K Bay and Ho'okena with the TG5

    This week we have been in the getting to know you phase with the TG5, the newer offering from Olympus that has replaced our TG3 following its mysterious death.

Bullethead Blenny, Kahalu' June 2018

   For a first outing, we went down to Kahalu'u, a short ten minute drive down the hill.  We were just entering a phase of calm water and the we chose a time that corresponded to a fairly high low tide,  0.6 feet, so getting in wasn't problematic.  Curiously at 9 AM on a Friday morning there was already a group setting up for a party; caution tape fenced off the shelter at this relatively early hour.  The people who manage this popular shelter have chosen to ignore the fact that a large chunk of the pad was taken out by a tsunami two years ago.  When a party fences off the kiosk, it obligates snorkelers to walk way around.  Somebody I know and love wants to write a letter about this miscarriage of justice.

   The water that day was calm, as we expected, and amazingly clear.  A perfect day to take

Freckle Faced Hawkfish, Kahalu'u June 2018

underwater pictures.  Unfortunately, the fish and invertebrates didn't get the notice.   As we entered there was a nine inch flounder.  So perfectly did his background color match the salt and pepper sand that he was spotted only because he moved.  The resulting pictures, taken with every available feature the camera had to offer, show a patch of sand with some disembodied yellow circles.

    A bit further out in the bay, we found a cooperative bullethead blenny.  This small fish stuck around for three attempts with the macro feature, with and without flash.   Considering that this fish is both small and drab, I consider this photograph a success.  I don't think we will have it printed to display in the living room.

   Out by Surfer's Rock we encountered a freckle faced hawkfish.  This species can be pretty shy but he stood his ground and we nabbed this picture.  Sometimes the face on Mr. Freckle is a more intense cornflower blue, but that is not a fault of the camera.  After I got through annoying Mr. Freckle, Sandra directed my attention to a redbar hawkfish that was harboring inside a coral.   It was a great look at a fish rarely seen well, and one that we may have not seen before at Kahalu'u.  While I fiddled with the camera, the small hawkfish swam further into the coral, never to be seen again.

Black Francolin Crossing the Road  c/o Flicker

    Two days ago, on Sunday morning, we went back down to Ho'okena.   The surf was still down, so we had our choice...Ho'okena or City of Refuge.  Our decision may have been influenced by a violent crime that occurred near City the preceding evening.  A shootout on Painted Church Road resulted in at least one death with one of the combatants escaping on a motorcycle.  At the time we were contemplating our swim, this motorcyclist was still at large.  As it turned out, there was an altercation between three Hispanic gentlemen, all armed and all three shot, only one fatally.  The man who sped away on the motorcycle made a beeline for Kona Community Hospital, where the police identified him, early in the afternoon.  By the time the evening news came on, all these details were known.  But at 8:30 in the morning we couldn't be sure that a gunman wasn't hiding in the bushes near the Pu'u  o Honua National Park. One might suddenly find himself in need of refuge!

Flame Angelfish, Ho'okena June 2018

  And so we decided to go back to Ho'okena. 

  On the way down the narrow, winding road that eventually deposits one on the beach at Ho'okena, we encountered what must be considered the best species of the day.  Just after the big dip in the road that creates an outlet for flood water, a small game bird sashayed across the road.  Obviously a small francolin, he had a red neck and and a pronounced white cheek patch.  Like virtually all other birds below 3000 feet on the Big  Island of Hawai'i, francolins are introduced.  The gray francolin borders on being a nuisance.  Its loud laughing cry resounds through our neighborhood.  We had to refer to the bird guide when we got home to confirm that  this was a black francolin, a bird we seldom see.  Before we could reach for a camera, he disappeared  into the brush on the far side of the road.

Juvenile Hawaiian Sergeant    Ho'okena  June 2018

    Considering that we are still in an active volcanic period over on the Puna side (this week's headlines is cataracts of lava) the sky was nice and blue with gentle waves lapping on the long black sand beach.  As we started unloading into the small shelter at the north end of the park, Sandra noted that there was a notice proclaiming that the shelter was reserved for that Sunday.  At the same time, the family that had reserved the space was unloading large ice chests, a tent and barbecue.  The man overheard our remarks and invited us to stay on the other table for as long as we needed.  So, at least down south, there is hope for racial harmony.

    The water at Ho'okena was calm and clear, perfect for photography.  We found the coral with the angelfish colony and soon there was a good chance for a flame angelfish.  I dove ten or twelve feet for the picture you see here.  During that dive I experienced an extreme headache.  I tried a deep dive one more time with the same result and that was it for deep diving for the day.  I think that this photo of the flame angelfish is as good as any I have taken.  And it was really only one try.

Moorish Idol Looking for Lunch.

   About 100 yards off shore with a bottom forty feet below, we saw a pair of bridled triggerfish. 
These were not the dark bodied juveniles, but the ecru colored adults that look like a lei triggerfish on steroids. Back near shore, we attempted a variety of pictures of blue eyed damselfish, which were so fast moving that the camera failed to get a crisp picture.  I spotted a small family of Haig's Hermit crabs about four feet down, but by the time I adjusted the camera, I could not find them again.  That would have been a good bonding experience for me and the camera.  Maybe next time.

    Ashore, the folks in the shelter were still congenial.  As we packed up the car I pulled out my cell phone and took a few pictures around the bay, showing off the lovely blue sky.  I'm leaving with a photo of a guy resting in a lava pool.  If you can, try to find yourself a pool like this and kick back.

jeff

 Well I woke up Sunday mornin', no way to hold my head so it wouldn't bust.
So I went to Ho'okena, feelin' lower than a pile of lava dust.
And I found myself a tidepool, with the waves a splashin' with their soothing sound
And I settled in for Sunday, with Ho'okena comin' down.

God Bless ya, Willie.