The Kailua Surfer Girl! And Look What Sandra Found!!

A Proud Papa with his Surfer Girl !

    I really like going to the pier.  You meet lots of nice, normal people there.  There's a charming mix of swimmers, from competitive athletes to friendly fish watchers.  And on the beach and in the shallows there are frequently families at play.  Two days ago we took a dip and as I was putting on my fins a cute little girl on a boogie board paddled into me, said excuse me (what a nice little girl) and I propelled her towards her mother.  After I got set, I turned and asked mom if I could take a picture of her daughter.  Mom said yes and dad said take a picture of this.  He balanced the board and she stood up like a junior wave rider.  The lens was wet so the photo lacks quality, but isn't it a charming image?

Milletseed Butterflyfish, Kailua Pier, August 2012

     After we snapped the girl, we went in search of  the fishes.  On the way out the water was a little cloudy and it was pretty much the usual suspects.  Sandra suggested that we swim near the break water on the way in.   I stalled, trying to get a picture of blue goatfish; although they are rather common, they are fast moving and I don't have many good pictures of that species.  As I was attempting the goatfish, I spotted this Milletseed Butterfly immature.  Its sad to say, but I feel like I have to regard this baby Milletseed as a waif....an egg that has drifted from somewhere else and matured in a spot that the fish can live.  Milletseeds used to be the most common butterfly at Kahalu'u, but they are essentially gone as a breeding population from the Kona Coast. C'est dommage!  Anyway, with luck this little guy will live in Kailua Bay for a while.

Magnificent Snake Eel, image by Sea life

    But now for the big news.  As I stalled, Sandra continued to swim towards the pier.  About twenty yards ahead of me, she saw a large hook embedded in the coral.  Just as she was diving down for it, she saw an eel moving through the fenestration's of the coral.  And not just any eel.  White with regular black spots, it was a magnificent snake eel!   How cool is that?  About two years ago I got a poor picture of the Tiger Snake Moray on the Paul Allen side of the pier, but I have never seen this animal (the MSE)  in Kona.  Hence, we are including someone else's image.  Look at the regular black spots against the white body.

Tiger Snake Moray, Paul Allen's Reef, January 2011

    Here is my picture of the Tiger Snake Moray from January 2011.  Its not a good picture, the day was dark, it was deep and the eel was moving fast and I've got a million more excuses.  Anyway, the picture was good enough for John Hoover to make a confident identification.  Note the taupe body and the irregular spots  This guy is one of our best finds in Hawaii.
    So kudos to Sandra and lets keep our peepers peeled as we peruse the shallows in Kailua Harbor!

jeff

A Cat Nap on the Pier, Kailua Kona  January 2011

PS  Just so you know I'm still a softy, here is a picture we took by the cubby just after seeing the Tiger Moray.  The Kailua Pier really can be a wonderful place full of the spirit of ohana.

jeff