Random Tidbits

Milletseed Butterflyfish,  Kailua Pier,  January 2012,  11 feet

  It was bound to happen sooner or later.  Winter weather has arrived in Kona.  The ocean is not so rough as to totally preclude swimming, but there is enough bubbles and sand in the water to make picture taking less than ideal.  If I had seen something really outstanding in the last couple of days, I would have snapped a poor quality  photo...at least we would have pictorial evidence.   I took an invigorating swim this morning on Paul Allen's Reef.  The fish pretty average and the water bumpy and murky, but its always great to go swimming in January!   
   Sandra and I did go swimming a day after I saw the immature  Milletseed Butterfly at the pier.  He was still there and we did have the camera, so here is proof.   The fish was a little deep for me, small and moderately uncooperative; everytime I dove for a picture he dodged away.  At least we got some documentation of this now rare species. 

Sandra Adorned with her Sea Urchin Bracelet

    You may recall the bracelet that I retrieved from a Collector Urchin.  Well, we took that back to the scene of the crime with intent of replacing it on a likely urchin and getting a staged picture.  Prior to plucking, the bracelet on the urchin made a charming tableau.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but the urchins wanted no part of our bling.  I thought that the urchin would immediately attach itself to a proferred item, but after the third refusal, I had to conclude that the urchin has to be in the right mood to collect.  A brief swim around the pier will reveal that when they are appropriately receptive, Collector Urchins will accumulate any unlikely tidbit of flotsam and jetsam as well as bits of shell and stone.  One can only imagine an NSF grant proposal to study sea urchin collecting.  Just think of the potential applications to the retrieval of space garbage!  I refused to admit unconditional defeat and present you here with the eschewed bracelet worn proudly underwater by the redoubtable SKG. (who even on her worst day is twice as good looking as a sea urchin!) 

Harry peers out of Hogwarts on Paul Allen's Reef

    Two days ago, when the water was still clear, I found the Potter's Angelfish on Paul Allen's Reef.  And I took a couple pictures that are pretty good for  a furtive Hawaiian angelfish.  You may recall that I saw this guy about a month ago.  I find it rewarding to come back to the same spot and find a resident fish.  One chunk of coral looks much the same as the next, though, and there had been several intervening swims at PAR with no sightings.  I was happy to find him on this day and although the pictures might be better, I say not too bad for an elusive Potter's.  At the top of this ramble I mentioned swimming the PAR this morning.  Although I took great care to identify the very spot, I did not find Harry (or any of his Hogwarts buddies)  where I left him on Tuesday.  And it was not like I didn't try.  Either his range is greater than that one chunk of half dead coral, or he just wasn't in the mood for visitors.  Possibly he was inside working on a spell to disarm spear fishermen.  (Wikipedia suggests Expelliarmus!)  Let's hope he gets really good at this one.

Expelliarmus!

jeff