The Christmas Wrasse on Christmas Day

   The morning of December 25th dawned bright and clear  here in Kailua.  After a sweltering summer, those of us in our tiny resort community feel blessed with the cooler weather.  Christmas Day was the best of all.

The Author and Sir Galahad Set Out for the Holy Grail

Having been preceded by two days of rain (which Sandra and I truly enjoyed) Christmas Day was cool and the sky was scrubbed clean to a brilliant blue.

   By arrangement, we met our friend Kyle at the pier at 10 AM.  As a non-swimmer for a few more days, Sandra would stay ashore while Kyle and I carried on the Christmas tradition.

    The water was cool and clear as we plunged into the Inner Harbour.  This being Christmas,  the beach in front of the King Kam Hotel (now a Marriot)  was chock-a-block full.  The throng was mostly tourists, sunning, swimming and paddle boarding, but there was a smattering of us locals, as well.  Everyone was good natured as Kyle and I made our way out of the inner harbour, past the jetty, through the paddle boarders and into Kailua Bay.  I'd like to say that the water in the bay was a lot warmer than the inner harbour, but, as Kenneth said on 30 Rock, "Every time I tell a lie, an angel in heaven

Christmas Wrasse  January 30, 2011 Paul Allen's Reef

 loses her wings."  If you are aware of my propensity for prevarication, you might expect to see angels falling faster than the local water temperature.

    Actually, the water temperature wasn't that bad as we reconnoitered in the middle of the inlet.  I asked Kyle if he had seen a Christmas Wrasse as he swam along the shore.  He chose this moment to reveal that he didn't actually know what a Christmas Wrasse looked like.  Up to this point, I had thought of Kyle as a latter day Sir Galahad, he of the Siege Perilous, who would lead us to the Christmas Wrasse, the Holy Grail on this day of the nativity.  While Kyle is extremely competent in the water, my quick description, "the one with the blue and red spots, was probably inadequate to surmount the taxonomic hurdle.  The problem was further aggravated as said wrasse is no longer a common fish.  If you don't know enough to look for a Christmas Wrasse, you probably won't even notice this fast moving fish.

Christmas Wrasse Dec 28, 2010 Kona Makai

     On the far shore of the bay, tucked into the coral we spotted a Zebra Moray.

I saw an eel on Christmas Day/ A Moray Eel that made me Squeal!
I saw an eel on Christmas Day / On Christmas Day in the morning.

    Well. I no longer squeal at eels, so we swam around the corner, still looking for the wrasse with the red and blue spots.  Out on Paul Allen's Reef  proper, the water was clear and kinetic.  This was acceptable, as the Christmas Wrasse, similar to the more uncommon Five Stripe and Surge Wrasses, really likes moving water.  We swam along the edge, the bright sunlight sparkling in the surf, highlighting the Spotted Surgeons that love the splash.  A school of mullets glimmered like tinsel in the swirling shallows.

    Just over half way out I spotted a Christmas Wrasse!  It was a big, beautiful adult swimming a few feet below me along the lava palisade.  I looked up to call Kyle and when I looked down, the fish was gone.  We searched for a couple minutes, but there is a lot of water out there on the PAR and he was no where to be seen.   

I saw a Wrasse on Christmas Day!
A Christmas Wrasse swam up my  (well, you get the idea.)

I saw a wrasse on Christmas Day,
On Christmas Day in the Morning.

 

Porcupinefish  Christmas Day 2014

  All that singing aside, I'm providing you with the two best pictures that I have taken of the Christmas wrasse.  A couple things you might notice.  First, this is a fast moving fish.  Thus, one does not get a still life caliber photo.  Second, you might just reflect on  when these pictures were taken.  I have not improved on these pictures in almost four years.   Not only is the Christmas Wrasse fast moving, but it isn't getting any more common.  You may recall that on a stormy Christmas Day 2013, Sandra and I couldn't find one. 

     I was sad that  I had been unable to show the Christmas Wrasse to Kyle, but elated that the Good Lord had renewed our covenant for the coming year.  On the way in, we had a fine close look at a Porcupinefish.  And just outside the jetty we enjoyed a Zebra Moray hunting in about ten feet.

     Sandra was waiting for us on shore, all dry and pretty. She was overjoyed by the news of the sighting;  you can rest assured that the Redoubtable SKG knows a Christmas Wrasse when she sees one.

Don't Squeal for the Eel.  He is a shy fellow of good will.

     On Christmas Eve, we went to a caroling service outside the oldest church in Hawaii on Alii drive opposite the palace.  Noting that they were a man short, I nabbed a song booklet, slipped in and sang along.  The last song we sang was O Little Town of Bethlehem.  As the rest of the choir headed into the church, I sang my version of this classic to a non-existant audience.  When I get up early in the morning, or sometimes at night, I look down on the twinkling lights of Kailua and sing these lyrics.  This seems like the right time to share them with you.  

O little town Kailuaville
How still we see thee rise
Upon thy reef in dreamless sleep
The Silent Fish swim by.
 But in the dark depths shineth
The phosphorescent light.
The Sharks and Rays that rest by day
Swim here with us tonight.

Christmas Fish courtesy of Rene Umberger of Save the Fishes

 The keiki dreams of Sugarplums
The Ironman his run.
Praise God for Peace to all the Fish
From here to Kingdom Come.

Until we meet again, may the Dear Good Lord bless you and keep you.  And may he watch over all the fishes that we hold so dear.

jeff
 

Crustacean Day at K Bay

    Say what you will about Kahalu'u.  Beside the old Keahou Beach Hotel, which our benevolent federal government has shuttered theses past two years and more, the bay that once rivaled Hanuma Bay for

Eye Spot Shrimp, Saron neglectus, December 2014

numbers and varieties of fishes is now a shadow of its former self.  Tourists have trampled the coral and, for what ever reason, the legions of fish have disappeared.  As an indication of this decrease, 2014 will be the first year that I have failed to see a single Milletseed Butterflyfish in this bay.  Or anywhere else for that matter.

    K Bay remains a good place for a swim   The tourists, especially those from the cruise ships, arrive here in numbers that rival the long gone schools of milletseeds.  But there are still occasional discoveries to be made among the rocks and remaining corals. 

   This week I experienced such a lucky day.  Entering the water on a late December afternoon, I was struck by the cooler temperature of the water, but even more so in noting that the last vestiges of that horrid brown algae has completely disappeared.
 

Cone Shell Hermit Crab,  Kahalu'u   Dec. 2014

     Just inside Surfer's Rock, I was lucky to find three cooperative crustaceans.  the first was this cute little shrimp.  He patiently perched on a leaf of cauliflower coral while I took multiple pictures.  By looking at the coral polyps, you get an idea of how small this animal was: his armored forehead was about 3mm across.  I believe that those green striped legs indicate that this is an Eyespot Shrimp, Saron neglectus.  We also get a look at his red body with light brown spots in a reticular pattern.  Obviously, without the camera I would have no idea regardless of how cooperative this tiny animal was.

   A few moments later, I nabbed a cone shell well coated with coraline algae, placed it on a coral a foot below the surface and waited.  As you see, we were rewarded with a gorgeous Cone Shell Hermit Crab.  This is not a rare animal at Kahalu'u.  Among the cone

Hidden Hermit Crab  Ca. latens  Kahalu'u  Dec. 2014

shells I pick up, I would guess that a Stripey, as Sandra and I call this handsome beast, emerges about 15% of the time.  Roughly one in seven attempts.  Combined with good light and mild conditions, this guy was the perfect model and we got this super photograph.

    Finally, on the adjacent coral, this latens was happy to provide a photo op, making this day a hat trick for crustaceans.  The remainder of my swim was devoted to looking for a milletseed.  On this day, we had to be satisfied with a lone Saddleback.  And time is running out.

jeff 

December at the Dog Beach

   It had been a while since I had been to the Dog Beach, that sweet little crescent of sand just seaward of the Honokohau boat basin.  My regular snorkeling partner, the Redoubtable SKG, has been rendered hors de combat by her ophthalmologist at KP.org (he said no swimming for 30 days following cataract surgery).  

Bluestripe Butterflyfish  Kailua Pier  January 2014

This being the case, it took little convincing to get Bob Hillis to join me for a snorkel at Playa del Perros.

    It was a calm morning in Kailua with little wind and moderate wave action.  Big surf was in the offing, though, so this seemed like just the time to squeeze in this adventure.  As you know, it is only a couple miles from Kailua to the harbor, so we were surprised at the power of the wind.  And the surf was bigger, too.  We watched the breakers for a few minutes and saw a couple sets with 18 inch faces.  All this was inside the margin of safety so Bob and I headed on down to the Dog Beach.

     I'm pleased to say that at this point the pathway from the parking area down to the beach is as easy as it has ever been.  Below the ridge, either mother nature or a kindly menehune has positioned stones through the boulder field to make an easy transit.
 . 
    On the beach, the wind was blowing about twenty knots.  Although this created a bit of a problem positioning a grass mat, it rendered the area a no fly zone.  Curiously, Bob said that he hadn't noticed a fly

Orangetail Filefish  at the Dog Beach, Honokohau April 2013

problem on the Dog Beach.  For Sandra and myself, it is a fairly big issue.  We used to love to lounge on this beach after a swim.  People still hang out under the trees here, but we can't understand how they tolerate the flies.  Anyway, there were no flies on Frank today and only one friendly border collie for Bob to play with as we headed into the water.

    We must have timed our entry perfectly, for the bay was full of water and washed us right out.  On the outside, I immediately spotted a Blue Stripe Butterfly.   You don't see that fellow very often, so the trip was already a success.  We swam back and forth in the shallows, hoping for a Fantailed or Orangetail Filefish.  Neither put in appearance on this day.

    Another fish that did not put in an appearance was a tiger shark.  You may recall that following the great shark imbroglio of September 2013, we have become aware that these beasts are found near this dive site with appalling regularity.  I was on red alert.  Despite my vigilance, I did not see a shark.  Which I guess is a good thing.   If circumstances had worked out well  (i.e., without a call to the EMTs or the county coroner) it might have been fun to add the shark to our 2014 list.   But I can live without it.  Literally.

     Bob dove down in an area where he had seen a frogfish a month ago,but was unable to find froggy this day.   About fifty yards this side of the green buoy we got a close look at a large Thompson's Surgeonfish.

My charming daughter Tara wading at the Dog Beach

On the way in, we nabbed a juvenile Reticulated Butterfly, only about two inches long, working his way in and out of the coral in the surge zone.


    The swim back in was easy and we soon found ourselves walking back up the lava ridge to the parking area.  As we left the ridge we encountered a family of four on their way down.  The two children were wearing life preservers, which probably indicated that these were tourists.  Bob gave them a run down on the ocean conditions and I chimed in the the little bay was a very safe place for the kids to frolic.  I neglected to tell them that it was unlikely that the tiger sharks would enter the little bay.   Live and learn That's my motto.

jeff
 

  

Two Great Reasons to go to Bali (Besides Fish)

   When John Hoover linked me up to his website he made me promise that this blog would mostly deal with

The Purnama Offering Parade

fish.  All in all, I have tried to honor that commitment.  When one is attempting to sell a really big trip to their friends and family, however, it is nice to have something to offer them besides just the opportunity to look at fish.  Or in some cases (as may be the situation with John and his charming wife) the better half may very well be interested in something other than fish.  In  Bali, there are several other things that may draw one there.  

    So before we leave Bali,  I wanted to mention some of the other things one might look forward to.   Many people go to Bali for other outdoor experiences, like climbing one of the major volcanoes...both Agung and Batur can be climbed either on your own or with a guide. Some people go birdwatching, but this being a relatively small island and fairly densely populated, there are not too many birds.

The Purnama Offering Parade

 Sandra and I have found two things in Bali that are truly unique and, perhaps as much as the many species of beautiful fish, these things draw us back. 

    The first is the Balinese people themselves and the way their lives revolve around the unique brand of Hinduism practiced only in Bali.  In the 8th century a Hindu monk made it from India to Bali and the religion has been evolving for one and a half millennia.  From dawn to dusk the Balinese place offerings of incense, rice and flowers at altars, on the walkways, at the beaches...just about anywhere you might imagine. 

        Although the Balinese may disagree, the most outward sign of this Hinduism is the community effort to

Legong Dancer, Ubud Palace

  insure reincarnation of the deceased members of the villages.  Around the island there are temples that draw villagers with symbolic remains of the recently departed.  These ceremonies are not necessarily sad gatherings.  After all, if they get it right the departed will rejoin the living. 

    Unlike some religions,  the Balinese are eager to have you participate in their rites.  On a previous trip we joined the people of a village as they made the hike up the mountain to Pura Lempuyang.  This year we were invited by a couple that ran a restaurant in Tulamben to accompany them to Purnama, the Hindu Full Moon Ceremony.  The entire village showed up and under the rising moon, the offerings were presented with some pageantry and then blessed by the priest.  As we sat listening to the priest, our hostess asked me if I was happy.  And I was!  It was an honor to participate with our hosts, but this isn't a rare experience.

Legong Dancer at Ubud Palace

If you show an interest, you will almost certainly find yourself in a sarong at some point.

    This year, for the second time, we went to Pura Lawah, otherwise known as the Bat Cave.  The Bat Cave is one of the seven directional temples.  This year there were literally thousands of Hindus celebrating while we were there.  Discreet photographs were allowed.  And who doesn't want to peer into the cave full of bats?  But to be honest, being at the temple and praying with the Hindus is a very spiritual experience. 

At least as good as seeing a new fish.

      The second thing I want to tell you about is the city of Ubud.  Ubud is an hour or two from DPS, the airport for the island in the metropolis of Denpassar.  Perhaps when you are planning a trip to Bali, you will think of Ubud as a place to do some shopping before heading home.  And there are some fantastic restaurants there, as well. But there is much more to Ubud than shopping. 

The Beautiful Sita Held Hostage by the Monkey Warriors

   Many people use it as a headquarters for outdoor activities like hiking. 

    My personal favorite is the dance programs put on around the city every night.  There are several varieties of these authentic dances, which are connected to the Balinese Hinduism.  The Legong Dance is my personal  favorite.  Beautiful dancers, richly costumed, perform for an hour or so.  Their hand and eye movements are unique to the legong. Often these dances are held outdoors in ancient temples and palaces.  I find it utterly intriguing.
    The other dance we enjoy is the Kecak dance.  A troop of men dressed as monkey warriors, chant for an hour while the actors put on an operatic play centered on the Ramayana, one of the central stories of their religeon.  At the end, a fire of coconut husks is ignited and a man in a trance rides his hobby horse through

The Fire Trance At an Ubud Temple

the fire repeatedly.   It does not get anymore exotic than the Kecak Dance and Fire Trance.  Admission for these dances was about 8 USD.  Unbelievable.

   Well, you have suffered through my descriptions of the beaches in the Amed area.  They are sufficiently intact that even someone like myself, snorkeling and unguided, was able to see over 250 species of reef fish in two weeks.  And you now have the information to keep the non-fishwatchers entertained. 

   Thank you for putting up with this decidedly un-fishy blog.  Sandra and I hope that there is a trip to the enchanted island of Bali in yur future.  When you get there, say hi to all our friends.

jeff
 

The Villain Rangaa is Found in All Legong Dances

Entering the Bat Cave temple

A Look at the Legong  in the Ubud Palace

Our Host, Wayan, and His nephew at Purnama

The Revenge of the Megabranch

   Two days ago i hauled my sweetie down to the pier.  I had seen the monster baracuda the day before and I thought we had a chance to find it again.  Besides which, these are halcyon days here in Kailua, with relatively cool breezes and tolerably cool ocean water; it wsas the perfect day for a swim.

   As expected, the water was cool and very clear.  As we swam out to the palace, there were relatively few fish, but we were enjoying swimming together so it didn't seem to matter.  W swam seaward from the last

Sea Slug Photographed from about ten feet

 buoy into cloudy water, but were unable to rouse either the fish ball or the barracuda.  Turning for home,  we followed the line where the coral transitions to sand, the palanis and ringtails foraging over the sand to our left.  As we neared the buoy, I spotted an oval twentyfive feet down below on the sand.  It could have been a small piece of coral or a stone jutting out, but it was too symmetrical. 

    I dove down and got a picture.  As I surfaced, Sandra called me over to look at a flounder, which we watched for a minute or so.  Turning back to our find, I was surprised to see that in that short time it had moved about five feet.  Not only that, but contrary to what I had assumed only a minute or so before, my time for documenting this mollusc (for it had to be either a snail or a nudibranch) was going to be limited, as he  was headed for the shelter of a coral head.

   I dove deep twice, getting within about four feet of this motivated critter.  After I surfaced for the last time, we watched him disappear under the coral head.   A small discussion ensued as we passed the camera back and forth looking at our photographic evidence.   I was pretty sure that this was a nudibranch as we could

Platydoris formosa    Kailua Kona    25 ft   2014

see no shell in the picture, but this was (in my limited experience with the nudibranchia) a very large animal.  Unprecedented. 

     My experience with living nudibranchs began as a teenager, when I saw a colony living in Neatarts Bay near Tillamook, Oregon.  This group disappeared a year following my discovery.  Since then,  my experience has been sadly small, running to four or five nudibranch species in than Sea of Cortez, one or two in the Carribean,  three in Indonesia and only two in Hawaii.. Six years ago we saw Julianna's Sea Hare among the rocks at Pahoehoe Beach Park after a rain.  And that was my last Hawaiian sea slug sighting. The sea hare was an amazing animal, almost four inches in length.  Among all my other nudibranch sightings, I had seen animals no larger than my thumb, both in width a length.  This creature was five inches long and at least two inches wide. 

   As a point of explanation, my sea slug experience has been limited by three factors.  First, I don't dive.  Second, I rarely snorkel at night.  And third, I am limited to sites that can be reached from a shore entry.  Suffice it to say, while I have found nudibranchs interesting, my experience is pathetically small and doomed to remain so.

    Back at the ranch, I worked on improving our photograph while Sandra perused the World Wide Web.  She hit pay dirt in a website published by Cory Pittman and  Pauline Fiene. Cory is a naturalist based in Washington State while Pauline works as a dive guide on Maui.  They are both serious scientists and have species of nudibranchs named in their honor.  Talk about living the dream.  Their website is amazing and I invite you to pause to take a look:

http://seaslugsofhawaii.com/

Platydoris formosa from Seaslugs of Hawai'i

    If you look through their thumbs and descriptions, you will see that there are plenty of larger sea slugs.  I actually like my picture pretty well. It provides a good look at the rhinophores (chemical receptors which many of us might refer to as antennae) and the gills. I think both look like a reticulated membrane as opposed to single projections.   As contact information was included, I sent both Pittman and Fiene my two pictures and some field notes, including my best guess as to identification.  Cory wrote back in less than 24 hours.  In a laconic note, he verified that this was Platydoris formosa, which was my best guess based on their wonderful website.  I hope you enjoy my pictures and perhaps you can try your hand using the Pittman/Fiene website.  I'm certain that you will find their pictures and descriptions enlightening.

jeff

Julianna's Sea Hare, Larry Basch, National Park Service

Happy Thanksgiving

     Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day, so with that in mind I went down to the last place that I saw a turkeyfish, now known more properly as the Hawaiian Green Lionfish.   The idea being, that if I have made a

You Don't Need to be the Emir of Kuwait to Eat at the Fish Hopper.

tradition of searching for a Christmas Wrasse on Christmas Day, why shouldn't I look for a Turkeyfish on Thanksgiving.  Suffice it to say, turkeyfish, at least at snorkeling depths in the middle of the day, are rare as hen's teeth.  So the quest was more Quixotic than our Yuletide tradition.

     On the way to the pier I passed the Fish Hopper.  The hostess there was posting their Thanksgiving menu which did not offer Turkeyfish, but rather a complete turkey dinner, replete with cranberry sauce and stuffing.  Or if you were feeling particularly flush, say you just got off your private jet from Dubai, you could have the rack of lamb.  I had left Sandra at home, slaving

Perhaps Next Thanksgiving Our Hawaiian President Will Pardon A Turkeyfish!

   

 over a hot stove, so from my point of view these choices were moot.  To be fair, I asked her if she wanted to come snorkeling and she replied that she was already looking forward to me being out of the house for a couple hours.  Go figure!

    At the pier, everyone was full of holiday cheer and good will.  A gentleman who had just swum ashore was pleased to find an audience in yours truly.  He had just seen a barracuda, he said, a great big one.  It was following the fish ball which when he left it was just seaward of the last swim buoy.   I had heard of this great Great barracuda before we left for the land of the Barong.  In fact, a month ago I followed someone's instructions and swam all the way out to the anchored boats and didn't see giblets.  (I hope you appreciate the amount of investigative work that produced a word that might mean worthless turkey organs!)

    Two weeks ago we saw a great barracuda in Bali, but I had not seen one in Hawaii since February of 2012, nigh on three years.   Armed with precise instructions, I plunged, brimming with anticipation, into the

My last Greast Barracuda in Hawaii  Kailua Bay Feb 2014

 cool, clear Thanksgiving Day waters of Kailua Bay.  Looking for a Turkeyfish as I swam out, I made it to the fourth swim buoy.  Here there were not even haggis, which might describe the animal  products left over at the Fish Hopper.  As I wasn't in the boat channel, at least not yet, I started making concentric circles from a spot twenty yards southwest of that fell buoy.

     Looking for the fish ball, I paid particular attention to cloudy water.  While I realize that this observation relies heavily on Jeffrey Hill Unpublished Data, I am absolutely convinced that the water around the fish ball is cloudy.  I don't know if the big eye scad seek out cloudy water or if the enormous amount of fish generate the cloudy water.  Nevertheless, on my second looping pass, there was the fishball.  And sure enough, there on the mauka side was the barracuda!  All those descriptions I had been hearing back on the beach were accurate...this was one big fish, probably the biggest barracuda I have ever seen.

Great Barracuda  Kailua Bay  November 2014

     I had the camera ready and as the barracuda swam away (into the cloudy water) I snapped off four quick shots.  Sadly, the mode the camera was in included flash, so while you see a barracuda, the dingy water is reflected back and its a poor picture.  But it is documentary evidence.  Luckily, the quick look that I had was significantly better than what you see here.

    After the big fish swam into the murk, I looked up to find that my concentric circles had brought me a lot closer to the anchored boats than I was to the last swim buoy, which was now about a hundred yards away.  Not to worry.  That's why God gave us swim fins, a good attitude, barracudas and Thanksgiving.  Not necessarily in that order.

    It was unlikely that I would see a Turkeyfish on Turkey Day.  The way I felt, the Great Barracuda was way more than I had any rights to hope for.  On the way back to the beach I sang (through my snorkel, of course) that anthem made popular by Heart, back when I was chasing girls to no noticeable effect at the University of Washington.   For the rest of the blog I invite you to click on the link, pretend that its back in the 70's and listen to the Girls from Jet City earn their chops.

Here's What They Serve on Thanksgiving in Bali!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OX_8YvFxA

    This, of  course, led me to recollect my sister in law's automobile.   Barbara owned one of the last barracudas (the car, not the fish) in existence.  She loved her 'cuda.  One sad night in the early nineties a drug crazed drunk smashed that defenseless yellow antique to smithereens.  Chuck and Barb were roused from sleep about  2 AM to a repeated banging in front of their home, nestled halfway between the Seattle Zoo and the Fremont Stone People.  The aforementioned DCD had his car perpendicular on their small street and was repeatedly smashing the 'cuda and the Chevy that had the misfortune to be parked on the other side.  Seattle's finest, when called to the scene, shot the guy dead before he could explain his motivations.  Or at least that's what they would do now.  And it would serve him right. 

Barracuda!

    Let's hope this barracuda has a better fate and that lots of curious snorkelers get a peek.

jeff

Back in Kona or a Kailua Beach Update.

    We have been back for about five days now.  Despite her whimperings at the airport, Anita has gone back to Calgary.  Yesterday, with the boat finally under the sails, we took our first swim on the home

Dr. Gray Delivers a Lesson In Carcinology at K Bay.

court.  Snorkeling at Kahaluu, we didn't see very much to report upon.  But the water was cool and clear and we saw a couple young families swimming responsibly out on the reef.  Back ashore, Sandra made friends with a girl who had captured a Left Handed Hermit Crab.  How lucky was that urchin that the Queen of the Genus Calcinus was there to help with the identification of Ca. laevimanus?   With a promise that Poncho's best friend would be returned to the same spot in K Bay the following day, Sandra taught her how to feed Lefty tidbits of chicken from a toothpick. 

    This morning, with Sandra on her way to the ophthalmologist in Honolulu, I went swimming on the PAR.  I encountered a young man out in front of Paul Allen's estate who had his Go Pro mounted on a yellow floating handle.  As opposed to one of those three foot sticks that seem to empower novices into terrorizing our friends with fins.(I have worked up a little  vignette inolving the Go Pro inventor, the NYPD

Big Nose Unicornfish.  Or Is It The Bluenose Unicornfish? 

and that expletive deleted stick.  I'm certain that you would find it amusing, but Sandra will not permit me to publish my amusing tale.)

    Having taken a dip in our Hawaiian waters,  I wanted to give a comparison between snorkeling on the Big Island and in Bali.  First, most of the fish that we see here are in Bali, as well.  We probably saw 75 of the regular Hawaiian species and about two hundred more species of fish over our two weeks identifying the fish in the Land of the Barong.   The Yellow Tang, which is the backdrop for Hawaiian snorkeling, is an exception.  although it is not a Hawaiian endemic, it does not occur in Indonesia.   Neither does the Christmas Wrasse and Achilles Tang.  But the number of fishes that we cataloged in Bali that we see routinely in Hawaii was never the less immense.

    Diversity and numbers aside, I believe we in Hawaii owe ourselves a round of applause.  Compared with the equivalent sites in Bali, where tourists can enter the water from the shore, our shalow reefs are spotless.

Pacific Double Saddle Butterflyfish  Jemeluk  2014

 Any of us who snorkel around the pier regularly can remember a rare event, like a drunk throwing in a magazine rack, that caused a temporary underwater litter problem. But the waters around Jemeluk were Lady Bird Johnson's worst nightmare.  I was continually bumping into floating bags, wrappers and boxes.  There was a dirty diaper a few feet away from where we saw the Ocellated Dragonet.  How disgusting is that? 

     Although they are providing the lodging and access, this can not be blamed on the Balinese.  And there was no one there from Etats Unis (except Sandra and me... and I can assure you we did not litter.) No, the people responsible for this littering were French and Australian, pretty much without question.  Full contact snorkeling occurs both here and there.  All we can do is try to help swimmers towards better behavior no matter where we are.

     So the bottom line is that the water here on the Big Island is clear and cool.  Get on out there and see a fish for me.

White Belly Puffer  C. benneti  Jemeluk 2014

jeff

PS. As we go along, I will show you a few more pictures taken in the Java Sea.  And I will be dribbling in updates from our Bali identifications.   The Canthigaster referred to in one of the Lipah Bay blogs was identified by Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Science as C. benneti.  It was wearing a cryptic coloration that may be new to science.  The identification apparently hinges on the red lines you see on the forehead and nape.

    Tomorrow I will get my hands on Jack Randall's West Pacific book in the Kailua Library with hopes of pinning down two gorgeous parrotfish.  Wish me luck

j

This Color Pattern of C. benneti Gave Drs. Randall and Rocha Something To Ponder

The Tradgedy of Jemeluk

   As we prepared for our last snorkeling outing in Bali, we walked down to the beach at Jemeluk about 3:30 in the afternoon.  And were greeted by an incredibly sad sight.  There on the gravel beach, about five feet

Spotfin Lionfish on the beach at Jemeluk

 from the water, was a dead lionfish. On the Blue Star Reef, I had enjoyed a single close encounter with each of the two lionfish species one might to expect to find here in the Amed area.  I could not help but wonder, was this the very Spotfin Lionfish I had seen two nights before?

    In a way, the dead lionfish was a metaphor for what is happening on the coast of Karangasem.  That is to say, massive development of the worst kind.  For some time now, throughout the world, anyplace special has fallen into the sights of developers.  It happened to Sisters, Oregon around 1995.  I was complaining about the track houses two blocks of the old main street and the condominiums rising into my view of the Three Sisters and my son said, "Dad!  What did you think was going to happen?"  He was only ten or so, but he delivered the wake up call loud and clear.  

Raggy Scorpionfish  S. venosa  Jemeluk  2014

    Since then, the pace has been inexorable.  When Sandra and I first came to the Amed area in  2008, there was only one lodging at Jemeluk, the Diver's Cafe on the western point.  Now there is solid development on the coastline for at least a mile.  This being Indonesia, it appears that little in the way of building regulation applies.  If you have a hammer, saw and some lumber, you can throw up a building anywhere and call it a homestay.  Iluh, the lady who operates Blue Star, sold the land for the adjacent Villa Coral, to fund the conversion of a Balinese compound into the property where we lodged.  Between Blue Star and Divers Cafe, there is now a chain of lodgings, slapped up apparently without regulation.

    It is difficult for the Balinese to believe that this sort of willy nilly development might not be permitted elsewhere in the world.  

Sea Fan  Bispira spp  Jemeluk 2014

     At any rate, this area that seemed so peaceful back in 2008 is radically changed.  Entering fromn the Diver's Cafe, we swam virtually alone in November of 2008 and 2009.  There is nothing quite so

Slender Grouper An. leucogrammicus  Jemeluk  2014

 pleasurable  as swimming among intact coral and looking at spectacular marine life all by yourself.  During this stay, we were never anywhere in Jemeluk Bay with out being in the company of other swimmers.  Frequently they were wearing tennis shoes, the better to stand upon and push off against the marine life.  We saw lots of broken coral.  Its really sad.

     So far though, it hasn't affected the fish and other marine life very much.  On this final evening swim, we saw three Raggedy Scorpionfish.  We had seen this species in Pemuteran in 2009, also in the evening.  Isn't he an ugly spud?  The unsightly scorpionfish was  followed in short order by a gorgeous violet fan worm...the first one of that group that I have seen. 

    At 4:30 there was already an obnoxious Aussie on the verandah of Diver's Cafe, yelling at the many swimmers.  Bizarre bordering on the surreal.  We said hello to the Slender Grouper, who was hunting actively over the reef . On our way to the beach we got a final peek at this Phyllidia nudibranch.

     all in all, we enjoyed our stay in Jemeluk.  We saw lots of marine animals, both fish and critters.  And we made lots of new friends among the staff and our fellow travelers at Blue Star.  The Amed area is still a snorkelers paradise and one that can be achieved on a budget.   However, development is progressing at a rapid rate and there are countless Australians and Europeans eager to come to these beaches for a bargain holiday.  So if you want to take advantage of this area (Jemeluk in particular) I would recommend that you come soon.

Our Last Day in Jemeluk

      The fish finding portion of our vacation is coming to an end.  In fact, today will see our last two forays in to the Java Sea.   We feel like we have done pretty well here with four species of anemone fish leading the

The identity of this gorgeous parrotfish remains a mystery.

way.  Curiously, almost every day, we add a fish that we know from Hawaii.  Yesterday, for example, we saw a pair of Ornate Butterflyfish. 

     Parrotfish, in particular, remain enigmatic.  I have pretty good pictures of at least two species that the available book, Reef Fish/ Tropical Pacific doesn’t picture.  In two cases his descriptions include the caveat that he makes the identification based on distribution.  Which doesn’t really help because the pictures don't match up.  Here is a picture of a gorgeous parrotfish taken yesterday to which I can currently not provide a name.  I have reminded my beloved companion many times that
Hawaii is dramatically different from the Java Sea.  John Hoover’s most recent effort pretty much shows every pattern of every fish that is remotely likely.  A magnum opus, to be sure.  To accomplish that feat here, would require thousands of pictures.

  Yesterday, we added only one fish.  However, it was just the sort of fish  with  which a bird watcher would revel.  Our newest friends, two triatheletes from Perth, had regaled us with tales of the Blue Ringed Octopus.  Six months ago while staying here in Jemeluk,   Sue had seen one of these tiny cephalopods six

Ocelated Dragonet  S. ocellatus  Jemeluk  2014

months ago.  The poor thing had been captured by a local urchin, who had, up to that point, avoided contact with the poison for which this animal is famous.  She was able to point across her cup of coffee, and between the beach umbrellas, to a spot just fifty feet up the beach.   The blue ringed octopus had been captured there, she declared.

      Before we took our dip I read in my enormous Coral Reef animals by Gosliner, et al and verified that the Blue Ring Octopus lives in the shallows among rubble and is active by day.  So as we entered, I was geared up to look carefully among the rubble.  Sure enough, just after I put on my fins, here was something moving among the stones and coral fragments.  It was no octopus, but a small fish, perhaps five centimeters in length.  He was long and thin and he crawled gurnard-like across the sandy rubble using his pectoral fins.  These were not as long as a gurnard’s, but were nevertheless quite handsome, black with festive orange fringes.  Go Beavers!  The rest of the fish was sadly a muddle of browns and grays.  We watched him for several minutes and sure enough, a second individual appeared.  I believe they were in love!

  It wasn't until we looked at the pictures on the computer that we were able to say for sure that these were Ocellated Dragonets.  I hope all you Oregon State fand appreciate the support that this fish shows for your team!

      Eventually even a jewel like this must be forsaken and we swam to  the outer reef.  One of the surprises we have discovered here in Jemeluk is large underwater sculpture.  At the east end of the bay, by the Diver’s Café, we have seen a Hindu godess and dolphins surrounding a mermaid.  Hee in front of Bleu Star, we found a large Japanese pagoda.  In the vicinity was  large Golden Spadefish.  Eventually we saw a second of these, as well.  This large fellow was kind enough to let me approach for a picture.

     On the outer reef we were lucky to witness a yellow trumpetfish hunting with a pair of yellow Virgate Rabbitfish.  In Hawii, the yellow trumpet sometimes uses Yellow Tang as a stalking horse.  We have never seen a better example of this behavior.

      On another front, last night we were more adventuresome with our dining.  As it is far from expensive to dine at Blue Star and the food is pretty good, we have not ventured off the reservation for even one meal.

 As we had a couple less than perfect fish experiences earler in the trip, we had not partaken of the fish offerings here.  In the early afternoon, while chatting on the beach, the ladies from Perth alerted Sandra that the fish in banana leaf was excellent.  Nyoman the Cute (self-appointed) encouraged our selection by noting that they had fresh mahi mahi and it was really good.

     Sandra ordered the aforementioned banana leaf fish and I had the fish cooked in coconut milk.  Both were absolutely toothsome.  So much so, that we are both looking forward to the dinner bell this evening!  On the side, I had garlic potatoes, which was an adventure in itself....the Balinese love garlic in a way not commonly encountered.  For a beverage, we had cokes on ice.  Up to this meal,  Nyoman and her colleagues had held out on the ice.  In this climate, it was such a treat that when Sandra failed to finish her ice we look it home!

    At 35,000 IDR (remeber to divide by 12,005) this meal was perhaps the culinary bargain of the century.  As we consumed the last few morsels, we speculated what this meal would have cost in Paris.  On the other hand, here in amed we don't have Le Metro, the Eiffel Tower or Marcel Marceau.

     Its time to sign this one off and head for the beach.  I promise to see a fish for you,

jeff

 

   
      

Two New Fish and Spam is the Bomb!

    It stands to reason that the more we snorkel here in the Amed area, the more difficult it will be to add species to the list.  Yesterday we added two really good fishes (and a couple others), changed our base and

Bicolor Angelfish, C. bicolor,  Tulamben  Nov. 2014

 visited our friend Ketut and his family.

     The day began at the Liberty Dive Resort, surrounded by the legion of young people they employ as housekeepers, waitresses, cooks and groundskeepers.  A million smiles and hellos.  While we devoured their large breakfast (the proprietors realize that divers need lots of energy) we said goodbye to Thomas and Mavis, a newlywed couple from Taipei.  We had met them the day before in an identical circumstance: they were preparing for a diving expedition by donning their dive outfits in the pool adjacent to the dining pavilion and I was a nuisance looking for a friend.  That night we arrived at the restaurant at the same time, pulled two tables together and had a delightful conversation over Beef Rangen and a couple of Bintangs (the beer of Bali).

      Having packed up our worldly belongings, we headed out for our last trip to the Tulamben coral garden.  Just before we reached the shallow reef, we spotted a pair of Bicolor Angelfish hanging around a couple

Calcinus Sandrai...Actually Ca minutus,  Tulamben 2014

 rocks in the sandy bottom, about twenty five feet deep.  They were both beautiful and cooperative and we did our best to dive deep for a photo op.

     On the reef it was usual suspects among the fishes, but we were lucky enough to find our first hermit crab.  We found two individuals, both hanging out on the top of  small corals.  At first blush, they belong to the genus Calcinus.  You may recall that Sandra is a world expert in this area of carcinology  With a measure of luck we were able to put a name to them.  I personally think that Ca. Sandrai is more colorful than Ca. minutus.

    We had to check out by noon, so our explorations were cut a bit short.  On our way back to the entry I found Sandra a perfect little abalone shell twinkling on  the bottom.  That was her first birthday present.  It was Nov 10th here yesterday and it is November 10th in the USA today.  What a lucky girl!

Deewah and the Spam!

   On our way to our new lodgings we visited Ketut's family.  He was our driver in Bali five years ago and became a close friend.  At Casa Ketut we were reunited with Nanaahk, his wife, Ketut's mother, who both this time and before held back from a central role. We also met Noman, who was just over a year when we saw him last time.  He is now a busy six year old.  And we met Ketut Number 2, who is no more than two.  No surprise, he is a chubby version of his brother at about the same age.

     As the visit progressed,  more people showed up.  Deewah, a pretty fourteen year old niece arrived with fruit and cake.  A bit later, her mother came to say hello, although her English was apparently limited to that one phrase.  Clearly the word was out that the circus was in town, because soon two neighbor girls arrived full of smiles, eager to join in the festivities.

Ketut and his Grandmother

    For our part, I passed out Kirkland Energy bars, which we foisted off as candy.  Soon Sandra came up with a brilliant idea to keep the party going.  Thinking that we might need some Hawaiian soul food, we had brought with us two cans of Spam left over from the hurricane provisions.  We passed around the spam, each person being required to pose with this quintessential Sandwich Island  treat.  The spam was as big a hit as the energy bars and yielded some excellent photos.  And we left the spam with Nanaahk with the admonition that it is sort of like sausage and goes well with eggs. 

    I do not mean to overstate our effect, but these people, who reside just 300 yards from the main road, live a life perched between the 21st Century and a 19th century agrarian existence.  their predicament is not unlike Abraham Lincoln in  Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.  There is a TV in the main  room, but its not 

The Gorgeous  Neon Damsel is One of the Regulars

works.  Sandra is fairly certain that they don't have a refrigerator. In addition to driving, Ketut farms a paddy of rice and a garden of fruits and vegetables.  When he is not in school, Noman seems to just hang around the house.   One hesitates to superimpose ones expectations on others, but to us it seems a little sad.     A snooty soccer mom might ask, "Where is the intellectual stimulation?"  And she might have a point.

     It is interesting that Ketut chose this path.  He graduated from high school in Amlapura and would have qualified for a job in that comfortable small city.  Instead, he returned to marry the girl next door and take over the family farm and the care of his aging parents. What he gained was the support of his local community and their religion.  While it is hard for me truly comprehend, these things are very important to the Balinese. 

    Eventually the party wound down and Ketut drove us into Amed, depositing us at the Blue Star B&B in Jemeluk.   (Please do not make the same mistake as me.  The name is pronounced Gem A Luke.  If you

A Juvinile Clark's Anemonefish  Jemeluk  2014

 substitute Luck, you will be corrected every time.

     Blue Star is exactly the opposite of the Liberty Dive Resort.  It is basically an aging Balinese compound with a bit of addition around the restaurant.  We were ensconced in the upstairs unit, a spacious room with harmoniously antiquated (some might say tacky) furnishings and a large WC with a huge tub.  No TV or refrigerator, but right on one of the best snorkeling beaches in Indonesia.  As it had a been a busy day, Sandra collapsed.

      Always the drudge, I put on my wet swimsuit and headed for the reef.  An hour of paddling around yielded a good variety of usual suspects, which now includes the incredible multicolored mantis shrimp.  As the sun was heading towards the horizon and  I was setting up to photograph a pretty green

The Clearfin Lionfish makes the Scene In front of thd  Blue Star   Jemeluk

crinoid, a lionfish swam into a nearby crevice.   He was a big fish, a large Clearfin Lionfish, Pt. radiata.  His bare spines filled the gap in the coral filled the gap in the coral.   He allowed two quick snapshots before receding into a cavity in the coral.

     It was a a very full day, full of fish and friends.  We look forward to several good days of fishwatching in Jemeluk and I'm sure we will make many new friends.

jeff    

SPAM !