Diving the Kona Coast: December 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

Dive Report for Sunday 12/20/2009

By no means was this a "Chamber of Commerce" type of day in Kona. When I got up there was a little bit of sun and blue sky over the mountains but very gray and cloudy over the ocean. During the first dive I had a little sunlight but it got progressively darker as time went by. The scene above was taken between dives. As I geared up for my second dive it began to drizzle very lightly. But I was already wet and planning on getting wetter so I went ahead. The second dive was good, but topside it was raining buckets. To the south there was thunder and lightning and north in Kailua-Kona funnel clouds were spotted over the ocean. Pretty wild!

The weather made underwater visibility a bit like night diving. I saw this juvenile Blackside Hawkfish early in the dive. These fish undergo a dramatic change in coloration as they mature. Later in the dive I found an adult specimen. You can see from the photo below how this fish changes as it grows.

A variety of Wrasses were on the reef on the first dive. The beautifully colored fish above is a Yellowtail Coris. All wrasses swim by beating their pectoral fins, holding the tail stiff and using it only for steering. They flit around somewhat erratically and are difficult to photograph.

Above are three female Bird Wrasse darting about the reef. They have a characteristic curved beak that resembles the beak of a Hawaiian bird called a Honeycreeper. The males are similarly shaped but are bigger and colored dark green and blue.

The Saddle Wrasse is one of the more common fish on Hawaiian reefs and is easily identified by its orange "saddle" just behind the head. It has beautiful magenta markings at the base of the anal, dorsal and caudal fins.

Near the end of the first dive I came upon a cloud of stirred up sand. At first I thought it might have been the result of a couple of Square Spot Goatfish feeding in the area. But then I saw a Spotted Eagle Ray glide through the area. These graceful swimmers are becoming more commonly seen around Honaunau.

After an hour's surface interval, I returned for a second dive. This Manybar Goatfish is displaying the chin barbels that give it the family name as they somewhat resemble a goat's beard. This individual tipped me off to the presence of a Day Octopus as the two creatures sometimes hunt cooperatively.

Here are the two hunting partners together.

This particular octopus was a little shy so I only took a couple photos of it, then moved on.

Death is an integral part of nature's plan on the reef as elsewhere. This Pelagic Jellyfish has drifted to its demise in the bay. It's once flowing tentacles have been eaten down to nubs and a big gash runs across it's bell. It was being nibbled on by a Ringtail Wrasse, which fled as I approached. It's bell pulsated weakly and ineffectively, unable to lift it off the sea floor.

My diving day ended with an uncommon sight. A medium-sized Great Barracuda hovered near the surface in shallow water. When we lived in the Florida Keys we saw 'cudas all the time and they were quite bold. Often they would follow you for most of the dive. Here in Hawai'i you don't see them very often and they tend to be shy around divers. The ones I see here are generally a lot smaller than their Western Atlantic and Carribean kin.

No more dives are planned until after Christmas but hopefully I'll get one more day of diving in before the end of the year.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

And to All a Good Night

The photo above is a view of the sun setting into the Pacific this evening. I took the photo from our lanai, or front porch. Betty and I live modestly but we get to enjoy million dollar views from our little house in Kealia. Below are some photos of our outdoor Christmas decorations. Betty loves purple so we went with that this year.

Good night, everyone!

Trina the Manta Ray

These are a couple of very old (June 2004) photos of a daylight manta ray sighting in Honaunau Bay. Honaunau is not a real hotspot for manta rays so it was kind of a special occasion. I had a good 10 to 15 minute encounter and used up all the film in my clunky old camera. Afterwards, I submitted the photos to the Manta Pacific Research Foundation which catalogs members of the local manta ray population. They can identify individual rays by the black spots and blotches on their underbellies.

It turned out this ray was new to their database and we were given the opportunity to name her. Betty and I decided to name her after our daughter, Trina, whose love of manta rays first brought us to the Big Island for a vacation back in 1999.

There is a link to the MPRF on the right side of the page, Click on it to learn more about MPRF and the good work they are doing to protect Hawai'i's mantas. They recently got legislation passed making it illegal for anyone to kill or capture manta rays in Hawaiian waters.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Kailua-Kona Christmas Parade

For a little seasonal change of pace, I thought I'd post some photos of our Christmas Parade that was held on Saturday, Dec. 12. I'll just let most of the photos speak for themselves. Kailua-Kona is a small town and our celebrations are a little corny and hokey but lots of fun. Most of the "floats" are lawn decorations mounted on pick-up trucks or flatbeds. Everybody has a good time, though, and gets in the Holiday spirit.

Anticipation

The Joy of Candy

Somewhat Creepy Angels

The star of the show

My two favorite Parade Watchers.

My grandson, Jacques

and my beautiful wife, Betty

Monday, December 14, 2009

Dive Report for Sunday 12/13/2009

Perfect conditions above and below the surface on this fine Sunday morning. Despite ginormous surf on some of the other Hawaiian islands, there was hardly a ripple at Honaunau Bay. Visibility was easily 100' and the surface was glassy. Today was not to be a day of major sightings with no dolphins, rays or sharks to be found. Just beautiful conditions and colorful tropical fish frolicking in the water.

On the first dive I went to 81' and headed south. After a little while , I came up to the reef top and explored inside a small cave where I found this Common Bigeye (aweoweo in Hawaiian). These dark red fish are nocturnal and seek shelter in caves or under ledges during the day. This fish is identical to the Hawaiian Bigeye except its tail fin is convex, where the Hawaiian Bigeye's is concave.

On the first dive I also saw a couple of honu. One was sleeping under a ledge but the other one was cruising along just under the surface. This gave me the opportunity to get a couple turtle "belly shots". These are always fun because, when the surface is calm, it looks like the turtle is flying through the air.

On the second dive I went to 55' where I came across this pack of juvenile Blue Goatfish. Most goatfish probe the bottom with their barbels which they use to locate the invertebrates they feed on. Blue Goatfish, however, prey on small fish and use their barbels to flush prey from crevices in the coral. They usually hunt in small, loose schools like this, often in the company of other predators hoping to seize a fish that the goats flushed out.

Our little colony of Pyramid Butterflyfish remains intact and as happy as butterflyfish can be!

There were several schools of young Black Durgon on the reef today as well. The younger individuals have fine blue lines on the body and a green blush to the face. As they mature they become more uniformly black except for the bluish-white lines along the dorsal and anal fins.

Ringtail Wrasses, like this one, usually hover in midwater waiting to strike at potential prey. They have impressive canine teeth that often protrude from the mouth. This one was acting peculiarly, lying on the bottom and tucked in among the coral. When I drew closer to investigate, it rocketed out of its shelter and swam off.

It was a really nice day of diving with the reef providing a good showing of its bright and beautiful residents.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Dive Report for Saturday 12/05/09

The water was a little rough at Honaunau Bay on Saturday but nowhere near the double digits forecasted for west-facing shores. A high surf advisory is in effect through Wednesday. When I arrived at the beach, groups of Spinner Dolphins (Nai'a) were visible in the north end of the bay, approaching quite near to shore. I donned my gear and swam out in the general direction of the pod.

Even before I could get off the surface, the dolphins were all around me. It was still early in the morning (around 7:15) so there was not a great deal of sunlight to photograph by.

The dolphins were apparently freshly arrived after a night of hunting out in the deep ocean. They were leaping out of the water and the sea was abuzz with their clicks and whistles.

I give the dolphins plenty of space and how close they come is entirely up to them. On almost every encounter, there is a sub-group of three or four males who will make a few close passes. This seems to be their role in the pod, to check out any interlopers and make sure they pose no threat.

In the early morning light the image of dolphins descending on you is almost celestial or spiritual. I find myself thinking it's like seeing angels appear out of the heavens,

Very few days pass where I don't stop and think about what a fortunate soul I am. Especially so on mornings like this at Honaunau Bay. Encountering wild dolphins, on their own terms is like a waking dream. Moving to the Big Island was one of the best decisions my wife and I ever made.

I estimated there to be ~ 30 individuals in the pod although they were divided into sub-groups. When I started to get low on air, I retreated to the shallow waters of the reef to off-gas and look at some of the smaller creatures. When I returned to the beach, I looked seaward to find that the dolphins had departed from the bay. I was glad they spent part of their brief visit with me.

After an hour's surface interval, I re-entered the ocean again and was lucky enough to have another encounter with a big creature. This time, I happened upon upon a "baby" Spotted Eagle Ray in the south end of the bay. This individual is well known to local SCUBA and free-divers who have been casually observing her progress over the last couple months. She has an almost ridiculously long tail that she will "grow into" as she matures.

I took a few photos while she circled around in the sand looking for prey. As she drifted away, I turned my attention toward other matters. Like dolphins, rays pretty much control the duration of any encounter as they can swim away whenever they choose.

A few moments later I looked up and saw her soaring along the drop-off as gracefully as her namesake bird. It was a remarkable sight to see backlit against the morning light.

One last sight to share. This cheerful wreath is actually the egg mass of a large sea slug called a Spanish Dancer nudibranch. I include it here because it puts me in mind of the holiday season which I hope you all are enjoying!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Hawksbill Turtle

This was a nice encounter Betty and I had earlier this year. This is a young Hawksbill Turtle that we found resting on the drop-off at Honaunau. It was only around two feet in length and was very curious, approaching so close that I couldn't take photos most the time. These turtles are seldom seen in Hawai'i although there is a known nesting beach south of us at Punalu'u.

Hawksbills differ from Green Sea Turtles in that they have a more pointed beak, a flatter, serrated shell, and an overall smaller size. In Hawaiian it is called honu 'ea meaning "reddish-brown". They are an endangered species and are protected under federal and Hawai'i state law. In the old days, they were the source of "tortoise shell" for combs, glasses and ornamental products.