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