About this wall

What this wall is

Sandwich Isle Waters is an independent photographic record of the water off the Kona coast of the island of Hawai'i. It is written for divers planning a first trip to the Big Island and for the ones who already know this coast. The wall holds four rooms: sea life, dive sites, skills and training, and seasons and conditions. Each room holds numbered prints. Each print answers one question about the water.

Who keeps it

The registrar of Sandwich Isle Waters hangs every print. The registrar reads the marine life references, the dive tables, the harbour and weather records of the Kona coast, and the notes of divers who work this water, then states what those sources say. An operator, a captain, a shop or a boat is described in the third person. Photographs are generated views made for each print and captioned as such.

How a print is made

A print begins with one question. The registrar gathers sources, names each source that was read, and writes the answer in plain American English. Every print carries the date it was last checked. When a source changes, the print is checked again and the date moves forward.