Snorkeling Into My Dotage

      About a week ago, Sandra declared that she needed to go to the KTA store for sesame oil.  She didn't specify which KTA store, so I asked if she could make it the KTA at Keahou and  I could be dropped off for some snorkeling at Kahalu'u.  I got my stuff together, changed into my swimsuit and

Shopping at the KTA, a Kailua Kona tradition.

we were on our way.

     As we approached Kahalu'u, I ran down my checklist and decided that I had probably left my fins at home.  Bob Hillis, among others, will note that this is not the first time this has happened.  Sandra offered to head back for the fins, but I said, no, I can just snorkel in bare feet and stay close to the entry.   As the bay didn't seem very rough on this sunny morning, she agreed that this was an acceptable idea.

    After I was dropped off, it took only a moment to get down to the water.  I certainly wasn't troubled by those pesky flippers.  I put on my mask and flattened out in the shallow entry.  The first thing I noticed was that the water was a lot warmer and I thought, "Gail DeLuke will be happy to hear about this."   I then noticed that the water was quite cloudy and immediately there after I realized that,while I was entering a set must have come in and, despite the water being rather shallow, I was moving right along, perhaps at a mile an hour.

   As I approached the final narrow entry,  it was easy to tell that the current was going to take me a foot or so to the left of that rocky cut through which one usually maneuvers.  I had a couple inches of water beneath me, so despite my lack of any choice in the matter, I wasn't all that concerned.

A Hawksbill Turtle

   So.  Do you remember as a child when you used an inner tube on a snowy slope?  Of course, you were zipping down the mountain with no choice whatsoever  as to your course.  Gravity and the terrain
were calling the shots.  And if someone appeared in front of you, and you and your inner tube knocked them ass over tea kettle, well, who was to blame?  Can you see where this is going?

    Suddenly a large lady appeared right in front of me.  She was sitting on the lava about a foot to the left of the narrow entry.  Possibly she was fiddling with her fins.  All I knew was that I had no steering, smashed into her uncontrollably and was dragged around her by the current.  As I was swept away, I managed a quick apology.  My victim, as it turned out, was unconcerned; her bulk was such that  I don't think the collision moved her a millimeter.

The ground of the Keahou Beach Hotel are being reworked.

    Following my collision, I noted a bit of discomfort in my left foot, but otherwise I was fine.  And so I puttered around the shallows for twenty minutes, seeing nothing of special interest and then I clawed my way back in.   In the shower there was a fellow with a large camera and when asked, he said that he had taken multiple pictures of a hawksbill turtle, which was hanging out by the surfers.  He noted that the lifeguard had yelled at him through his electric megaphone, but hey, its a hawksbill turtle for crying out loud.  We both got a laugh out of that.

    Sandra drove me home past the now developing remnant of the Keahou Beach Hotel.  We have heard a variety of rumors and there is still no sign to tell us what the razed hotel grounds will become.  but at last there is some action.

   Before I boarded my ride home, I noticed that my left great toe was bleeding.  After we got back to the ranch,  I did a little gardening and when I took off my shoes and socks about a quarter of my left

Barred Filefish Juvenile, the familiar of St. Anthony. August 2016 Kailua Pier

great toenail came with it.  Bummer.

    It turns out this is not as bad an injury as I initially thought. After a few days of dressing changes and careful cleaning, I decided that I was going to live.  And it was time to go snorkeling.  Always one for multi-tasking, I loaded the yard debris and family rubbish in the car and stopped at the transfer station.  It was SRO at the dump , in large part because it was time to tamp the yard debris.  A swarthy fellow maneuvers a backhoe against the railing, raises it onto large hydraulic braces and then maneuvers the inverted scoop into the bin, tamping down the stumps and leaves.  Its quite a show.  I was thinking how much my grandson would enjoy this, vis a vis the terrifying ocean.  During the intermission I ran our bags and boxes to one of the nearby trash receptacles.  Back at the car, with the tamping complete, I threw in a banana stump and some monstera leaves.

    Back in Kailua, the parking lot above the shops was full, so I exercised Plan B, which had me parking for snorkeling at the Big Island Grill.  As I disembarked, I searched the back seat for the bag that contained my shorts, towel  and swim socks.  It was nowhere to be found, so I called Sandra (isn't this why God invented cell phones?) to verify that the bag wasn't at home... that I had, indeed, thrown my shorts and towel into the dumpster.  Bummer again!

St Anthony: Find your snorkel and teach your son to watch fish.

    Luckily, God also invented our emergency bag, so I plucked a dry swimsuit and towel and was on my way.  The sea on the Ironman side was cool and cloudy, which is not surprising since the surf is up and it has been raining almost every night. I only saw one good fish on this swim, the spotted juvenile of the barred filefish.  Those of you who are long time followers of the blog might recall that the last time I saw this unusual juvenile, I lost the so-called decorative face plate to my Canon T3.  It is possible, especially in this context, that the barred filefish juvenile is somehow related to St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things.  For example. shorts, socks and camera parts.

   The rest of my swim proceeded uneventfully, no unusual fish, but no collisions or lost paraphernalia, either.  Back on the beach the people were friendly and I managed to get home without further mishap.

    Well, alls well that ends well.  Until I inadvertently throw my swimsuit or snorkel mask into the dumpster, you will find me at the beach looking for the next fish.  And now that the water is getting warmer, you may find Sandra, as well.