What a difference a day can make. Saturday morning Sandra and I made it down to Kahalu'u at 8:15. It was a gorgeous morning, but the placid pond in which I did my hunting the day before had turned into a wave swept challenge. The day before a hand full of surfers sat on their boards at the end of the breakwater, bobbing ever so gently in the minimal swell. On Saturday excellent surfing conditions prevailed. Waves swept from the open end of the bay right in to the opening by the shelter.
Sandra stood by our table in the shelter holding her wet suit up in front of her. She was game, but this really wasn't the day for her to go swimming. We decided that she would spot me while I swam over to the Rescue Shelter to see if I could find the Leaf Scorpionfish.
Entry was interesting. I waited for a couple waves to fill the entry then I pushed off holding my fins in one hand and fending off with the other while the current swept me out through the narrow, rocky opening. On my way out I spotted a turtle who probably had as much on his mind as I did. Once I was washed into the bay, I put on my fins and swam over to the boulders by the shelter. There was plenty of current and every minute or so a set would crash against the sea wall.
I had my landmarks in mind. The small stick that was so helpful the day before was long gone. I was able to line up the second palm tree with the protruding remnant of the wall and after washing back, forth and around for five minutes, I finally located the rock that was to be my handhold and marked the spot where the fish had been the day before. Of course, there was no way I could use a handhold, unless I was willing to risk dislocating my shoulder. And so I washed around passing over the boulders between which the scorpionfish might be cowering. I never saw it and I suspect that he had chosen to take the day off.
Watching from shore, Sandra thought that I got within ten feet of the seawall. I think it might be more like twenty. Whatever it was, when those waves crashed in and washed me over the shallow boulders if was pretty interesting.
After twenty minutes of this nonsense, I turned around and headed for the barn. As I approached the entry I encountered a really strong current flushing out. Unlike what I expected, this wasn't waxing and waning, it was more or less constant. Could it be that water is entering in over the shallow reef seaward of the entry and then finding the course of least resistance through the narrow channel that leads snorkelers home?
As I was marshaling my energies to swim against the current, I was joined by the turtle. He was swimming about three feet to my right. He looked over at me and said, "I'll race you to the beach." Turtles are amazing. Here I was swimming just about as hard as I can and he didn't seem to be working at all; I could barely detect any flipper action as he paced me.
Well, we did not find the Leaf Scorpionfish, but it was fun trying. Perhaps the surf will come down in a day or two and we can have another try.
Knowing that many of you look to the blog for a picture or two of reef fish, regardless of the verbiage. With that in mind, here is a sweet and short video of a supermale Saddle Wrasse flapping his fins at Kahalu'u on a clam day about a week ago. Enjoy.
jeff
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