Da Beach 69 Part of Dis Blog

    I must confess, I took a break between finishing part one and beginning this, Part Two of the Ho'okena-Beach 69 Blog.  For a sudy break, as it were, I went out and did some gardening.  It has been

Auntie Sandra's Famous Guava Jelly

 raining almost every day here at 730 feet on the slopes of Hualalai and the plant life surrounding Casa Ono requires daily attention.  I began by pruning the Bodhi Tree.  Sandra thinks we ought to chop it down, but I say that it gives me inspiration.  Budddha-like, I take up my pruners and hack away, all the while repeating my mantra, "How the hell did I rope myself into this?...Om."  Luckily Sandra was processing some lilikoi (with the intent of making a lilikoi cheesecake!) so the jungle smelled yummy.  After gardening we enjoyed a lovely desayuno, featuring huevos rancheros and toast graced with Sandra's homemade guava jelly.  (Our guava tree is every bit as indefatigable as the Bodhi Tree, but grows adjacent to the driveway for ease of hacking.)  So as we begin Part Deux, we are refreshed and well sated.  Om.

Purple Porites Coral Predicts Husky Triumph!

   On Friday we headed north to Beach 69.  Since the county has improved this park, Beach 69 (more correctly known as Waialea Beach) has become our favorite on the Kohala Coast.  Parking is safe and easy.  (Along with the improvements, the county has attempted to impose a $5 parking fee on non-residents.) The beach boasts the softest sand in town.  Best of all, trees grow close to the water providing blessed shade. 

    Arriving at 10 AM, we parked our beach chairs in a prime shaded spot and headed into the water.  The reef at Beach 69 is different in a couple ways.  Just north of the beach, there is a large patch  of mostly dead coral about thirty yards in diameter,  boasting many dangerous snags.  In addition to the dangerous snags, this portion of the reef seems to be persistently shrouded in cloudy water.  If you didn't know better, you might think that this reef was not worth snorkeling.  Being among the cognoscenti, we tend to snorkel only the edge of the patch.  On the way out, the patch yielded little until we came to the far edge

Day Octopus Waialea Bay 2014

 where we saw a choice bit of Porites (lobe or mound) coral.  The intense purple color of this coral was a harbinger of good things to come for the Huskies, who trounced the Illini the following afternoon.  Go Dogs!  John Ross III for the Heisman!

     From the patch, its a thirty yard swim over the sand out to the point.  Unlike the proximal patch, there is still a thriving coral reef associated with the north point of Waialea Bay.  This day, there were a couple kayaks anchored to the coral, which didn't seem like such an ecologically sound idea.  Nevertheless, as we approached, I saw a day octopus on top of the reef, only a fathom below the surface.  He was a gorgeous sweet chococolate brown,  his pedunculated proboscis protruding in front.  And he just sat there affording us a delightful look.  Of course, I

The Day Octopus Hunkers Down!

 had to try to get a closer shot and when I approached he retreated into the coral, but we were able to get quite close and take the second picture you see here.

     Having sufficiently annoyed the octopus, we headed back.  This time as we skirted the patch, I noticed something feathery waving beneath the overhang of a dying coral head.  Closer inspection revealed a mixed colony of Christmas Tree and Feather Hydras.  Describing hydras, our friend John Hoover uses the phrase, "commonly occur".  Perhaps this refers to diving.  As a snorkeler, my hydra sightings are far and few between.  My most recent experience involved a colony of Christmas Tree Hydras which livied near the Kailua pier for about six months a few years ago.  That colony vanished in March 2012; Suffice it to say, I was very pleased with these handsome hydras!

Christmas Tree Hydra  Waialea Bay 2014

     As it was sort of a choppy day in Waialea Bay, Sandra decided that the hydras constituted enough fun and headed for the barn.  I persisted around the perimeter of the patch and on the beach side ran across the spotted juvenile of the Barred Filefish.  I have seen this juvenile pattern several times, but on each occasion the fish has darted away before I could get a good photograph. This fellow, sheltering by a single rock protruding from the sandy bottom, was remarkably cooperative.  The water was clear and the fish permitted me to close within three feet, yielding this wonderful picture.  This juvenile pattern is so different from the bland colored adult that, on first seeing it, one might believe that they have observed a new species.  I was really pleased to finally have a chance to photograph this unusual juvenile filefish.

   Back on shore, we were struck by how many people had joined us in the shade beneath the trees.  In past blogs, I have shilled this beach as an ideal place for the family.  Soft sand and small waves for the kids. And

Barred Filefish Cantherines dumerlii  juvenile Waialea Bay, Sept 2014

 nearby, a shady refuge for their genitori.   On this Friday, however, there was a predominance of AARP eligible beach goers.  Those of us over 60 (sadly that is now the box that your decrepit bard must check) vastly outnumbered the Yuppies, the Gen Xers , the Millenials and all their progeny combined.  The graying of Beach 69.  Oh!  The humanity! 

  We all sat in our beach chairs in the shade reading our books and magazines (the more progressive among us perused their E-readers).  Occasionally we would look up to enjoy the sand, the turquoise water and perhaps a nubile young figure frolicking in the lovely waters of Waialea Bay.  Just because we are over 60, that doesn't mean that we're dead!


jeff