The Proud Fish with the Golden Nose

A Peaceful Day at the Kona Makai Inlet

    On Thursday, exercise day at the Alii Villas Spa and Beach Club, the Redoubtable SKG and I found ourselves crossing the little bridge by said condos and I was struck by the pacificity of the eponymous ocean.  Luckily, I had my snorkel stuff in the car and immediately stated my intention to take advantage of the mild conditions.  So while sweetie trundled down to the ladies at the pool,  I made my way next door and down to the lava rock entry at Kona Makai.

    Indeed, the conditions were quite mild, which was a surprise, because Guy Hagi, the surfing weatherman on Channel 7 had been predicting great conditions on the north shore (for surfing).  I'd enjoyed a similar day ten days earlier.  So enthusiastic was I to enter the waterr that I forgot my fins in the car.  And I broke my first rule...don't go into the ocean

Big Eye Emperor, the Mu, Kona Makai, March 2011

without your fins.  It was so mild that day and I had made it all the way to the entry without my fins, so,clearly feeling a little fey, I slid into the fish pond,  paddled around and at the end of my half hour barefootin', old Neptune proved to be a good sport and spit me out. 

    This day I had my fins.  Mostly it was usual suspects,but early on I saw a couple handsome Achilles tang and a pair of Mu.  The reef at Kona Makai remains a good place to see the Mu, whose Hawaiian name refers to the tribal executioner.   

    Towards the end of my swim, as I was returning from the shallow reef to the deep water, I saw a fish with a gleaming golden forehead.  It was as if he had a

Red Labrid Wrasse, Kahalu'u, Jan. 2013

narrow bar of that precious metal running the length of his nose.  One almost epected to see a Porsche symbol in the center of that gleaming medallion. I had seen that fish before (only a couple times) and had a good idea that it was  one of the two native snappers.  Seeing me, he turned and swam away...I did not get any picture worth mentioning.   Years ago, in a similar situation, I would draw a picture and send it to Jack Randall.  He would usually reply with an invitation to purchase his latest book.  A photo tends to get more attention, but not this time.

     We were lucky when we got home to find a picture in John Hoover's Ultimate Guide of the Forktail Snapper, also called the Smalltooth Jobfish.  John's picture gives a hint of the golden snout that this otherwise (and most often) drab fish occasionally boasts.   There is no suitable picture on the internet of this proud fish with the golden nose for me to, ahem, borrow.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  And maybe someday, when you are peering out into the deep, you will find yourself going nose to nose with a shiny band of gold and you'll think...jobfish.  In the meantime, I am leaving you with a pretty picture of the Red Labrid I nabbed in K Bay a few days ago.

see you on the beach,
jeff

Continental Airlines, The Proud Bird With the Golden Tail

Author's note:   The title of this blog was adapted from the motto of Continental Airlines.  The Proud Bird With the Golden Tail ceased operation on March 2, 2012.   While factors such as corporate profits hastened the extinction of the PBWtGT, other nefarious forces are at work on the reefs of these very Sandwich Islands.  That the Proud fish With the Golden Nose may continue to stalk our waters, let us reaffirm our commitment to pure water, clean air, Al Gore and a hasty demise of the aquarium collectors.

jwh

The (Possibly) Confusing Barred Filefish.

2013 Is the Year to Boogie!

     This winter has been quite a bit different from last year...the year of the creepy calm.  Starting in October we have had lots of rough days out in the bay and coincidentally the water clarity has not been all that great for taking pictures of the fish.  This winter there have been many good days for the surfers and boogie boarders.    In fact, its really high surf right now.  Not being able to go fishwatching (the beaches are closed again and I wouldn't be able to see much anyway) I whiled away the time Sandra was exercising with my good friends Tom and Marcia Pickens on the deck of  their condo, looking back towards Kailua town.  From their deck we watched waves breaking onto the first floor units at Sea Village, the units just north of Alii Villas.  Time to go to Lowe's for a shop vac and a case of paper towels.  Spectacular for us, soggy for them.

     Sadly, over the last month we haven't seen very many unusual fish in the less than crystal clear water.  Luckily, in the last couple of weeks we have a found several immature Barred Filefish.  This fish looks and behaves just differently enough from the adult that one might confuse it with something else.

Adult Barred Filefish, Kailua Pier, 3/23/11

  
     The adult Barred Filefish, as i'm sure yu will recall, comes in a rainbow of grays, with several light bars ventrally.  Its one of the bigger fish on the reef.  Even though we don't get extremely close, it is easy to identify.  And although the Barred Filefish doesn't encourage a close approach, its not particularly skittish, either.  It isn't common to see it ducking into the coral.  finally, the adult does not usually do any peculiar posturing.  In its boring gray way, it just sort of hangs out

    The immature is surprisingly different.  First, it is the color of dark chocolate.  When you first encounter it, it may have a constellation of distinct, punctate white spots over the entire  body.  The most striking feature of this baby is the bright orange tail.  On two different days, in the rubble on the

Ironman side of the pier, we have encountered a few individuals of this immature.   The first time I was so taken with the bright orange tail that I thought I might have an aspricaudus. the Yellowtail Filefish common in Bali and rare as hen's teeth in these very Sandwich Islands.

      The first thing you will notice about my picture is that it isn't very good.  What can I say, when the water isn't clear, this is the sort of picture I'm stuck with.  Second, look at the way he is spreading that bright orange tail.  some filefish, like the Fantail Filefish, posture with a spread tail routinely.  When approached, this fellow spread his tail almost every time.  Additionally, he completely and instantly lost those handsome white spots.  I'm really sorry that I don't have a picture of the spots, but try as i might, I could not get close to the fish without the spots disappearing.  and the last thing about this fish's behavior is that when you approach, he doesn't swim away (like the adult Barred Filefish would.)  He darkens his spots, spreads his tail and finds cover in the coral.

David R's picture of  P.  aspricaudus

   I have not personally taken an acceptable picture of the Yellowtail Filefish.  I have seen it once briefly in Hawaii.  I'm borrowing a photo from David R. so you can see what it looks like .  In John Hoover's Ultimate Guide he has a pretty good picture of the Barred Filefish immature.  Prior to that, I don't think any fish guide you might have laid your hands on would have showed this shy fish with the orange tail.  I'm sure with David's fine picture as a foil, you can appreciate how one might be confused.

    So you try not to be confused and I'll do the same.  and good luck to both of us.

jeff

What's Happenin'?

    It seems like the number of blogs has decreased.  With that in mind, the editorial board has decided that I push one out so you know what we've been up to lately.

   Last week we went snorkeling two days in a row at Kahaluu.  I was struck by the fact that I did not see a

Watch out for hungry Stripe Belly Puffers!

single stripe belly puffer.  I went there the second day expressly for the purpose of verification.  This fish was a sure thing at K Bay and I can't imagine what happened to them.  Whether or not you are a fan of The Simpson's , you probably know that pufferfish are poisonous...a full step past inedible.  It was a miracle that Homer survived the novice sushi chef and its unlikely that spear fishermen are going out of their way to take puffers.  This sort of leaves Al Gore and habitat change. 

      But Stripe Belly Puffers are not extinct.  Just last night on the Honolulu news they reported a SBP biting a child somewhere on Oahu.  They had our mentor Jack Randall live on channel 8 telling us that this is unusual behavior for a pufferfish.  So they're still out there, just not in K Bay.

     The word on the street was that a big swell was coming in.  Before we could be boxed out I rounded up

Sofie says, "Kick up your pinkies at the Dog Beach!"

 my Canadian colleague Doug Rode for a trip to the Dog Beach.  Honokohau was calm as could be, unlike the day when Charles, Sofie and I braved the waves.  True to its name, there were dogs on the beach.  There was a great big Hawaiian with a great big Rottweiler and a couple other dogs.  We set out on the calm bay.  About twenty yards from shore I felt some scratching on my thighs.  Was Doug in trouble?  The scratching increased and I realized that a dog was attempting to crawl over my back.  I rolled over and the dog looked me in the face then bore off and continued swimming.  I thought it was inconsiderate for a dog owner to throw a lure where I was swimming, but there was nothing out there.  Doggy was just going for a swim and for some reason he wanted to swim in my lane.  That dog ain't got no manners.

    After our close encounter with a quadruped we had a pleasant swim in the warm clear water.  Heller's Barracuda was a no show, but Potter's Angelfish, the Black morph longnose and a female Hawaiian Hogfish were there, along with a pod of dolphins out in the channel.. 

    Finally, today I went solo to Paul Allen's Reef.  The swell is now coming in as promised and it was rock and roll out on the PAR.   It was a  very pleasant physical experience, swimming with the fishies in the warm surging water.  The water wasn't clear as it was chock a block full of bubbles. 

    Just after I made the turn for home, I encountered a small turtle.  After a heart to heart talk with my editorial board, I have chosen to embrace the turtle.  And today I want to share an epiphany with you, my six readers.  (May the Great God Ku bless and protect each and every one of you.)  When one encounters a turtle swimming free it is amazingly easy to get close and take a picture.  Over on K bay, if you try to get too close, some jerk is crawling up your bung holio, telling you how protected the turtles are.  Out on the PAR with the rollers breaking on the reef, maybe not so much.  Its just you and Senor Tortuga....But I digress. 

    The reason you can get close is that the turtle has a critical choice.  If it swims faster, it will use up its

The swell pounds the wall on the PAR.

 oxygen reserves at a markedly increased rate.  And it will have to surface soon.  If you're a turtle and you don't live in K Bay, deeper is safer.  This guy changed direction a couple times, leading me within a couple feet of the breaking waves on the wall of the PAR,  but he did not increase the rate or power of his strokes.   Turtles are not Albert Einstein.  They don't think this thing through...they have a hard wired algorithm that weighs heavily in favor of swimming economically.   all this aside, it was a blast swimming with the little turtle as the waves pounded the nearby reef. 

    Well, that's it from the PAR.  In the words of Crush (the paterfamilias turtle from Finding Nemo)  Ook ook a choo.

jeff

      

    

The Killer Snowflake

Oh give me home where the Milletseeds roam...

   Exercise class was cancelled... the instructor had to seek out a dentist to repair a loose crown.  Not precisely what happened to Marie Antoinette, but urgent enough to preclude jazzercise in the pool.   Thus, your humble correspondent was in luck....the Redoubtable SKG would go snorkeling.  After a bit of shopping at the KTA we made our way to K Bay.  Sandra doesn't like Kahaluu when the tide is out, but the tide table calendar was right again and we had plenty of water to slither out through the channel into the cold clear water.  Yes, dear reader, winter has descended bitterly upon the Sandwich Islands.  I've been reduced to wearing a sweatshirt while eating breakfast on the lanai and the ocean water can be described generously as not warm.  Anyway, it was clear and calm as we set off together for a nice swim.

    Right away we spotted the lone Milletseed Butterflyfish that is sometimes seen here at Kahaluu.  Shouldn't someone talk to one of the aquarium dealers and get that poor fellow a mate?  Milletseeds used to swarm in like honeybees in this bay.  (We still have swarms of honeybees in Kona!)  If Milletseeds are going to make a comeback, a solitary fish isn't enough...we need to start with two.  I learned that from the Noah's Ark story back at the First Presbyterian Church in Vancouver.  Although, come to think of it, I don't think Noah had fish on the ark.  Probably back in Noah's day there was no such thing as global warming and aquarium collectors.

Geek!

  Shortly after running into the Milletseed, we saw another strange specimen.  This guy must have been looking for Dr. No, Captain Nemo or maybe Mr. Spock, ending up at Kahaluu by mistake.  All dressed up and only a Convict Tang to photograph.  Accidente!  But he did win the Geek award for his excessive get up and equipment.

    We had a nice swim over by the shuttered Keahou Beach Hotel.   The best coral remaining in Kahaluu is over in the southwest corner by the former hotel that now belongs to the National Park Service.  If our government had the brains God gave a squid, they would be operating the hotel, a local landmark if there ever was one, as a National Park Hotel with an eco-historical twist.  Like you find at Zion or Yosemite. There would be bus fulls of German tourists spending zeppelins-full of Deutsch Marks...excuse me, Euros...and the local economy would be booming. 

    But I digress.  This area by the ex-hotel is accessed with ease at high tide.  The coral is healthy but there were hardly any fishes at all.  So off we went out to Surfer's Rock.  There was nothing special doing around the rock and it looked like this might be a day for usual suspects only.

Snowflake Moray with Crab, Kahalu'u  January 2013

   We were dawdling by the rock when a fellow snorkeler directed Sandra's attention to a free swimming Snowflake Moray.  She in turn alerted me and we watched together as the eel, almost three feet long and as big around as a high quality garden hose, slithered behind a hunk of coral.  Instead of disappearing into the coral head, this fellow arched his back and struck at something.  A moment later he appeared on our side of the coral with a struggling crab in his jaws.  "He's got a crab!"  we exclaimed to each other through our snorkels. 

    We were lucky and over the next minute or so the eel devoured the writhing crustacean.  And I was right there as the death throes ceased and all that remained was an empty carapace.  I was really fortunate to take these pictures.  (I only needed my trusty little Canon D10).    

Can you see the crab in the jaws of the killer Snowflake?

     Aside from providing me with the opportuniy to show off these really cool pictures, this episode highlights an interesting point.  Moray eels look like really mean killing machines.  Every time they look at you, it seems that an eel bite is in the offing.  In fact, I've seen three lacerated digits as a result of those fell jaws and razor sharp teeth. The first two were dive guides with  "pet " eels that they fed for their patrons. Whoops! The third was our acquaintance, Maurice, who grabbed hold of the bottom near an unseen eel.  It is my highly educated guess that all three of these bites were inflicted by Yellow-margin Morays. Those sweet guys that look like your neighbor's pit bull who "would never hurt anybody.".   During the day, Yellow-margin Morays tend to stay put in the coral. They are dramatically bigger than most Snowflakes and Whitemouths, which are the eels we see hunting.   But in spite

of spending a heck of a lot of time looking at fish, we had never previously seen any eel with prey.

Yellow-margin Moray, Kona Makai, January 2011, 15 feet

  Over the last month, since returning from Mexico, we have not seen a zeppelin-full of eels.  Regardless, over the years we have seen a great many Whitemouths and Snowflakes hunting in the shallows.  From reading, I knew they were searching for crustaceans, so it was rewarding to see an eel successful in a way predicted by the learned ichthyologists. 

    In closing, I have two other thoughts:  First, if there were more crabs in the coral, perhaps we would have more eels.  And (here is a life lesson for us all) if this guy had been a little less crabby, perhaps he wouldn't have been lunch.

jeff 2012