Kahalu'u Reopens Courtesy of the No Fun League

   Late yesterday afternoon Sandra was sitting on the couch playing with her phone; it was Saturday so there was no Jeopardy!  "Look!" she exclaimed.  "Mayor Kim has opened up the county beaches for people to swim!"  She then proceeded to recite the list of beaches which includes our near and dear K Bay.

   Well, if that doesn't make a fish watchers heart go pitter pat, I don't know what will.  The following morning, which is to say about eight hours ago, I got my gear together and we drove down to our

A Kahalu'u Treat  Saddleback Butterflies April 2016

favorite little snorkeling spot.  Suffice it to say we were surprised that the gate was still locked and there were but three cars in the large parking lot.  The surf was up and at 9:30 there were surfers galore.  But not a single snorkeler plied the bay.

   Sandra reopened the article on her phone, verifying her information.  It looked like the bay had been open for "exercise" since Friday.  We parked on the hill above the bay and I walked down around the gate across the driveway, onto the beach and over to the shower.  There, a lady lifeguard was disrobing, taking off her yoga pants and her yellow and red lifeguard T shirt to reveal a healthy female of about 27 in a small red bikini.  Luckily, I'm so old that the admiral of the blue no longer comes to attention in such situations.   I said good morning and asked if it was true that the park was open for snorkeling.  She agreed that it was and I headed back up the hill to get my gear.

    Just like when I went snorkeling at the pier, and had to make my way through the hobo

I never get tired of the red labrid.  Kahaluu February 2015

encampment to catch a shower, I had a plan.  Maybe this time it would work out better.  I had a large beach towel in which I planned to change (no contaminated restroom for me) and a grass mat on which I would lay my stuff on the beach.  Thusly burdened,  I re-entered the park.  Immediately a young male lifeguard accosted me. You can't bring any of that stuff into the park." he stated.  No mats, towels, or bags of clothes. Only your mask and fins."

    "But won't my stuff get all sandy?" I pleaded.  Clearly I hadn't listened carefully enough the first time...there would be no stuff. I made the walk back up the hill to the car and deposited all the stuff, including my small towel, in the trunk.

    Finally, after one more admonishment about the current on a high surf day, I made it into the water.  The water was blissfully warm, at least in comparison to what I had feared   I had wondered if there would be more fish than usual.  Indeed there were fish, but nothing earth shaking.  A really

That dot in the center is me.  I had the bay to myself.  Photo SKG. 

nice pair of saddleback butterflies, a red labrid wrasse and a single Forster's Hawkfish topped the list.  I am repainting a threadfin butterfly model, so I took special note of the threadfins that were there.

   The current was fairly strong and this prevented a careful examination of the coral for invertebrates.  After my shower I had a nice short chat with the lady lifeguard.  She asked how I enjoyed having the beach to myself, while I wanted to talk about how I was all wet and didn't have a towel and how our lovely mayor, Mr. Kim, might react to this deplorable, not to mention soggy, situation.  She didn't look pleased, but then all she had going for the rest of the day was sitting in her fancy new lifeguard house, eat bon bons and yell through her bullhorn at the surfers about not loitering on the beach.

   Just like my experience at the pier, I went home wet.  If I didn't live close by, would I have changed inside a towel on the street?  Maybe Mr. Kim knows the answer.