowly breathing and looking like a guarding dragon in front of its lair.

But wait, just behind this free swimming serpent is a huge Ulua, or more commonly known as a Trevally in the Jack family, alongside and within feet, if not inches, of the gliding, erratically moving eel. So, thoughts come to my mind. Who's gonna eat whom? Who's chasing whom? Are they both running from something bigger that I haven't seen yet? Why am I not filming this? I quickly switch from taking still photos to firing up the video to capture this event that one does not get to witness too often. I mean it's not often you see a free swimming eel just a few feet away from you and with this huge Ulua in tow?! WOW!

So, after looking around to make sure something bigger is not after these two buggas, I begin to follow and film them. Now, I'm the bigger thing behind them in tow! Oh, they are not after each other, nor is one trying to eat the other. The are actually in a symbiotic hunting relationship. Yes, a relationship without dating, flowers, diamonds, drama, "benefits", or rules. This is purely a food thing and here's what happens. The eel moves about the reef in search of food and as he/she moves in and out of the coral, fish and small critters scatter about which then become quick yummy morsels for the escorting Ulua.

Are you ready to see the footage? Well, here is is:

And here is a link directly to the You Tube site just in case you can't view the video above.

Symbiotic Hunting (You Tube)

You may be wondering just where exactly was this video taken? I was diving with Captain Charley Neal and the gang at Scuba Shack in Kehei, Maui. With the fastest dive boat in the Islands, Charley gets you out to Molokini Crater in no time and both inside the crater and the back wall drift dive support some of the best diving in the Islands. Check 'em out next time you're in Maui!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the photo, video, and little instruction on symbiotic hunting. Next time you're cruising along the reef and see you're with a free swimming Moray Eel or an Ulua, look around, because it's symbiotic hunting buddy may nearby as well. And, if all the creatures on the reef are fleeing in the same direction, really look good behind you for you may be on the menu too. :)

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Hanging With The Honu While The Humpbacks Serenade

Oh, the love of diving...slowly sinking beneath the surface to another world below.

I began as a young boy in 1972 at the young age of 11 and was immediately addicted to SCUBA diving, although I missed out on many years of it, traversing the world on other adventures and finding myself.

From a kid, lying on the bottom of our swimming pool in Hawaii Kai as did Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, escaping the world above, to 'being with' the beautiful creatures of our undersea world as I watched Jacques Cousteau do so every Sunday evening on the color TV (with the round knob channel changer that only went to 13) while I was growing up, diving has for so long been a love of mine.

So, back on point now...Here's a sampling of what I mean. Here in the beautiful Hawaiian waters off Maui, I came upon this beautiful Hawaiian Sea Turtle (Honu), just grazing in the grasses on the bottom while the Humpback Whales sang off in the distance. It was whale season in Maui and the humpbacks, large and small, were everywhere. The Honu let me slowly come up right to her and just hang out. It was absolutely amazing!

Enjoy...

I suspect there are two types of people that watch this video. The one that goes, "Oh, cool, look at the turtle," and moves on. And then there's the other that 'gets it' and watches the video while concentrating and listening to the beautiful sounds of the Humpbacks in the distance and/or looks into the soulful eyes of the Honu as she feeds. Which are you? If you were number one, did you go back?


Either way, thank you for taking the time to hang out here.


“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.”  ~~ Jacques Cousteau


~~ Life is good

Mahalo for diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Aloha!

Welcome aboard Bobby's Mixed Plate. I'm your Captain. Be prepared to enjoy this wonderful flight ahead. We'll encounter photos from above and on the ground, diving the beautiful Hawaiian waters, fantastic culinary creations from around the world, views of unique and beautiful destinations, poetry to inspire and reflect, and, of course activities and fun from my First Officer, Kona Kai Waikoloa (our Chocolate Lab). Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy my blog as you can now move on to the 'Welcome Aboard' tab.


Bobby Mitchel
Pilot, Air Force Veteran, Chef, Photographer, Poet, SCUBA Diver, Travel Guide, and Writer