The Night BeforeThanksgiving Day Blog

   Just to make one thing perfectly clear, if there is any turkey in this blog, it is the one that I see when I look in the mirror.
    My editor tells me that I owe the anonymous friend of a friend  an apology.  I meant no harm and mainly wanted my one or two readers to beware of the criminal element lurking around downtown Kailua.  And to be fair, I had my favorite backpack stolen from the cubby in the same location five years ago.  It wasn't the very same piece of furniture because that one was washed away in the Great Tsunami.  This new cubby has been anchored to the pier by a veritable web of steel cables.  But it is apparently no less vulnerable to theives.  Anyway,  I was just as guilty of carelessness, I miss my beloved backpack and Sandra still remembers slinking to the car in her wet swimsuit.  So to the firend of a friend: I meant no offense.  Mea culpa.
    Now on with today's news.
    I promised you that I would keep you appraised of the developing immature Pink Tail Triggerfish.  I went back in at Kona Makai this afternoon  (its still as calm as a bath tub) and swam around the spot where we have seen the immature PTT. 

A fish came along after about ten minutes and hung around the bottom near the spot where we saw the Orange Tail immature,  abeit a little deeper, perhaps just to aggravate me.  Here is the best pictures I could get.  Looks a lot like an adult PTT, doesn't it?  So either our fish matured completely in the past few days or the baby has left home to find his way in the world.  Or he was hiding in the rocks for fifteen minutes.   I'll be sure to let you know if the orange tail immature returns.
      Following this underwhelming adventure I swam over to the south side of our little bay, halfway intending to see if the Reticulated Butterflies were still in front of Royal Sea Cliff.  Over the south cusp, though, I got a good look at an initial phase Blacktail Wrasse.  This fish was on a mission from God.  My really good look lasted about two or three seconds as she swam out of visible range.  I patrolled the area for a few minutes, but the fish was gone.  There was no chance to take a picture.  Assuming that you have some interest in what this fish looks like, but yet have no fish book or are too lazy to open it, here is a link:
http://www.fishbase.org/identification/SpeciesList.php?genus=Thalassoma

     The Blacktail Wrasse is also known as the Old Lady Wrasse.  The Hawaiian name,  hinalea lauhine,  refers to an older woman.  It is a very rare fish in the main islands.  Before today, I haven't seen an adult that I can clearly remember. Sadly, my  "clear memory" for most birds and fish only goes back about 20 to 25 years.  To quote a denizen of the VA hospital in Portland,circa 1980,  "It takes a lot of guts to get old."  His problems were undoubtably worse than losing clear memory of a fish, but this is important stuff that seems to be falling off the far end of the shelf.  So it goes.  (Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five) 
    Philosophy aside, two years ago a couple on the beach at Kahaluu reported the little green immature BTT to me.  Last year and already this season I have seen and photographed a little green immature Blacktail Wrasse at Kahaluu.   This is a tiny fish (note the immature parrotfish on the left) and very green.  I'm not sure what Kermit would have to say about this, but if you are observant enough to find the little green fish, there is absolutely no doubt about what it is.  So it was very nice to see an adult.  If babies are showing up year after year, even in these small numbers, one could reasonably hope for a breeding pair somewhere in the neighborhood.
    So on that satisfying note I will leave you with this thought:

Little Green Fish, Little Green Men.
Old Ladies are from Venus,  Blacktail Wrasses are from Mars.

Happy Thanksgiving and remember... the turkey in the mirror is yours truly,
jeff

No Honor Among Thieves

   Yesterday Sandra and I took care of a little business with a friend.  While we were with her, she related that a girlfriend of hers had her purse stolen the previous day from the cubby at the pier (we call it King Kam after the nearby hotel).  You may recall in our opening article on this wonderful snorkel spot that we warned you not to leave your good stuff, much less your wallet, in that very cubby.  The pilfered friend had declared, "I've been leaving my purse there for years.  I thought it was the honor system!"  At which point Sandra  interjected, "No honor among thieves"
    If you have the urge to leave your wallet on the beach, you might go into the nearest tattoo parlor (I'm guessing there must be a dozen here in Kona) and have those wise words tattooed on your forehead.  Or you might have an extra set of credit cards and licenses in your desk drawer at home.  Whatever works.

Lagoon Triggerfish November 2011

    So today we went swimming at King Kam, wearing our old clothes and not leaving our valuables sitting in an unguarded cubbyhole.  Near the far end of our swim, we saw a nice fat Lagoon Triggerfish and an adult Rockmover.  Fish that are pretty common in the sheltered waters of Kahaluu, a little unusual in the middle of Kailua Harbor.
   On the way back in I spotted a Sidespot Goatfish.  King Kam is a pretty good spot for this unusual goatfish.   This guy was fairly shallow and let me take his picture.  Just as I surfaced from photographing, Sandra saw an octopus free swimming and then perching on a rock in three feet of clear water.  Octopi are so cryptic, that you don't see a lot of them and when you do its because they have moved.  I see only a handful each season.  I don't have a picture to show you because my photographic efforts never overcome the octopus's ability to look like the rock he is sitting on.

Sidespot Goatfish,  King Kam, November 2011

    Sandra declared this find by treading water and yelling my name followed by "Octopus!" It got me there, but Octopi are shy creatures and this one was gone.  If you see an octopus, stay back and be as quiet as you can.  With luck, while you watch he will change color and texture.  It can be a marvelous show.
    If I feel I have the octopus's trust, I sing him the doxology, of sorts, through my snorkel.  I didn't get a chance to sing to this octopus, but I will leave you with my song:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise him all Creatures hear me low.
Praise him above ye heavenly host.
Praise Octopus the Holy Ghost.

What can I say, I'm an animist.

Until we meet again may the dear lord bless you and keep you,
jeff

We're sure to see something good on the way in.

Yesterday Sandra and I went to the King Kam and swam out past the heiau onto Paul Allen's reef.  On the way out I got a very quick glimpse of the after half of a fan tailed filefish.  In the late 1980s this beautiful fish used to be extremely common.  Then the population crashed and it became very rare.  I was lucky to see 1

Open your white mouth, damn it!

individual last year hiding in the boulders at Honokohau.  So now I've seen half a fantail filefish for this year.  I also got this picture of a white mouth moray.  It appears that he closed his white mouth as I snapped the pic.
     Following that sighting we swam out a couple hundred yards.  The water was warm and clear and the usual suspects put in an appearance.  As we turned for home, we said to each other, as we always do, "We'll see something good on the way in."
   Over the rip rap, next to the heiau, Sandra called my name and exclaimed "Frogfish!"  I've never seen a frogfish.  I would give either of my two sons to see a frogfish.  (For that matter, I would give either of my two sons for a $6.99 platter of fish and chips.)   Regardless, it wasn't a frogfish.  I think Sandra knew it wasn't, but

The Devil Scorpionfish,  Scorpaenopsis diabolus, King Kam 11/20/2011

that was the first thing that popped into her head.  On the other hand, a well illuminated Devil Scorpionfish ain't chopped liver.   I hope you like the pictures.  And I hope when you go snorkeling you have  a sharp-eyed, brave and adorable swimming buddy to find you a good fish on the way in.
Happy Birthday to my brother Chuck,
jeff

Great Fish at Kona Makai ...the Quest Continues

   Each year as we arrive, we go to our favorite spots to see if something special has taken up residence.  Some fish swim through and are gone, generally the more pelagic (open ocean) fish.  But lots of others take up residence on a reef and stay for a while, sometimes for the duration of their lives.  This process was never better demonstrated than with the Phoenix Island Damselfish, the Notorious PID.  Four years ago on our first outing at Kona Makai we passed over a depression and saw a small (less than 3 inches) fish that was new to us.  To paraphrase the great John Lennon: Gotta be good lookin' , cause they're so hard to see!

John Hoover identified the PID from this poor picture!

   This was a small fish in a tough spot and I had an inferior camera.  Here is a picture of the fish that I sent, with field notes to John Hoover.  He writes the best fish finding guide for Kona.  My guru puzzled together the identification, sent me a picture from the web and Sandra and I confirmed it.  This was a life fish, never seen before,  for John (who as you might suspect, has seen a few fish!)  Months later he came, ate Sandra's delicious lunch and we went out on the KM reef and he took the picture that appears in The Ultimate Guide to Hawaii Reef Fishes.  I assume when he got home he ticked it off on his lifelist.  Subsequently,  other fish watchers came to Kona Makai and observed this single individual.  it lived in the very same spot for two years.  How does a tiny fish survive in a wave washed depression through a tropical storm with ten foot surf?  Amazing!  I can't display John Hoover's picture here.  Find the book and have a look.
   So the quest continues.  Sandra and I hope to find another fish new to the State of Hawaii, new to the Big Island or at least new to us.  And the best chance is the first time we go in at a certain location.  Who has arrived and taken up residence?
     You may wonder how they arrive.  Sometimes they swim in.  If there is a pair...see the Reticulated Butterfly below...this is probably the case.   But in the case of rare ocean animals (we also have a state record for a tiny hermit crab) this is what happens:  Somewhere an egg is fertilized.  Lots of eggs.  Most go to shore near where they were fertilized..  Once near shore they mature to an adult animal.  If they are in a suitable location, they survive and may live out their entire life right there.  Sometimes these eggs float huge distances, thousands of miles, on the currents.  Then a lone individual is found, known as a waif.  Such was the PID.
    You've been a good audience and I'm sure you are dying with anticipation, so here is what we have found on the reef at Kona Makai in November of 2011.
     First, a hybrid of Achilles Tang and Goldrim Surgeon.  Incestuous sheets.  (Probably the Achilles and Goldrim parents did not share the same existential angst that Hamlet found with the union of his mother and uncle.)  This hybrid is well known and is pictured in Hoover's book; I knew right away what it was.  I'd never seen one before, though.   Tick it off!  This one is living to the right of the entry in front of Kona Shores Condominium. A few days later, we saw one on the right cusp at City.  That story will follow.  If you are in the area, this is a good year for this fairly rare fish.

The Goldrim hybrid with an Achilles Tang, City 11/17/11

     Most interestingly, right near the Valley of the Sun (the depression where our Phoenix Island Damsel lived out its life, we found an immature

The Orange Tail imm. 11/09/11 @ Kona Makai

 Pink Tail Triggerfish.  The PTT is not a rare fish and its not clear why we don't see the immature form very often.  In fact, this morph is so uncommon and so different from the adult form that ichthyologists of yore thought this was a new species.  So did I, but a trip to the library and a more careful look at Hoover's book clearly showed this beauty for what she is.  (Did you know that most reef fish are immatures, then females, then males?)   We are watching it about every other day and documenting its change from the Orange Tail Triggerfish  to the Pink Tail adult. I'll show you more pics as this baby matures..so far she has stuck around for 2 weeks in the same spot.  We regard such unusual morphs as a separate entity and...Tick it off!

The transitioning immature 11/18/11

    Yesterday, I required  a spiritual ablution following the loss of my beloved Huskies to the OSU Beavers.  Getting in at Kona Makai, I swam left for the first time this season.  It has been very calm for these two weeks and I swam onto a reef in front of the Royal Sea Cliff, where ashore we hunt for sea glass.

A Pair of Reticulated Butterfly, Kona Makai, 11/19/11

        
While taking a picture of a Crown of Thorns Starfish, I spotted a flash of creamy white.  A pair of Reticulated Butterflyfish!  Tally Ho!  I carefully swam them down and got the pictures you see here.  This butterfly is a fish of turbulent water, an area in which I specialize.  Divers get the deep water so if a snorkeler is going to earn his chops, he must go where divers dare not tread... the last four vertical feet in the surf.  We have seen a single individual Reticulated Butterfly here before on the south cusp of the Kona Makai bay.  That was seven or eight years ago.  And that was the last Retic. I have seen before yesterday.  I've never seen a pair at Kona Makai.  Butterflyfish are like swans, they mate and live together in pairs.  Its always nice to see a pair.
     Well, on that touching note, i am going to wrap things up.  This has been the longest blog yet.  Thanks for your interest and see a a fish for me.
jeff 

Kona Makai

Kona Makai

The entry pond at Kona Makai.  Note the enclosing underwater lava tube reef.

  Kona Makai and Alii Villas are two pleasant and moderately priced condos just south of Kailua.
My friend Carol Solid (Dream Hawaii  800-967-1220)  can rent you a unit for a good price.  The snorkeling off Kona Makai is quite good and a rite of passage for intermediate snorkelers.

Here my gear is on the pedestal near the head of the pool. 

   Park in the Kona Makai lot and make your way down to the seaside deck.  Follow the lava to the right around the small inlet.  Just this side of a tide pool, find a flat pedestal about four feet above the water.   Sit on the rock to the right of the pedestal and put on your gear.  There are several lumps of lava to provide footfalls


as you slip into the water.  You will find yourself in a pool that deepens from about five feet to about twenty.  As you swim out you will reach a reef formed by a lava tube.  Swim over the reef and find yourself in thirty feet of water.   If there is any surf, you will swim through about ten yards of turbulent bubbles as you cross the reef.  There is fine snorkeling both left and right with amazing underwater lava topography.

Adjacent to the pedestal is is the stepped entry. 

    You will find the usual suspects here, but there is always a chance for something amazing.  In 2007, we scored a record for the Big Island by finding the Phoenix Island Damsel fish on the reef to the right.  This individual lived in a depression for a over a year.   Our very own Notorious P.I.D. appears in John Hoover’s  Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes.
     Getting out we find a lump in a trough depression about five feet seaward of the entry.

A Freckleface Hawkfish waiting for you at Kona Makai

    Because we live at Alii Villas, this is our home court.  It gets quite a bit of stress from spear fishermen, but it is the rare spot that escapes these fearful predators.  When you see spear fishermen at Kahaluu, you will understand the truth of this statement.  At any rate, because we swim here frequently, we have seen a lot of different fish.  Sandra and I frequently swim north to the reef in front of Sea Village and south to the reef in front of Royal Sea Cliff. 
     There is sometimes a small amount of current, but nothing an intermediate snorkeler can't handle.  Getting out can be a little tricky when it is very low tide.  In those instances, I use a lava step another few feet seaward of the usual exit.

jeff
                                                                                        © Jeffrey Hill 2011

Kona Makai on Dwellable

Honokohau Great for Kids!

Honokohau  

Honokohau. The pretty beach and protected bay.

Looking seaward.   Note swimmers, dog and dive boat.

    I have now brought you back south so far that you are virtually in Kailua.  Honokohau is the boat harbor, where you might board a boat at great expense for day or night snorkeling or deep sea fishing.  It is less than  a mile south of Costco, home of cheap pizza, steak and gas.  Mongo likes the pupus.

    Before going further in this description be aware of the Shark Alert.   There are now sharks in the recommended snorkeling area,  See the blog, Tiger Sharks of Honokohau. 

    There is a sweet sandy beach on the south shore outside the  harbor entrance.  Drive down the palm-lined road, go straight (left) at the Y.  Pass all the boats to where you can see the ocean and park on the lava, next to other parked cars.  Below and to your left is a small sandy crescent.  The route over the lava ridge and across the pahoehoe lava is obvious.  If you are reasonably agile, you can do this.  Once down, pick a spot for your stuff and get in the water.

     The water you enter is sun warmed and protected by a shallow reef about 15 yards wide.  This pond is frequently used by local families with kids and flotation devices. Your family  (including keikis with their flotation tube) will be welcome!

A pair of Citrons lived inside the Honokohau reef for a year.

   Snorkelers will swim out over the reef.  I would not attempt this in rough conditions!  The reef bottom is covered with a beautiful lavender weed.  Once outside the bay the bottom slopes away amid large boulders.

     This place is so good that dive companies motor out of the harbor and anchor right where we are swimming.  (If it were me, I might be upset that someone is swimming around the boat I paid beaucoup bucks for and chatting up the skipper.)  Sometimes this spot will reveal something very special.  Swim out fifty feet seaward of the dive boats...stay inside the green channel buoy!  In the water column we have seen Thompson’s Surgeon and Butterfly.  Potter’s Angelfish is regular, if deep. Fish hide among the shallow boulders.  You might see soldierfish.  A few years ago we saw a Fantailed Filefish.  Dolphins are common a bit further out.  They are in the lane used by returning fishing boats , though, so don’t swim out there.  Please be very careful to stay out of the way of the fast moving boats. This is their right of way and they go so fast they would hit you before they saw you.

A perfect Threadfin at Honokoh

  There is one significant caveat relating to this wonderful little beach.  Over the last ten years it has developed the reputation of being dog friendly.   In fact, if you tell someone you are going to "the dog beach", they'll know you mean Honokohau.   Beware of Rover’s business and be aware that there is a genre of dog owner that might be deemed thuggish.

     The marina is a friendly place full of interesting craft.  In the afternoon you might see a returning  skipper displaying his catch.  There is an acceptable restaurant and shop with amusing T-shirts at the marina.  About a quarter mile from the place you parked is a cinder block building with restrooms and sinks.

This cute pooch is a frequent visitor to the Dog Beach.

Author's note: An important addendum to the Honokohau Dive Site appears in the December 1st Blog "Honoko-Wow"!

Honokohau Boat Harbor and Beach,, just to the south.
Note the lava rock climb down to the beach.

 

                                                                                          © Jeffrey Hill  2011

Kona Makai on Dwellable

The Waikoloa Hilton Great for kids!

The Waikoloa Hilton
   Walt Disney meets Hawaii in this property now owned by Hilton.  There are monorails, boats, waterfalls and waterslides.  Small kids will love to ride the boats and the monorail.  Only the larger waterslide requires hotel identification.  There's a pretty good art gallery and a variety of Asian art and anthropological artifacts in the walkways.   And some amusing Asian statuary on the spacious grounds.

Amusing Asian Art at the Resort

    The snorkeling beach is odd, being man made.  Cross the monumental bridge and follow the trail to the right under the waterfall, pass the pitiable, incarcerated dolphins and find the fine sand beach where you can grab a lounger under an umbrella.  The water in the lagoon is colder than the sea, but is perfectly flat and might make a good place to familiarize yourself with your equipment
    The draw of the “lagoon” from my perspective, is that the management swears that all the fish in the lagoon have been washed in over the dike at the far end.  You may swim under the bridge and venture as far as this dike where there are a myriad of baby fish.  It is cloudy out there with chunks of rip rap and cement left over from construction and I don’t recommend it unless the urge is unquenchable.   I go out there every time.  Go figure. Tooling around the lagoon you may see some pretty amazing stuff.  We have seen a variety of eels, Great Barracuda, bonefish and Helmeted Gurnard.  One year we saw an immature Threadfin Jack!  How cool is that? 
     Are these fish wild?  Do you put them on your list with an annotation?  I think it is fun to see them swimming with me in the water.  And if its just too rough to get in anywhere else and you really want to go snorkeling, its probably worth putting up with a pond full of rubber nosed geeks.

A Helmeted Gurnard in the lagoon!

    Parking used to be free, now there is a trick.  Drive up the valet road and drop off the wife and kids at the entrance where they can harass the staff.  Motor back down the ramp to the main road. At the stop sign, on the other side is a lot designated for beach access parking.  Park there and retrace your steps afoot up the ramp.  Bingo.
    At the King’s Shops there is an inferior gallery and other options to fritter away your hard earned sheckels.  Ditto with the Queen’s Shops.  Anyway, the King and Queen lived in Kailua.
    One final word.  If you think that incarcerating God’s dolphins is a good idea, the Great God Ku will visit you in your dreams and do unmentionable things.  Don’t mess with Ku!
                                                        
                                                                                         ©  Jeffrey Hill  2011