A Crazy Morning at Ho'okena with one interesting fish

     Yesterday we went to Ho'okena.  This was our first time at our favorite beach in almost a year; Sandra having hung up her fins and mask has made a substantial difference in where we go.

   We arrived just after 8 AM and, according to the thermometer, in the car, it was only 69 degrees.  That's pretty cool for Hawaii at sea level.   As we had hoped (relying on the StormSurf wave predictor and what we could see from our lanai as the sun came up) the ocean was calm.  It had been raining as we made our way through Captain Cook, up at 2000 feet, but here it was dry with high overcast. 

Ho'okena Jeff.

      For no good reason that I can think of, I had decided to wear my long dive skin, along with my vest and weight belt.  Once tucked into this costume (see picture) I was cozy warm.   Thus attired, I left Sandra in her beach chair, crossword puzzle book in hand, and made my way down the beach to our usual entry.

   Only a small swell was washing up on the black sand.  As I waded in, I considered my get up, coming to the conclusion that the camera was most inconveniently located in my swimsuit pocket... it would require something unusual for me to go to the trouble of retrieving it.   So wouldn't you know it,  I had just started my swim when I saw a fish that I couldn't identify, in eight feet of water, schooling with some goatfish.

   At this point I came face to face with my wardrobe miscalculation.  I undid the weight belt, held onto it while unzipping both the vest and the dive skin, and somehow got the camera out of my velcro pocket, without dropping anything.   I then secured the weight belt and vest flapping, took some pictures.   The best I can think of is Ichabod Crane goes snorkeling.

Barred Jack, Ho'okena, 2026

      So, take a look at the fish.   I could make out the forked tail, but the black markings were confusing me.  Certainly this fish had been the victim of a serious mugging.  Could that have something to do with the odd black markings on its flank?  

    I shared the picture with John Hoover, and he thought it was probably a Barred Jack.  I, too, had noted those faint vertical bars.  More importantly, he commiserated with us about Sandra not swimming, saying he hasn't swum in Hawaii for several years, limiting his diving to warm water like you experience in Indonesia.

    Finally, I had enough photos.   The camera got stuffed in my suit and I secured the weight belt over the dive skin, but under the vest.  Amazingly I was able to get the vest zipped up while wearing a glove. Unless I'm mistaken, this episode pretty much defines a FUBAR.  If only I had dropped the camera, it would have completed this foolish picture.  And after all that, the camera was once again inaccessible!

    

    Although we didn't have sunlight, the water was painfully clear.  Perfect for the photos that would never be.

    

    Shortly thereafter I saw a single male Gilded Triggerfish, only five feet down and hanging in a cattywampus posture, as they are wont to do.  

     I swam out over our tried and true coral patch and bagged both the Potter's and Flame Angelfish.   The coral at Ho'okena is slowly detiorating, giving way to the sand.  It's fortunate that this highly productive patch remains a viable home for these sought after species.

   At this point I was about 75 yards from shore and all alone.  So,I headed back in on an angle, which took me over the coral, which extends up to the decrepit footings of the old pier.   Here I saw a smallish moray, extremely light in color, working with a goatfish.  He was mostly hiding in the coral, so despite me diving for a better look, two good looks from the surface, 12 feet away, were the best we could do.  Uniformly light colored, moray eels are unusual.  I assume this was a stout, based on color and size.

   

Welcome to Ho'okena! (recr3eated by Chat GPT)

    Getting in was easy on this day with virtually no surf.  Soon I had made it to the shower, washed off my excessive garments and found Sandra hiding on the beach side of the little wall that defines the picnic area.  As I got ready to change, I took note of a pair of ladies having a chit chat while enjoying a spliff.   You guys are probably hip, but that is a new word for me this year...a cigarette from which a portion of the tobacco is discarded and replaced with marijuana.  So welcome to Kona.

     After I changed,  my sweetie and I wolfed down our lunch.   Swimming in the ocean and doing crosswords on the beach is hard work deserving of an early lunch!  We washed off our feet and headed to the car.  As we got there, we encountered the picnic table ladies, but they had been joined by four friends.  And everyone had his own joint, puffing away, and enjoying a spirited conversation.  For a moment there, I thought it was 1970 and I was back in a dorm room at the University of Washington.

    Just the other night Keahi Tucker, our local news personality, told us that the legislature is going to be looking into legalizing recreational marijuana.  Obviously, this can't come soon enough for our beach buddies at Ho'okena!

See you at the beach,

jeff