Kahalu'u Reef Teachers on TV and the Elegant Coris Flickering Out

    When you see someone that you know on the television, it brings a spark of joy.  Unless, of course, they are presented as victim or perpetrator of some heinous endeavour.  This week our friends the Reef Teachers made the news.  It was a ten second segment on Hawaii News Now trumpeting the reef friendly sun screen they

Reef Teachers and Sun Screen as seen on KGMB.

provide and a handy dispenser now placed at the entry to the beach.  Like most people who live here, Sandra and I don't use sunscreen, opting to cover up and stick to the shade.  

     I'm including the photo that flashed across the news.  Flipping the shaka is Vincent.  Some weeks ago, in a rare moment of candor, Vincent revealed that he is named for the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.  In that battle Horatio Nelson attacked three Spanish ships larger than his own and boarded their flagship crying "A baronetcy or death."   Nelson went on to become England's national hero, while Vincent has become the hero of the fish.  There is a rumor that tattooed somewhere not immediately visible, is a line of signal flags reading, "Kahalu'u expects every man to do his duty."  

    To his left is Yasuko.  Although she is more fluent in Japanese than English, Yasuko is a pure delight.  She is everywhere, making sure that all and sundry are having a good time at the beach. 

    Vincent and Yasuko can be found at Kahalu'u most days, giving advice, lending a helping hand and bringing a smile.  And encouraging the tourists to use reef friendly sun screen. 

    If you ask, they will do their best to point you to the nearest sea turtle.

   Kneeling is Kathleen Clark.  Kathleen is the paid organizer of the Reef Teachers.  She's been around for just a few years and seems to have made a significant difference in the program, which is dedicated to protecting the coral, the backbone of the reef.  Coral provides food for many animals and a structure in which they can live.  Under Kathleen's guidance, the Reef Teachers have increased their efforts to physically protect the coral and  have a program that tests the quality of the water for things like pH. 

Elegant Coris male, Kailua pier, 2016

   In addition to marshaling the Reef Teachers, Kathleen is a very good fish watcher.  Not only is she a competent identifier of the fish, it is my impression that she snorkels the bay regularly and has an ongoing log of surveys.  As such, when it dawned on me that I was no longer seeing Elegant Coris at Kahalu'u, she was able to turn to her records and tell me that the last time she saw that species in the bay of fishes was a year and a half ago.  

    Not so long ago, Elegant Coris, Coris venusta, was a resident at both Kahalu'u and the Ironman side of the pier; it was unusual not to see one if you knew enough to look.  2018 was the last year that I kept comprehensive records and I recorded it only from Kahalu'u.  I do have a picture from the pier in 2016 and from Beach 69, also known as Waialea Bay, in the same year. 

Elegant Coris juvenile, Kahalu'u 2016

  The elegant coris male has a double barred cross on his forehead, painted in a handsome aqua. Taking a cue from the cross, I had thought to popularize another common name, the Easter Chorus and stage an annual search for the fish on that religious holiday.   Five years ago, that would have been easy.  This year it may be impossible.  The picture you see here, which shows the cross on the forehead,  was taken on the Ironman side in 2016.

    The juvenile  Elegant Coris is small, of course.  It used to be seen commonly with other juvenile wrasses and parrotfish around the coral at Kahalu'u.  As you can see, it has a pattern that is distinctive, although a modest amount of work needs to go into the identification, as the juvenile saddle wrasse is similar.  The red eye is a good field mark.  If you are on a hunt for this species, learning this juvenile may be key.  As with the Belted Wrasse, Juveniles are more common than adults.

    In preparation for this blog, I took a swim around Kahalu'u.  Being winter, the water was cold and clear.  I didn't see Elegant Coris, but I did have a quick encounter with a larger Pearl Wrasse.  Towards the end of the swim I encountered a pair of Saddleback Butterflies.  Ordinarily, this species is a little wary.  On this day, they were almost languid, giving me the opportunity to nab this pleasant video.  Luckily not our of our beautiful fish are disappearing.

 

       Back on the beach, Kathleen had joined Vincent.  She gave me a quick hello, but was too busy giving autographs and otherwise enjoying her newly won celebrity to pay much attention to the hoi poloi.  I'm sure this will wear off and we will be getting more fish watching tips from the master fish watcher in the near future.

A Paradigm Shift for the Blue Eye Damsel

     Sometimes the usual suspects throw you a curveball, engaging in a behavior so different from what you expect that you can hardly believe it.  Such was the case on this, the momentous day when those of us who believe in truth and justice regained control of our country.For the other 48 %, the best part must have been anthem singer Lady Gaga, who appeared in a Hunger Games-inspired outfit that

Lady Gaga belts out the anthem in style!

featured a billowing, floor-length custom Schiaparelli red gown, long-sleeved black top accented with an oversized gold peace dove brooch and black leather gloves.  If that doesn't make you stand up and salute you are one cold fish.

    Sandra and I started the day like roughly 52% of Americans, watching television as Joe and Kamala put their hands on family bibles, looked into the eyes of a supreme court justice and promised to uphold the constitution.  

    As it has been cool and rainy for three days, we then went off for a walk in the small arboretum on the mauka side of the old airport runway.  We had a brisk walk, enjoying the plantings, the cool, moist air and the occasional whiff of pakalolo.  Like so many places around Kailua Kona, this garden trail supports a large number of feral cats; if we saw one, we saw more than half a dozen little old cat ladies giving these semi-autonomous felines food and water.  Some of the cats were addressed by name and permitted some human contact.  It was like being in some sort of surreal petting zoo at feeding time.

 Blue Eye Damsel and Orangespine Unicornfish, Kahalu'uJanuary 2020.

    We drove home from the Old Airport via Alii Drive and I had to remark that the surf had diminished

substantially.  Seizing the opportunity, after a small breakfast we made our way down to Kahalu'u.  With all those prior activities, it was almost noon when  I hit the water.

    One never knows what to expect, and if you don't see much of interest, well, that's just the way it is.  On this day, though, as I was perusing the coral heads near the entry, I noticed an orangespine unicorn tang holding very still, as if he was getting cleaned.  The Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse is a favorite, so I held position in the moderate current and waited for the cleaner wrasse to make an appearance.  Suffice it to say, I was surprised when a small Blue Eye Damsel, Plectoglyphodon johnstonianus,  sallied forth and plucked something from the side of the unicorn.   

The damselfish swoops in to pluck a tiny morsel.

   I watched for awhile as the small damsel cleaned two different unicorns, as well as a small school of Convict Tangs.  Now Convict Tangs are nice, but the Orangespine Unicorn, with his comical face pattern and streamer tail is certainly one of our most beloved  Hawaiian fish.  

   There is something about being cleaned that delights a fish.  This must be similar to that sense of ecstasy I get when somebody scratches my back in just the right spot.  It is common, when a fish is in this state of bliss, for him to brighten his colors, project a glow of contentment.  Here you will see a unicorn in such a state of bliss, with the small damselfish attending to his needs.

   I can not recall seeing a damselfish cleaning before, but the old squash ain't what it used to be and its possible that at some distant point in time (or possibly not so distant) I have experienced this.  Certainly we have seen other small fish engage in cleaning behavior.  In the Ultimate Guide, John Hoover tells us that the Blue Eye Damsel subsists on live coral polyps, much like several of the butterflyfish we see in our bays.  He completes his write up of this species by saying, "The author once photographed one of these fish cleaning an orangespine unicorfish, which returned multiple times to the damselfish's coral head."  So this may be a particular association between these two species, although in this instance  manini were also being cleaned.  A veritable ménage à trois.

    Going my mentor, the Great Oz, one better, I am presenting here a little video of the Blue Eye Damsel cleaning the manini and the unicornfish. You can decide whether it deserves an R or X rating.

Supermale Saddle Wrasse.  Fluttering fins and a white belt. 2021

   Further into the bay I came upon a Saddle Wrasse supermale.  He was holding down the the fort
in a small area, chasing a variety of other small fish.  The saddle wrasse is a very common fish, and not particularly large, so its easy to take him for granted.  Recent experience here in Hawaii shows us that over a short period of time any of our fish might disappear from our bays.  The supermale Saddle Wrasse has a pretty blue head, a brilliant orange "saddle" when caught in the right light and a white bar behind the saddle.  When holding an area, he swims round and round, fluttering his pectoral fins.  this fellow was particularly well lit and cooperative.

   Later in the swim, over by the rescue Shelter, I spotted a larger female Saddle Wrasse in a patch of clear water and manged to get a reasonable photo so you can enjoy the difference between the  male and females.

    Back ashore, my sweetie had put her time to good use by making friends with a family from Alaska.

Cleaner Wrasse, initial phase.  Kahalu'u January 2021

The lady of the group had seen a nudibranch and Sandra was able to pull up the blog on her phone and show her new friend pictures of gloomies, which turned out to be what she had seen.  As far as I know, this is a new species for Kahalu'u.  Kudos to the lady from Alaska and a big assist to Sandra for pinning down the identification.

    On the way to the shower I encountered a likely lad carrying a boogie board modified with a hydrofoil.  I could tell that he wanted me to go away, but nevertheless consented to a photo of himself and his board.  He allowed that this modification permitted him to go really fast.  If anything, this peaceable encounter illustrates how, under the inclusive rule of Joe Biden, snorkelers and surfers can co-exist in harmony.   

jeff  

Now that Joe is president we're going to go really fast.

Those Darn Canadians

 Excellent surfing conditions continue around the Hawaiian Islands.  Yesterday there were a few 60 footers on Oahu's north shore.  While the Big Island does not have any surfing venues to rival Pipeline, we have had a couple weeks of persistent high surf making many of our better snorkeling spots

That's Sandra by the Surf at Honl's.

inaccessible.  I have snorkeled a couple times at the pier, where the fish watching was so minimal that I didn't even take the camera out of my pocket.  Two days ago I went to Kahalu'u where there was nothing special, but at least there were a few fish to photograph.  I 'll show you those pictures as we go along.

    The weather here has been superb and Sandra and I have enjoyed several outings just to be down by the beach.  At the beginning of the week we met a young lady on the beach in front of the King Kam.  Although the hotel had roped off most of the grounds (which seems more than a bit uncalled for) one can still find a shaded perch on the rock wall at the far end of the beach.  We were seated there having a pleasant chat when the young lady emerged.  She was carrying mask and fins, so I asked her if she had seen something good.  She started gushing about how wonderful the fish and coral were just outside the inner harbor.  Obviously, by virtue of long and varied experience, we are jaded, but the sad truth is that climate change has severely altered that area, very little coral is left.  Ditto with the fish. 

A sundial in the Sand at Honl's Beach

   As it turned out, she was from New York and has a working son, so she wasn't all that young.  I started telling her about some other places she could go snorkeling, including Ho'okena and Kahalu'u.  She was very pleasant, but unable to keep the Hawaiian names straight, which was probably for the best
as she didn't seem to get the part about high surf being associated with a dangerous entry.

    That night we received an email from our friends the Rodes who live in Vancouver del Norte, which is to say that they are Canadians.  It appears that the Canadian government has made a deal with an insurance company to the effect that our friends could now purchase Covid Insurance and come to Hawaii without forfeiting their national health insurance.  They wanted to know if we could pick them up from the airport in ten days.  Of course we would be delighted, but we weren't entirely clear on what they would experience upon arrival and how that would affect the timing of their retrieval.

Pintail Triggerfish  January 2021

   Suddenly we were wishing that we had given that New Yorker with the snorkel gear the third degree.  In search of pertinent details, we went for a picnic the following day at Hon's beach park. It was a beautiful day, blue sky, pounding surf and a breeze.  We watched a half dozen surfers while we ate our lunch and then went for a walk.  Before we found any tourists we found a couple sand sculptures, a sundial of sorts and a turtle heading down the beach towards the sea.  

    The closest we could come to a tourist was a young couple from Berlin who had arrived a month ago, apparently before arrival testing at began at KOA.  Das is aber schade.

   Finally the surf calmed down to a degree that we could brave Kahalu'u.  While I went swimming, Sandra was trolling for newly arrived tourists.  Out in the bay it was mostly the usual suspects.  The current wasn't terrible and the water was clear enough to allow a few chances at photography.  Early on, a  pinktail trigger posed cooperatively.  Shortly after that I got a good chance at some Bullethead parrot keikis.  This is not a terrible picture of a couple two inch fish.  An Ambon toby gave us a try and finally those keeltail needlefish you saw up on the header made an appearance over by the Rescue Shelter.   

Bullethead Parrotfish Juveniles  Kahalu'u 2021

   Back on the beach, Sandra and I tracked down some tourists.  Sweetie found a little old man form Sebastopol, while I found a young couple from Los Angeles.  Obviously we need more Canadians to restore the proper touristic balance. All those Californians are destroying our demographics!  

   Our interviews completed, it sounds like Doug and Arlene will escape the airport about thirty minutes after they disembark. And they should be able to get to the market long before the thought police call them with their test results. Best of all,  their upcoming arrival helped us make some new friends here on the beach.

jeff

   

A Happy Covid New Year

   

     As New Year came, it seemed to promise more of the same with a few minor adjustments.  During the two weeks of the Christmas holiday, Kona was swamped with visitors.  It might not have been quite as busy as a normal Christmas, and organized public gatherings like the Christmas parade were canceled, but those of our fellow mainland citizens who were able to afford it came to Hawaii in surprisingly large numbers. Not since last February had we seen so many tourists.  A large number were from California and very few of them wore masks.  Suffice it to say, we were very careful as we chose our outings, either for snorkeling or just going to the beach.

    With the coming of the New Year, the tourists went home, presumably back to work, possibly back to quarantine.  In their place we have received the snowbirds.  Traditionally January and February are the busiest months for those who no longer work to come to Hawaii for six weeks.  We have several Canadian friends who would love to come, but are unable to do so.  Their government can't prevent them from leaving the frozen northland, but it sure as heck can cancel their health insurance and make it difficult for them when they choose to return.  This year, people from California are taking up the slack.  Angelenos, who would ordinarily have no interest in coming to Hawaii are showing up here in record numbers.  It is safer, the restaurants are open, and nobody seems to care if they don't wear masks.

    A curious index of the older population is found at our favorite venue for comestibles...Costco.  Last week Sandra was reading a list of tips about coming to Hawaii and Costco was the first tip.  We had held off going to Costco during the Christmas holiday and returned to that paradise of inexpensive wine and cheese only a few days ago.  Aside form being blissfully unaware of my surroundings, I can't explain why I was surprised, but kapuna hours, that single hour prior to unregulated opening, had gone wild.  For ten months we have been enjoying a huge store with few shoppers.  On Thursday morning the store was truly crowded.  Yes, Virginia, the snowbirds are back and they need cheap liquor.  Lots of it!  

     If there is one saving grace, in Costco the Californians are required to wear masks and there are employees stalking the aisles to make sure that they do.

The juvenile rectangular triggerfish.  Like a miniature adult.

    Winter storms tend to affect our snorkeling options.  Kailua Bay, that patch of water that reaches out from both sides of the pier, is often calm enough for snorkeling even during excellent surfing conditions.  I tried going there in the morning a week ago.  I wasn't surprised to encounter a legion of recreational swimmers.  It is the nature of swimming and showering after, that makes mask wearing inconvenient.  Snowbirds, as you might expect, are enthusiastic recreational swimmers, so as the  population transitioned from tourists to these older, yet fit, visitors, the number of people swimming has swelled. After my first and only experience, I decided that until I get my vaccination, morning swimming on the Ironman side is just not safe.

      In any event, he Ironman side of the pier has been disappointing of late. After my morning swim, I tried the afternoon a few days later.  There were far fewer recreational swimmers, but this did not improve the number of fish or critters.  I saw one handsome finescale triggerfish and that was about it.  

Juvenile Rectangular Triggerfish.  Kahalu'u  January 2021

    The entry in front of the hotel remains a viable option.  Many of the people on that short beach are young local families, which one has to assume are safer than visitors.  However, as winter time has come, the water in front of the hotel has cooled.  Its hard to be enthusiastic about swimming through cold water to get to a  few of the usual suspects.

   Yesterday I went to Kahalu'u.  We arrived at quarter to nine, the surf was pounding against the Menehune breakwater and there were only a few people in the shelter.  The water wasn't nearly as cold as I had feared, but the current was significant.  I was swimming as hard as I could to make a little headway when a lanky teenage girl in water shoes passed me and, for good measure, kicked me in the face.  It was bad enough that she can swim faster in shoes than I can swim with fins, but that was just uncalled for.

The small stripebelly puffer plays with the raccoon.

   Luckily, all my teeth were where they belonged and I was able to swim around and see some fish.  Three juvenile Hawaiian Dascyllus are still holding court around a chunk of besieged coral.  They are getting older and I was able to nab a short clip so you can check on their progress. 

    On the way in, I spotted a juvenile Rectangular trigerfish.  He is now about a month old and roughly an inch and a half in length.  Paler than the adult, he is still a perfect reproduction.

   Just before I hit the beach, I encountered a small Stripebelly Puffer.  while other species have become far less common, the stripebelly has held his own.  Here is a picture of the my fish with a Raccoon Butterfly.  Everyone knows how big the raccoon is and as a foil, he demonstrates how small that puffer was. 

    It was just after nine thirty when Sandra and I were preparing to leave.  The tourists had enjoyed their
breakfast and were now descending, armed and ready for some full contact snorkeling.  As we walked out I encountered a family with two young girls, each with a small plastic doughnut around her petite waist.  I flapped my flippers at them and gave them a word of encouragement, figuring that the rest was up to the lifeguards.

jeff

    

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou !

      The traditional two week Christmas holiday has seen a return to the good old days in Kailua Kona.  You remember those days, prior to February 2020, when cruise ships disgorged tourists aplenty at the pier, the many restaurants were thriving  and the beach parks were brimming with white bodies trying to turn brown in seven or eight sun filled days. 

From the foot of Keahou Bay, photo by SKG

   Covid 19 changed all that.   Suddenly there were no more cruise ships and tourists were permitted only under the most rigorous of conditions.  Even those of us who reside in Hawaii were severely limited as to how and when we could use the beaches.  By early October, with the Ironman cancelled, our busiest time of the year had turned into deserted streets and shuttered restaurants. The Marriott, home to the Ironman, was closed.

   The re-opening of our tourist industry came with the realization that the economy of the islands would collapse in its absence.  It is paradoxical, that at the moment when the mainland is suffering its grim post-Thanksgiving surge, with the highest incidence yet of virus infection throughout the population, that our politicians have found a way, based on rigorous pre-travel testing, to open the islands to tourists. If you look at this in a certain way this policy shift seems insane.

   While we are enjoying this influx of tourism, Sandra and I are keeping a lower profile.  We are shopping less and choosing spots away from the crowd when we go out.  Last Sunday we found a peaceful table at the foot of Keahou Bay and my lovely wife captured this peaceful Hawaii boat scene.

Reticulated Cowry on the sand.  Kailua Pier December 2020

    The opening has had spotty effects.  In the village, the Fish Hopper is open, while across the street from the recently opened Marriott King Kamehameha Hotel, Splasher's remains closed.  At the other end of the street The Polynesian Resort has just re-opened along with Hugos and Lava Java. 

    Kahalu'u, that sometimes heavily used bay, is once again bobbing with tourists, practicing the fine art of full contact snorkeling.   Recently the parking lot there was entirely full, just as in the good old days. Even the semi-illegal sparking spots were occupied. White Sands beach is once again covered with pale, unmasked bodies seeking some sun.  

   In an effort to remain Covid-free, I have limited my snorkeling, during the holiday period, to the pier.  On my outing early in the week I swam the Ironman side.  The water was cold and very clear  Despite a veritable flotilla of recreational swimmers,  the bay was essentially devoid of interesting fish.  A fine reticulated cowry, ten feet deep on the sand, was the only notable find..

    Yesterday I went out on the Paul Allen side, in front of the hotel.  The Inner Harbour is notoriously cold and yesterday it was freezing.  Once I got out into the little bay that fronts the luau grounds I started to warm up.  I followed a large Yellowtail Coris across to Paul Allen's estate.  (We missed his magnificent yacht this season, along with the helicopter.)

Ornate Butterfly fish on Paul Allen's Reef

    As I reached the other side, I traded the large wrasse for a school of ornate butterflyfish.  The ornate
is one of our most common butterflies, but it usually occurs in pairs.  Why fish that are usually solitary or paired sometimes come together in such an aggregation is a mystery to me.  I suppose it might have something to do with reproduction, but judging from the way these guys were behaving, it seems like it was something less involved.  Happy hour for ornates?

   Leaving the coffee klatch of butterflies behind, I made my way along the face of the reef for a fair stretch.  Elsewhere on our shore there were fine surfing conditions.  While Kailua bay frequently remains relatively calm, out here there was moderate surf that made getting close to the wall to look for wrasses interesting.  I searched fruitlessly for five stripe and Christmas wrasse and then headed back.  

Day Octopus imitating dead branching coral. Kailua December 2020

   Just as I re-entered the bay, I watched a large octopus swim to cover.  Although we have been seeing smaller octopi at Kahalu'u, it had been some time since I had seen one big enough that it might represent breeding stock.   The octopus was eight feet down, hiding under a dead branching coral, which unfortunately is the specialty of the house out on the PAR.  In my first picture you may note how cleverly the octopus mimics the dead coral.  

    I watched him for five minutes, getting washed back and forth when I made a hand hold.  I attempted a movie and several more pictures.  the second photo shows an interesting association with the Manybar Goatfish.  This species of goatfish is notorious for hunting with other animals.  Ulua, eels and octopus are all on his list of potential hunting partners,  In this instance, the octopus was more interested in hiding than hunting, so the goatfish moved along.

An opportunistic Manybar Goatfish invites the Octopus to Hunt.

   Back ashore, the beach was full of young families.  Curiously, while Kahalu'u is full of Californians, the beach in front of the King Kam seems to be full of people who are living here.  Like me, these folks look like they might be tourists, but with the realization that you can have a job in Phoenix and work from home in Kona, we are seeing many more young families with, I assume, white collar jobs.  This is bound to be good for the Hawaiian economy and it's fun seeing the young families enjoying the beach.  

    On that hopeful note, I will wish you a Happy New Year.  2021 has to be an improvement,

 jeff