From Oz to the City of Refuge

A Gray Kangaroo in Cathedral Rocks National Park, NSW

   I apologize for the hiatus in this blog.  Sandra and I returned about a week ago from Australia, where we watched birds for a fortnight.  We met a lot of nice people and managed not to get in a wreck while driving on the wrong side of the road.  We saw 167 species of birds in that time, which is about 50 more species than one might reasonably see watching fish here in Kona.  But you can easily see how the list is roughly of the same length, requiring the same amount of gray matter or cerebral shelf space for ready access.

    We did manage to get several wonderful mammals, which I had hoped we would see in the process of finding the birds.  However,  in the end that strategy was completely reversed; we spent a hell of a long time hunting for our wild platypus and koala.  On our last day of birding, this involved turning one of the best bird watchers in New South Wales into a Koala Hunter.  Penny spotted our koala perched in a tree over 100 yards away just as the heavens opened up with yet another deluge.  Through our binoculars we got a good look, but the photograph of that koala is little better than a smudge in the forest.  On the bright side, we did bring back that nice photo of the Gray Kangaroo to share with you.  G'day, mate!

 

Who's Been Nibbling on My Flippers? 

   Now its back in the water with our friends the fish.  Yesterday morning, we felt sufficiently rested and organized to take a snorkeling trip away from Kailua.  We made the drive to City of Refuge arriving about 9 AM.  This afforded us 45 minutes to look at the bay, as there were no dolphins, and to annoy our fellow snorkelers on the beach.  We ran into Tammy and Greg, two patient people visiting from the foothills of Mt Rainier.  

   As we were all fellow Washingtonians, the converssation inevitably turned to the fellow that succumed to a shark attack on Maui this week.  He was  retired, living in Washington in the summer and in Hawaii in the winter.  The story has evolved over the last few days from a fisherman in a kayak, to someone dipping fish from a bait ball while perched on a floating device that resembles a bath tub with external

Best rent the kayak with space for the feet inside.

 foot rests more than a traditional kayak.  His legs were outside the cockpit at all times and it was natural to dangle them in the water when resting.  Apparently, the shark mistook his dangling foot for an opelu.  

     While we were talking a Japanese lady in a killer wet suit walked by, perked up her ears and exclaimed, "Shark here?!!!"  Clearly you do not need to be an accomplished English speaker to be keyed into the risk of a shark attack in the  Aloha State.   Not this year, at least!  I assured her that, to the best of my knowledge, there had never been a shark attack at the City of Refuge.

    In his magnum opus, Hawaii, James Michener weaves a tale of a royal Hawaiian baby (right here in South Kona) with a birth defect, being left on the beach in the evening, with the intent of the Shark God coming in

Our Governor, like the Shark God, is no friend to the fish.

 the night to do the dark deed.  The Shark God refuses to take the boy and he grows up to be King Kamehameha....or George Washington. Would you believe Neill Abercrombie?

     Clearly, the current crop of sharks are not nearly so benevolent and it behooves all of us the exercize caution.  And I extend my heart felt sympathy to the the survivors of the fallen fisherman.  Aloha nui loa.



    Soon it was time for us to screw up our courage and enter the water.  The water was extremely clear and only moderately cold.  And it was full of fish.  We swam over to the north corner, where sometimes we

Orange Spine Unicorn Tang, usual coloration

have seen   Pyramid Butterfly.  There were no Pyramids or Businessman (as we are supposed to call Thompson's this week) Butterflyfish, but there was a most remarkable Orange Spine Unicorn Tang.   The body of this fish was essentially black with a bright yellow pectoral fin and forehead.  I grabbed the camera, swam toward him, but just as I came into range, his body and the pectoral fin faded to shades of gray.   

     If I have learned anything about fish watching in Hawaii, it is not to underestimate John Hoover.  In this instance, the Ultimate Guide states, "when chasing other fish, the body darkens, the yellow mark on the forehaed intensifies... and the pectoral fin turns yellow."  This can't be common and I hope I am lucky enough to see it again.  

   In reading the rest of John's text, I discovered that he regards this common surgeonfish as  the most likely to cut a curious observer with his caudal spines.  I have never seen anyone cut by a surgeonfish.  On  

Reticulated Butterflyfish.  A great addition for City of Refuge!

 Jeopardy a few nights ago they compared these spines to a surgeon's scalpel, to which I guffawed.  "He who laughs last, laughs best!"...replies Señor Cuchillo Naranja.   So, mui cuidado. Apparently.

     It being just the beginning of winter, we were still not shivering, so the Redoubtable SKG and I swam out to the island near the National Park.  While I was tooling around, Sandra came up with a pair of Reticulated Butterflyfish in the channel between the two lava ridges.  Clearly the best fish for the day (we had not previously seen this unusual butterfly at City) and a fitting ending to this very enjoyable swim.

Stay safe,
jeff