Fishwatching, the World Cup and Vladimir Putin

   For the last few weeks our family, scattered across the western United States, has been watching the World Cup.  If you are not among the cognoscenti, this is the world championships of soccer played

as a tournament once every four years.  Usually it is played in a traditional soccer playing country.  So venal are the muckety mucks of FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, that this world cup is being played in the former Soviet Union and the one four years hence is scheduled for Qatar.

   Bribery in international sports aside, the fact that the World Cup is being played in Russia is significant, in that the games, as seen live here in Hawaii, are broadcast at 2, 4 and 8 AM.  Suffice it to say, this has had an effect on many of my other activities, including fish watching. 

   However, to a large extent the World Cup has coincided with really good surfing conditions here on the Kona coast.  So while I may not be able to get to the beach until 10 AM, on any given day the waves have been too high to make snorkeling much fun.

Honu Avec Flash

 A few days ago, catching a modest break in the high surf,  I made it to the pier for some snorkeling.
This coincided with Russia's game against one of the tournament favorites, Spain.  I wasn't the only one who thought the Spanish side had been drugged.  The Spaniards wandered around the pitch like zombies, albeit the un-dead, in colorful shirts and short pants.  Being the best players in the world, they were able to take the game into overtime.  Late in the overtime there was an obvious foul that should have resulted in a game winning penalty kick, ending the Russian run in the tournament.  The referee stopped play, hemmed and hawed, and went to the replay monitor.  On good authority, I report that he did not see a replay.  Instead there was a personal note from Vladimir Putin:  We have the names and addresses of your entire family! No penalty was awarded and Russia went on to win in a shoot out.

     I got down to the pier around 10:30.   It was a bright sunny day and the water was only moderately

Is this coral growing on a sponge?

cloudy.  There weren't a lot of unusual fish, but on the way out I encountered a turtle cruising by the penultimate swim buoy.  I turned around and swam with him for a bit, making sure not to get too close.  And I nabbed a couple pictures, one of which you see here. 

   Wouldn't it be great if you could blame all your personal failures on a bogeyman like Vladimir Putin?  Over the reef in front of Hulihee's Palace I spotted a bigeye, in the open, about 15 feet down.  I dove him and got several reasonable shots.  Later I discovered that the camera was set on flash for both these pictures and those of our friendly honu.  As the flash dramatically accentuates the effect of the particles in the water, these pictures are not what one might hope for.  And I can't find a way to blame anyone else. Черт!

   On the way in, I saw this sponge which seems to be home to small colonies of coral.  Sponges being transient organisms, this doesn't seem like such a good choice on the part of the coral.  But maybe I am mistaken.  Or maybe its a really good decision and I'm not clever enough to appreciate it.  Although the internet suggests that sponges are bad for coral reefs

Hrvatska!

in the Caribbean, it otherwise doesn't weigh in on this puzzling situation.

    Like the high surf, the soccer tournament rolled on, and yesterday Russia played Croatia in a quarterfinal match.   It is a curiosity of this World Cup that teams like Croatia and Belgium, which might not roll off your tongue as you innumerate traditional soccer powers, have become the best in the world.  Real soccer fans were aware of this but parvenus like myself were taken by surprise.  

   This was a later game, starting at 8 AM here in Hawaii.  As we watched the game unfold, my brother, (glued to his television in a beach community north of Seattle) and I exchanged text messages.  Early on we traded thoughts on the costumes the Croatian fans were

The Croatian ladies have the best hats!

wearing.  I wanted one of those red checked shirts and Chuck said I should look in the picnic department at Wal-mart.  to which i replied, "They have Wal-marts in Zagreb?"  

   As the game progressed, I became disillusioned.  Chuck thought it was a great game and I thought the Croatians were playing just hard enough to keep the game interesting, while leaving an opening for a Russian win.  From my standpoint, it seemed perfectly possible that if Vlad could bribe the FIFA officials, he could pay off the Croatian team.  The game went into overtime and I put on my swimsuit and started rounding up my snorkeling equipment.  

    Parking in the free lot by the pier was a piece of cake.  Among other things, the availability of parking has been a positive side effect of the vog, which has decreased tourism and sent many sometimes residents scampering back to the mainland.          

    As I was unbuckling my seatbelt I got a final text from Chuck,  "Freedom Reigns!" ...celebrating the  Croatian shootout victory.  My reply was, "I guess Putin forgot to put in an extra ruble for the shootout."  And then it was time to swim.

Hydras coated with green algae.  A good thing or a bad thing?

   Unlike a few days earlier, this late morning was studded with dark clouds and waves crashing against the seawall, splashing over onto Alii Drive.  Ever intrepid, I made my way in through the surf as it ripped around the Ironman entrance.  I had a nice swim through very cloudy water.  As I returned towards the pier, the tender for the Nautilus submarine dropped its moorings, leaving the pier available for those of us who like our fish wet.    It is a curiosity that on days when there is otherwise no visibility, the water right next to the pier may be clear.  On this day it was not entirely without suspended particles, but if I got close I was actually able to take a couple pictures.  

    Over the years we have enjoyed small colonies of hydras in the area by the pier.  I found them on this day, but something was amiss.  If you look carefully at the picture, I believe you will agree that these hydras are coated with algae.  Having never seen this before, my initial inclination was that this can not be a good thing.  Back at the ranch, I have found articles

Juvenile Yellow Tang Kailua Pier July 2018

stating that in some species, green algae is symbiotic with the hydras, providing them with sugars and acids that they can not make themselves.  To my inexperienced eye, this still does not look good.

   I saw a school of sandlances, those tiny blue fish a bit smaller than a hand rolled cigarette.  And we got a couple pictures of red pencil urchins and sea cucumbers clinging to the pier.  Just off the pier I ran into an immature yellow tang.  Once one is aware of this interesting immature, he is sure to find one in the summer.  With their fins fixed in the extended position they are really cute.    A bit further out I reconnoitered with the menpachi.  I am not a big fan of the Department of Homeland Security, but in fencing in the embarkation area for cruise ship tenders, they have inadvertently created a small refuge for fish that would otherwise fall victim to anglers.  

   Finally it was time to head in.  As I hit the floating line, under which I would need to swim

Red Pencil Sea Urchin  Kailua Pier July 2018

to return to the designated swim area, it started to rain.  I sort of like the rain; when your head is in the water it creates a pleasant pattering.  And so I swam around a bit more looking at the fish in the shallows and enjoying the auditory aspect of the shower.  It took a while for me to appreciate that it was raining pretty hard.

   As I started to get out, I encountered three teenage girls with colorful tubes.  There was a set coming in, so I hung with them until things settled down.  One of the girls said, "You must think we're crazy."  And I thought to myself, "Wouldn't that be the pot calling the kettle back?"  

Dancing.  And Swimming in the Rain.

   Eventually the waves subsided, I made my way to shore and recovered my clothes.  Suffice it to say, everything was soaked.  After showering, I toweled off with my wet towel and put on my wet University of Hawaii T shirt.  Perfect.

Yeah.  Razors.  That's the ticket!

   Before going home I repaired to Long's Drugs to stock up on necessary items.  I needed...razors.  Yeah.  That's the ticket.  Razors.   Me and the razors found a jovial checker.  I told her my tale of the wet towel after swimming and she said, " I've got one better than that.  This morning there was a cute couple in here and they were headed to the beach.  I could see the girls swimsuit under her cover up.  It turns out that they were from Hilo and they came to the Kona side to get out of the rain for a day."  Whoops.

   Well, that's life on the beach.  Watch out for those rain clouds  not to mention them Ruskies.