Beach 69 and Proper Nutrition

     Beach 69 is not my favorite place to go snorkeling for a couple reasons:  it  is in the belt of coastline subject to the Waika-blowah winds and the water over the reef is frequently cloudy.  If I had a family, though, it would be among my favorites for a day at the beach.  The sand is as soft and inviting as Hapuna,

The Beach 69 Group:  Oval Chromis, Bluestripe Snapper and Milletseed

 just to the north, and there are lots of shade trees close to the water, the better to lounge while the kiddies build sand castles.    Last Thursday was perfect, not too hot, not too windy and Sandra and I arrived to find plenty of kids fossicking on the sand with their shovels and buckets.

    After setting up camp we hit the surf.  The water was cool and clear near shore.  The coral, such as it is,  starts about twenty yards offshore.  Sadly, the majority of the reef at Beach 69 is a poster child for coral death.  There are little bits of living coral, but mostly deteriorating, ragged stumps.  It seemesd appropriate, therfore,  that the water around this deteriorating coral garden was quite murky.  In the process of making our way through the devastation we saw three Stripebelly Puffers.  The third was a large one with golden fins (similar to the fish I saw recently at Kahalu'u) and he took off the moment he saw us.

    Once we were on the far side of the coral, the water became clear.  We swam all the way over to the northern cusp of the bay.  A year ago, we had spied a school of milkfish in the shallow water over the sand bottom.  This time there was nothing.  Just off the point, though, there were two small coralheads with a surprising group of fish.  In addition to the usual suspects, there were a large number of small Bluestripe Snappers, at least ten Milletseed Butterflyfish and group of Oval Chromis.  I have never before seen Oval Chromis in such shallow clear water.  They were beautiful and when I dove to take a picture, they could not

dive deeper.  Lucky me.  I got my best picture ever of this elusive fish.

    On the way back in, we again swam through the coral snags.  The water was surging back and forth, giving me and the Redoubtable SKG a chance to see if we were still good little swimmers.  It was a bit like Luke Skywalker negotiating the channels of the Death Star.  We all came through unscathed.

    At this point Sandra headed to the beach and I continued south to the outside of the big offshore rock.  there were a couple of intrepid 20 somethings sheltering on the seaside of the rock.  In the water, virtually at their feet, was an immature surge Wrasse.  If you look in any book, you will say to yourself, "How can he be so sure; the Surge and Christmas Wrasse

 immatures are sooo similar.   This fish was twice asa big as a Christmas Wrasse.  It was moving fast in the surging water so there is no accompanying picture.  But, as above, it looked like an immature Christmas Wrasse, albeit on steroids.

    Two days later I went swimming at the pier.  It was usual suspects until I made the turn for home.  In about ten feet, out by the last swim buoy, I encountered a Barred jack enjoying a good cleaning.  Nothing like a Cleaner Wrasse to render an otherwise wary fish into a subject for photography.

     Last but not least, especially if you happen to like coral, I'm going to share with you a picture from the day before the Ironman World Championships.  Prior to my swim,   I stopped at the Ironman Village

where I ate my fill of Powerbars, Bonk Breakers and Gu Chomps.  Chock full of energy and ready to swim, I discovered that the authorities had virtually closed the pier.   Employing local knowledge and a bit of stealth, I found my way onto the KIng Kam beach.  It was a glorious afternoon and I had a delightful swim out to Paul Allen's Reef. Off the entrance to the lagoon, I found this killer colony of Mushroom Coral.  This is a pretty rare species around the shallows of Kona...I'm sure I have never seen a more handsome colony.  

    Enjoy your Powerbars and see a fish for me.

jeff

Oval Chromis, Chromis ovalis,  Beach 69,  2013