Snorkeling in the Winter Storm

    For those of you who follow the blog from the lower 48, you'll probably find any complaints about the

Our Foster Grand Puppy Plays in the Snow

weather coming out of these Very Sandwich Islands to be especially ridiculous.  For the past week I have been getting missives from home in the Pacific Northwest containing pictures of snow and tales of near misses on icy roadways.  All I can say to you guys is stay warm and be safe.  And you know that if you ever need a break, there is a bed waiting for you in Holualoa Estates. 

    Regardless of my sundry friends and relatives in Washington, the weather here has been sufficiently cool and inclement so as to make snorkeling a bit less appealing.  I mean, who wants to go swimming when both the water and the ambient temperature are 75 degrees and its raining? 

    The fact is, we needed the rain and there has been lots to keep us occupied at this most wonderful time of the year.  Not only that, we have made it into the water a few times.

    On almost the last day of November, we made it to City of Refuge.  The water was cool and very clear and we saw a nice variety of fish.  Suffice it to say, if there had been something remarkable in the water, I would have written a blog tout suite.  As it was,we captured this Hawaiian dascyllus and agile chromis in the clear water for your pleasure. 

A pair of agile chromis, City of Refuge

Hawaiian Dascyllus Diving

   Halfway through our swim we encountered three large houndfish.  This is only the second time we have seen needlefish this big.  After our first encounter we discussed these beasts with our friends and decided that, short of encountering a tiger shark or similar, this may be the most dangerous fish on our reefs.  Hence, we have pictures of this trio, but, as they were taken at a safe distance,  they're not very good.

   Perhaps the best sighting that day was a fine adult Thompson's surgeonfish.  As we approached he headed for the depths, so a picture wasn't possible

    Back on shore, while dining sumptuously on ham sandwiches, our very own Kau'u oranges and chocolates left over from Halloween, we were able to reroute a young family from Long Island as they headed unwittingly for a treacherous entry.  If only there was someone watching over me to save me from a life of faux pas.  That, by the way, would be a full time job.

   Following that enjoyable swim at City of Refuge, nothing very exciting happened in the snorkeling department until yesterday, when we went to Ho'okena.  This was to be the last day this winter for our friend Anita to go snorkeling; she returns to Calgary tonight and if you think its cold in Seattle you need to talk to Anita.  She had been to Ho'okena before, but that time she was with her charming husband who is somewhat of a wet blanket when it comes to getting near the water.  So this would be her first time snorkeling at our favorite beach.  And what good luck for her that she had two excellent guides.

    No surprises, it was raining ever so gently when we picked her up at Ali'i Villas.  However, by the time we got to Ho'okena the rain had stopped and the sky was getting a bit brighter.  Not that you could see the sun, mind you, but we were grateful that the steep and winding road down the hill wasn't flooded.  

Potter's Angelfish, Ho'okena,  December 2016

    As we had hoped, the ocean was calm as could be.  After an easy entry into cool, clear water, we were treated to four foraging barred jacks.  Such is our facility with this location that we immediately garnered Potter's and Flame Angelfish and  gilded triggerfish.  How's that for usual suspects, ladies and germs?  We were unable to find garden eels, but we did find a couple bridled triggerfish, so our Canadian cousin got four life fish right away.  (Being wicked taskmasters, we had forced her at the point of a stick to review those species ala John Hoover as we drove south in the rain.)

     Swimming over by the pier, we spotted a large parrotfish cruising along the bottom 30 feet below.  I was able to dive and get the picture you see here.  Clearly a stareye parrotfish, this guy has a light yellow flank.  Hoover states that this pattern represents a supermale.  One has to wonder what Frederick Nietzsche would think of that.  Back at Kahalu'u, this is probably the most common species of parrotfish.  It is interesting, assuming that you care about things like this, that this has not always been the case.  Back in the day, say 20 years ago, I felt lucky to get a good look at a parrot with a distinct star eye.  Now, on an average swim at K Bay, I see three or 

Stareye Parrot Supermale. Thus spake John Hoover

four,  In the meantime, in the humble opinion of your self effacing  correspondent, both bullethead parrotfish and the beautiful  palenose parrotfish have become slightly less common.  They are in no danger of disappearing from Kahalu'u, but they don't appear in overwhelming numbers.

   Until this moment, I had assumed that these star eyed males in the bay were responsible for the myriad of cryptically colored juveniles that we see.  Could it be that sex among stareyes occurs in deeper water and it is these larger, paler supermales that are having all the fun?  If only there were enough ichthyologists, this could make for an engaging daytime soap.  But to quote the nubile Penny from the Big Bang Theory, "What's the likelihood of that?"

   And by the way, if any of you philosophy types can explain to me the significance of Nietzsche's superman, I will be eternally grateful.  I can't speak for the fish.  For that matter, what is the over riding philosophy of the fish?  Beware of worms dangling near piers?

   While pondering these philosophical conundrums we headed for the beach and this might have been the end of the outing, but Sandra was wearing her wet suit (so she, at least, was cozy warm) and Anita was loathe to end her Hawaiian snorkel, so we headed over to the small reef to the south of the beach.  This bit of coral has been deteriorating for ever, but there is still some reef there with a few good fish.  As we swam over the shallow reef, nothing struck us except a trio of fine medusa worms, until we came to the end.  There, suspended in about three

Best lookin' ringtail wrasse ever.

feet, was this brilliantly colored ringtail wrasse.  One occasionally sees a fine individual like this, but this fellow gets top marks for both handsome coloration and playing well with others.  Specifically, yours truly.  Eventually he tired of our close approaches and swam away, reverting to the classic gray on gray pattern in less than a minute.

    We thank you for hanging in to the end of our tale.  Now its time to get back to addressing Christmas cards, ordering Christmas presents on line and listening to the rain falling in the Kona highlands.

Feliz Navidad,
jeff

Be sure to hang a fish upon the highest bough.