49 BSB Dude!

The View from Your Room at the Mauna Lani

    A couple days ago Sandra and I took a trip north to Waikaloa.  We visited the art galleries and strolled around the Mauna Lani, pretending we could actually afford to stay there.   To be fair, I suppose we could afford it.  But for a couple nights at the Mauna Lani, eating at their restaurant, Sandra and I could have a whole vacation to Europe.  Which may say more about the way we travel than the prices at the Mauna Lani, which are only exorbitant, certainly not outrageous or usurious.   

    Following our stroll, we turned south at the traffic circle and wound through the links to 49 Black Sand Beach.  To enter here, you stop and register.   There's only twenty or so parking spots, but we have never

A Beautiful Day at 49 Black Sand Beach

been turned away.  The resort supplies clean restrooms, a shower by the beach and a shaded table by the tennis court, where Sandra and I dined al fresco.   This day, 49 Black Sand Beach was outstanding.   The sky and the water competed for the bluest blue.  There was just enough breeze to keep you cool.  No Waika-blowah hurricane this day!  Virtually no swell made for an easy entry.

    Finally, we're in the water and it was amazingly clear.  There are two complaints against this beach for snorkeling, the rough conditions and the lack of clarity, both probably related to the Waika-blowah winds.  In their absence, one can enjoy delightful conditions and a handsome coral reef.  On the left near the pinacles, I saw a pair of Oval Chromis.  This is a pretty uncommon fish and these two were beautiful, only

Oval Chromis, 49 BSB, March 2013

ten feet below the surface.  Sadly, they headed deeper when I dove to get a picture.  I saw a single individual here in cloudy water a year ago.  If you need Oval Chromis for your list, you might try 49 BSB on a calm day.

     After oogling the Ovals, I headed across the bay to the fine patch of coral off the near point.  As I swam in, the water became cloudy.  But suddenly there was something silvery swimming just in front trailing tentacles!  Could it be a squid?  No.  It was small silvery Day Octopus.  He landed on one coral head and spread out, showing off the webbing between his tentacles.  Spotting me, he swam to the next coral, accompanied by a Many Bar Goatfish.  This is a common association and I was happy to get a picture.

   Actually, I was extremely pleased to see an octopus.  This intelligent mollusc is quite possibly my favorite

Day Octopus hunting with a Many Bar Goatfish

animal in the sea.  I haven't seen one of my friends in months and I've been missing them terribly, wondering if I would ever see another.   I sang him the snorkel doxology and he changed colors and textures.    What a treat. 

    To cap off the day, as I was swimming in, a beautiful Black Tail Wrasse appeared in clear water off the point.  This was a fantastic afternoon at 49 Black Sand Beach.  If you're heading north, keep this lesser used beach in mind. 

Black Tail Wrasse, 49 BSB, March 2013