Barracuda.

     Today was declared a vacation from the household chores that have been taking precedence of late.  I still made it out in the early morning to pull down some infernal vines and fill the barrow with debris in which the coqui frogs might be hiding.  But by 8:30 I had recovered from that and it was time to go swimming.  Although the fish have not been teeming at the pier, each of my last three visits had produced at least one worthy animal: the Freckled Snake eel, a  Bandtail Goatfish and the diabolical Devil Scorpionfish.  So it was with a certain amount of hopeful anticipation that I put on my suit and prepared for a snorkel at the Kailua Kona Pier.

     Sandra dropped me off, to go in search of broccoli and other delights and I made my way to the cubby.  I had just started to extricate my costume from the mesh bag, when I realized something was missing...my camera.  Undoubtedly it was lying deserted in the bedroom calling out pitifully, "Here I am, here I am."  Sometimes swimming without the camera is unencumbering, a throw back to the good old days.  But at that moment all I could think was, "I guess this means I'm going to see something good."

A Great Barracuda..photo wikicommons

   And the conditions were perfect.  As I waded in, the water was clear and the sun was beaming down through a blue sky.  I plunged in, put on my fins and took a few strokes.  There was a nice dead leaf, then a tiny Linckia starfish, about two inches across.  That might have made a nice picture, I thought. And then, right at the edge of the rocks, not even as far out as the first swim buoy, was a Great Barracuda!

   We see a Great Barracuda once every couple years.  The last one Sandra and I saw was at Mahukona two and a half years ago.  It was a big fish, pushing up to three feet, hovering in mid water, and it was having nothing to do with us.  I tried to sneak up on it and it swam away, never letting me get within fifteen feet.

  This fish was completely different.  He was seemingly content to be in an area where there were lots of people.  And the water was shallow and clear with the sunlight reflecting up off the sand, illuminating the barracuda perfectly.  As many of you readers may not be totally familiar with Great Barracuda, I'm including a picture from the internet and a link to a youtube video of fish that approximate the one I saw.  As in the picture, he was just a couple inches over two feet.  He was not the biggest barracuda I have encountered....but not the smallest either.  My impression is that he was heavier in the body than the fish pictured and I guess he may have weighed six or seven pounds.  With that heavy, muscular head, he could certainly take a chunk out of you if he was so inclined.

   Barracuda attacks are uncommon in Hawaii, but not unheard of.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfHejAz0Fe4

  The picture shows the tail angled slightly away, so you don't get a very good look. My barracuda had a large flag-like tail with bold black and white markings.  The video gives you a good look at the tail,

Finescale Triggerfish  Kailua Pier  October 2013

although I don't think that fish is as nice as the one I saw.

   I watched the barracuda for about three minutes, often within ten feet.  If I had had the camera I would have worked him for another ten minutes, but I got a really good look and swam off.  There was little of interest all the way out to the palace and some very cloudy, green water between the fourth and third swim buoys.  Closer in, the water cleared and I got a good look at a Finescale Triggerfish and a large Whitemouth Moray.  Both would have been subjects for the camera which was still on the bed back at the ranch.

   Before getting out, I patrolled back and forth around the entry, hoping for another encounter with the barracuda.  There was a big Peacock Flounder in the shallows and he let me watch him as his eyes twitched back and forth.  At least once that I can recall, a small barracuda was quite regular at the pier for over a week.  Maybe we'll get Sandra up for a little barracuda hunt tomorrow.   And believe me, we won't forget the camera!

jeff

For old times sake, a flounder taken with the Canon D10 in 2012.