Whatch your Wrasse or Christmas 2018

The Christmas Honu

    Christmas Day 2018 dawned beautiful and blue here in Kailua Kona.  We had planned to go to Mahukona for our Christmas tradition, the quest for the eponymous wrasse.  During this holiday season we are reveling in a visit from our son Charles. As he considered our plan, while consuming a brace of bagels, he took my Ironman quip a step further.  You may know that the Ironman competitors race their bicycles 60 miles from the Kailua pier north to Hawi, which is a mere ten miles past Mahukona.  I joke that I get tired just driving to Hawi.  My son took it a step further.  He got tired just thinking about driving to Hawi.  Adjusting to that sentiment, our plans changed; we would go to Paul Allen's reef.

    It was glorious down by the Marriot, formerly the King Kamehameha Hotel.  There were lots of people out around the pier and more than a few of them were swimming.  On the way out, I spotted a juvenile Christmas wrasse, pointed at it, but neither  Charles nor Sandra were near enough to see it.

Freckeld hawkfish juvenile.  Paul Allen's Reef   Christmas 2018

    We swam across the tranquil bay and they both were able to swim down, hold on and see the tiny coral croucher in his cauliflower refugio, resplendent in his pastel blue frock with the pink dots. 

    Off we went around the corner, the idea being that a Christmas wrasse was sure to be found where the ocean splashed against the wall. Before we got very far we had a very close approach by a green sea turtle.  He was happy to swim with us for a few strokes and we captured this nice picture.

     We didn't see a Christmas wrasse, but way out where one has a good view of the little light house, Charles spotted a juvenile freckled hawkfish.  This is the fellow with the bold white flank and the chartreuse cap..one of my favorite fish.  This little fish is usually seen by us in calm waters, like Kahalu'u Bay.  What was he doing way out here where the surf pounds against the lava?

   In previous years in late December, from this spot far out on the wall, we have enjoyed a close up view of Paul Allen's boat, the Octopus.  Swimming back, I ruminated on the passing of Mr. Allen and the vacancy we now find in Kona this Christmas season.  With that brewing in my benighted noggin, I composed the following lyrics.

Paul Allen's boat, Paul Allen's boat,
You are not here this season.
Paul Allen's boat, Paul Allen's boat,
His Passing is the reason.

  On Christmas Day we long to see / Your helicopter in a tree

At Christmas Time he gave us mirth,
His helicopter and his girth.

Paul Allen's boat, Paul Allen's boat,
I guess we're gonna miss you.

    We will miss Paul Allen; like Don Drysdale, he should pass into the the legendary fabric of Kailua Kona. Who can forget Paul Allen helicoptering from the pad on the Octopus to the estate, a mere quarter mile away?  Ostentatious?  Nooooo.

    I'm sure that the Redoubtable SKG and your humble correspondent are not the only ones in this beach community that are curious to see what happens to the Thurston Estate.

    We didn't see any Potter's angelfish among the dead coral offshore and nothing special as we swam back over the breakwater.  Right at the breakwater I spotted another Christmas wrasse that swam away before I could get Sandra's attention.

    Sandra went in and I was on my way when Charles announced that he had seen a small Christmas

Five Stripe Wrasse, the Inner Harbour,  Kailua Pier  Christmas 2018

wrasse.  We went back and what he had was the same initial phase five striped wrasse I had seen last week.  We followed it around, took a bunch of pictures and, low and behold, we came up with this gorgeous shot, worthy for a field guide in my unbiased opinion.

   Ashore in the shower, I accosted a young couple who were conversing some un-American tongue. It turned out they were German, from the Ruhr, the mega city that includes Köln and Düsseldorf. 

The guy had a wingspan of an albatross, so I asked him if he was a triathelete, which he was.  In fact, he had qualified for Kona this last year, but had got married and affairs of state took precedence over competing for the world championship.

    I wished he and his wife a frohe Weihnacht.  His wife said Merry Christmas and he said frohe Weihnacht, commenting that despite my linguistic inferiority he could understand what I had said. I replied,"We both said the same thing, but your accent is better. "  The Iron frau had a good laugh  and that was Christmas in Kona.

 jeff