Beach 69, Dude.

Baby Yellow Tang with her fixed Sailfin

     About a year ago, Sandra and I went to Beach 69.  This beach has another name, Waialea Bay.  Few people can remember this Hawaiian name, but virtually everyone on this side of the island is aware of Beach 69, perhaps because of the associated sexual connotation.    Having graduated from high school with the class of 69, I am well versed in the prurient power of this innuendo.  But I digress.

     When Sandra and I snorkeled there a year ago, we saw two outstanding fish, the Yellow Stripe Coris and the Shortnose Wrasse.  This outing occurred just as the blog was getting started and, perhaps, I did not adequately trumpet those sightings.  Two really good fish!
   
    At that time, we were aware that this is one of the few beaches where fishing isn't allowed and attributed our success to the lack of fishing pressure.  Here in Kailua, we live 35 miles south of Beach 69.  Even with the weather underground, it is difficult to know when the  Waika-blowah wind is blowing too hard at that beach (or the nearby Mauna Kea) for good fish watching.  As a result, a year has passed and just this week we had a fair opportunity to test the theory that this might be a superb place to look for rare species of fish on the Kona coast.

Night Sergeant  Abudef sordidus  12/25/2010

    We did not see any extremely rare reef fish this day.  As evidence of the ban on fishing, we saw a great number of Night Sergeants, Abudef sordidus.  Back in the day when my boys were young, we would have an occasional angling expedition and this species, the Night Sergeant, was a common victim.   Its not an especially pretty fish, so the remarkable decrease in its numbers don't twang at the strings of your heart in the same way as the loss of Milletseed Butterfly.  Anyway, there were lots of healthy adult Night Sergeants at Waialea Bay on Friday.

Bonefish courtesy of

    There were a few worthy sightings to come.  We swam in the warm clear water to the north shore of the bay.  A brace of Rainbow runners shot by and then, twenty feet ahead were two Bonefish.  This is a fish i have not previously claimed.  Separating out Bonefish from Mullets requires some experience.  These guys are world famous game fish and, according to our resources, mostly fished out in Hawaii.  A shame, since because of their numerous bones, they are not prized for eating.  The water had become cloudy in the sandy shallows, so I am submitting  a picture courtesy of the Florida fishing guides.  They are a primitive species (note the lack of bony rays in the dorsal fin and the extremely posterior position of the anal fin) and hence appear near the beginning of Randall's guide, which is in correct taxonomic order

Yellow Tang  Zebrasoma  flavescens  mature and immature

    We had one more treat in store.   On our way in, we happened upon several baby Yellow Tangs with dorsal fins fixed in the sailfin position.  I've been mulling this over and i can't come up with a good reason why these immatures are blessed with fixed raised fins.  Darwin teaches us that there must be some advantage, so be it.

    Back on the beach, we joined the maddening throng.  On a day with blue sky and little wind, this beach is perfect.  Sadly, we do not seem to have any pictures to share, but the merits of Beach 69 are dramatic.  The sand is soft, the beach is protected by a reef and there are numerous trees near the water to provide shade.  It is heavenly and accordingly well patronized.  We had a nice stroll in the shallows showered off and headed back to civilization.

     The bottom line to the fish finding aspect, is that we did not see any super rare species and we were darn lucky that day last November.  On the other hand, this may be the most pleasant beach on the Kona side to sit in a beach chair and watch the keikis splas in the shallows.

     And so I leave you with the immortal words of Bill and Ted,  " 69, Dudes."

jeff