Winter at the Pier and A Shark Sighting at Beach 69

   Most of my friends are like me in that we are a little over weight, just an extra pound or two here and there.  Not Sandra, of course...she just keeps on getting thinner and prettier.  But there are more than a few in the land of the malasada, both white and brown, that are way too heavy.  I'm talking in the 350 plus range.

Our new cheerleader.  "Never root for the Ducks!"

   Yesterday morning at the Kailua Pier was glorious.  The sky was blue, the temperature in the mid 70s, with fleecy white clouds floating above.  And by the cubbies above the beach, the lady swimmers were showing off their fancy full length neoprene.

    As I made my way down the steps towards the Ironman beach I was preceded by a very large lady.  She had to be younger than me, but biologically speaking, her knees were ancient.  It occurred to me that if she fell I would be the first responder.  Not a happy prospect.

   As she waddled down the narrow walkway below the sea wall, she ran into a problem.  A lady tourist was sitting on the wall enjoying the sun and dangling her not half bad legs across the path.  When she noticed that she was impeding our large friend, she withdrew them with a quiet apology and the heavy lady passed.  She made her way down to the beach and into the sea.  There, presumably, the buoyant water took the majority of the weight off her tortured knees.  Much like it does in whales. (Who, of course, don't actually have knees, but isn't it an amusing mental image?)

Red Phobas sponge brightens up an otherwise dull afternoon.  Tom Lehrer, loosely

   As I, in turn, trod the narrow sandy walkway, I encountered those same not half bad legs, swinging gaily, just happy to be in Hawaii.  Attached to the legs was their smiling owner.  Under her ball cap, this fifty something was grinning like the Cheshire cat.  "Are you a hazard to navigation?"  I asked.

  "No," she replied, "I'm a cheerleader!"  Well, cool.

   I stepped onto the sand and turned around.  "If your a cheerleader," I said, "why don't you cheer for some good fish... And while you're at it, how about cheering for some warm water."  She smiled and waved and I made my way into the chilly bay.

A trio of milkfish out by the fourth swim buoy. Kailua Bay January 2019

   Cheering for the water was a lost cause.  It was cold and modestly cloudy.  I don't know if she cheered for the fish, but if she did so, it didn't do much good. I actually saw fewer species than on recent outings at the pier.  In the words of the Tweeting Trump, "Sad."  Furthermore, unless you count a couple patches of bright orange Phobas sponges, there was nothing in the way of note worthy invertebrates.  No molluscs or crabs to pique our enthusiasm.

   Thanking our maker for my wee bit 'o neoprene, I made my way past the last swim buoy where I had a nice encounter with the tribe of milkfish.  There were at least seven of these large, handsome fish with the big forked tail.   In the absence of the now usual finescale triggerfish, this was the best species for the day.  Coming back to the shallows, I photographed the ornate butterflyfish you see here.  While it is a

Ornate Butterflyfish, Kailua Bay, January 2019

pedestrian species, to be sure, it is a beauty and this is a pretty good picture.  For me, anyway. 

    Back ashore, our young (relative to me) lady friend was still perched on the wall.  As I walked by, I noticed that her ball cap bore the friendly beaver logo of Oregon State.  Unless I'm mistaken that particular beave is named Benny.  I said, "Oh! You cheer for the Beavers."  And she replied," Never root for the Ducks!"

    So with that as my mantra resonating in my hollow skull, I made my way towards the showers.  "Never root for the Ducks.  Never root for the Ducks."  A guy could get into that one.

     In the shower, I was joined by a young man and his wife.  Young by the same standards as the lady cheerleader, you know...early fifties.

    We got to talking about some better fish we had seen recently and I told him about the nice adolescent Christmas Wrasses I had seen at Beach 69 a week or so ago.  He then told me that about a

Kickin' it at beach 69.  If you stay on the beach you won't need to worry about sharks

month ago, right at dear old Beach 69,  he had seen a white tipped reef shark.

   A couple years ago, following a rumor, Bob Hillis and I explored the crevices around the island that sits about 25 yards off the beach, less than fifty yards to the south of the T, where the trail comes down from the parking lot and showers.  We had no luck in the shark finding arena, but I still look at those crevices when I swim off that part of the beach.  If nothing else, they are a good spot for monster porcupinefish.

    Above, you see some beach enthusiasts on the south side of Beach 69.  You also see the start of that small island, which is only 20 yards off shore.

    My new friend said that he was swimming about fifty yards straight out from where the trail to the restrooms ends at the beach.  It is remarkably rocky right there, so he must have entered either north or south of this reference point.  And he must have been in the open, no coral head or rocks especially close by.  He spotted a white tip reef shark about fifteen feet away, the shark turned and swam towards him, stopping, he said, four feet right in front of him and just looked at him for a minute.  It then turned and swam away.

Snorkel Bob Cares

   At this point in my narrative, I imagine Bob Hilllis, who has videos of real dangerous shark
encounters, rolling out of his chair with mirth.  The white tip should be completely safe.  You never hear about one attacking a human. But this guy said he was a bit afraid and all I can say is, "Boy Howdy."  If looking a six foot shark in the eyes doesn't give you a squirt of adrenaline, you are one cool cookie.  Like Bob "Hang 'em High" Hillis.  Suffice it to say, my friends estimation of distances and time may be off.  If I were four feet away from a shark ten seconds could seem like an hour.  And six feet might seem like four. Regardless,  this is a note worthy tale and if you are snorkeling at Beach 69, its reasonable to keep in mind.

jeff

Here is a picture of our favorite cheerleader, Sandra's daughter Leslie, and yours truly on the north side of
     Beach 69. Since the tsunami a couple years ago, the north side of the beach is rocky.  Better to use the
beach to the south of the T in the trail.