Diving the Kona Coast: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Post-Tsunami Dive Report for 02/28/10

The sun came up over a calm and sparkling Honaunau Bay this morning and I was there to greet it. Everybody and everything is still intact. The forecasters and government agencies all across the island chain did a great job responding to the tsunami threat. It was hard to believe that Honolulu/Waikiki could be cleared out that effectively!

Here on the Big Island today is just a day like any other day. Diving conditions were excellent although I noticed a couple things that seemed a little unusual. First, there was a lot of cold, fresh water percolating up through the water column. At one point my computer was indicating 73 deg. F. That's a little chilly! Also, I wouldn't exactly call it a current but there was a slight southward pull inside the bay today. Nothing major but perceptible, nevertheless.

I started my first dive as the sun was rising. A lot of fish were just coming out onto the reef after a night's rest. I saw this Day Octopus gliding along the reef top with a large Peacock Grouper escorting it. Like the goatfish in last week's post, the grouper follows the octopus, hoping to gobble up any little creatures the octopus may scare off the reef as it travels. This is the closest I've ever gotten to a grouper exhibiting this behavior. Usually they separate from the octopus until I move on.

Groupers can lunge at their prey very rapidly and engulf it by quickly opening their large mouths, creating a strong suction force. It would seem that the octopus is living dangerously here, however the interaction seems casual and non-threatening.

I got lots of good photos of the octopus as it let me follow it around the reef for some time. I saw two other octos on this dive.

This Green Linckia starfish has had a rough go of it! Two of its five arms are in the process of regenerating after some type of trauma. This is the type of sea star I see most often at Honaunau.

I photographed the Bullethead Parrotfish shown above just after it had finished what appeared to be a confrontation with another fish of the same species. They were aggressively swirling around each other and appeared to be snapping their jaws. Then this one swam in front of me with its fins flared while the other one swam away.

This Crocodile Needlefish is often mistaken for a Barracuda by snorkelers unfamiliar with the local marine life. There are similarities - both are good-sized silvery fish with intimidating teeth. These fish often jump clear of the water in their pursuit of small prey. Incredibly, there are documented cases of fatalities where fishermen were stabbed by the sharp beak of a leaping Needlefish.

As I returned to the Two-Step, I swam over this handsome Green Sea Turtle resting in a cozy sand patch. The shell on this one is almost completely clean. Often they can have a mossy coating of algae.

On my second dive, I headed north and happened upon this large school of Yellowfin Goatfish cascading down the face of the reef.

This Crown-of-Thorns sea star was stretched between the tops of two coral heads like a hammock between two palm trees. It would have been neat to see how this ended but it would have taken too long.

Threadfin Butterflyfish are not only nice-looking fish but they're also fairly curious about divers and, therefore, easy to photograph. As delicate as that dorsal thread appears, I've never seen a Threadfin that was missing it.

This trio of Blue Goatfish was prowling the reef in apparent search of a meal. These are young individuals which will get a bit beefier looking as they mature.

This little guy is an Ambon Toby that I found all tucked up under a ledge. Tobies like this are actually tiny pufferfishes measuring around 5" maximum. They are often seen in pairs but this one appeared to be all alone.

Slate Pencil Sea Urchins can be found on almost all Hawaiian reefs. They are fairly big but, during the daytime, they are quite capable of tucking themselves tightly into nooks and crannies on the reef. At night they come out and wander about the reef.

Thus ended my post-tsunami dive excursion. I don't work for the Chamber of Commerce but I do want people to know that the reefs are in good shape here and the tsunami was of no consequence. If you're planning a trip to Hawai'i, there's no reason to change your mind.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Tsunami Update - All Clear

The tsunami came to Hawai'i only causing a slight marine disturbance. We watched coverage on local TV which showed some interesting ebbing and flowing of the ocean in Hilo Bay. Fortunately, nothing of significance and no damage or loss of life.

I love living in Hawai'i but earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis are something that you have to take into consideration along with all the positives. If you love someplace and you're happy there, it's paradise. For me, that's Hawai'i. For you, I hope it's where ever you may be. Aloha

Tsunami Alert for the Hawaiian Islands

Before we went to bed last night we heard on the news about the huge Chilean earthquake. The newscasters stated that there was a possibility of a tsunami and to stay alert. This is something we hear about everytime there's a significant earthquake anywhere in the Pacific Basin. I went to sleep still planning to dive today as these things seldom actually materialize.

At 6 AM my alarm went off and I pushed the snooze button. As a laid there, I heard a weird noise that sounded kinda like a siren but not like the kind on an emergency vehicle. Then the phone rang. My brother was calling from Tucson to see if we were alright. My math skills suddenly returned and I was able to put 2 and 2 together!

All the local TV channels were covering evacuation activities and are continuing to do so as I type this. For anybody concerned about our immediate welfare - we're fine. We all live at around 1200' elevation and a tsunami cannot touch us. If the ocean ever comes this high, we will share our woes with the entire globe.

As far as non-immediate effects of the tsunami, it's too early to tell. We may lose power, water and communications for indeterminate amounts of time. We'll know in around a half an hour.

Don't worry about us. Personally, I've been through blizzards, hurricanes, nuclear meltdowns and earthquakes. We'll get through this OK. We just may be out if touch for awhile. Aloha, all.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

An Afternoon at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau

Directly adjacent to the beach at Honaunau Bay is Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. This is an area of great cultural significance for a couple of reasons. It was a place where the ali'i (royal chiefs) established their residences. It also encompasses a pu'uhonua, a place a refuge for defeated warriors or for those who had violated the kapu, or sacred laws. This area was utilized by native Hawaiians for several centuries until it was abandoned in 1819 after Kamehameha II abolished traditional religious practices. It became a national park in 1961 and was restored to preserve the ancient Hawaiian ways.

At the Visitor Center is a wall that has a tableau depicting life in ancient Hawai'i. There is a recorded narration that describes the arrival of the Polynesians who established the Hawaiian civilization.

After spending some time exploring the tidepools at the beach on Saturday, Jacques and I went over to the park. We have an annual pass for all the national parks on the Big Island and we come here a couple times a month. Jacques loves to play on the lava rocks and to look for turtles.

Here's Jacques sitting at a table used to play a game called konane. Depressions are carved into the playing surface to hold the game pieces which are made of lava and coral pebbles. We don't know how to play but Jacques likes to play a form of checkers with me at the table.

This A-frame work structure is called a halau. This particular halau houses a small collection of outrigger canoes, implements, and a ki'i (more commonly known as a tiki).

Sometimes there is a craftsman at the halau who can be seen carving ki'i or working on the canoes. The canoes are made from koa which is an endemic Hawaiian tree which produces a very hard, durable wood.

The royal grounds are dotted with hundreds of beautiful coconut palm trees.

The focal point of the park is Hale O Keawe, which is a reconstruction of a temple and mausoleum which once housed the bones of 23 ali'i.

Many elaborately carved ki'i stand silent vigil around Hale O Keawe. Offerings are sometimes left in remembrance of the old sacred ways.

I've been told this ki'i represents a fertility god. I'm inclined to believe it!

I don't think Jacques and I have ever been to the park without seeing at least one green sea turtle. Usually, they're sunning themselves on the sandy beach of the royal boat landing, but this one was resting in a rocky tidepool.

Jacques practices his limited hula skills in the amphitheater.

There are other interesting structures and artifacts to see at the park but we were only there for a short time on this day. It's $5 a carload for admission to the park and it's open daily. It's a very beautiful area and a great place to learn about the Hawaiian culture.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Olympic Diving Conditions-Dive Report for 02/20/2010

I had the day off on Thursday and thought I'd get in a couple dives. I was disappointed to get to the beach and find high surf. It would have been possible to get in and out safely, but visibility was sure to be poor. I just went home and did some chores.

I got to Honaunau Bay bright and early today to find epic diving conditions - smooth, flat seas and clear skies. I talked with some of the paddlers who told me that a Hawaiian Monk Seal had been seen here earlier in the week.

I got into the water a little before seven today. That's early even by my standards, but the ladies in my life were going to the spa later on and that means grandpa duty for me!

It was even early for big ol' Peacock Groupers, lots of whom were just laying on the reef waiting for the sun to come all the way up.

Down a little deeper I happened upon this male Threespot Chromis displaying his spawning colors. Normally these are are dark grey/black with three white spots near the base of the tail. The little fish in the background is a Chocolate Dip Chromis.

I have very few photos of the fish above. It's a Potter's Angelfish and has a beautiful combination of orange and blue markings. It is a shy beauty, however, and usually darts into the coral when I approach. This is the best shot I've gotten of one since I started shooting digital. I guess this guy was still a little sleepy too!

It was a great morning to see big moray eels. This Whitemouth Moray was out free-swimming and I kept an eye on it until it settled down on the reef. Morays often appear to be baring their teeth in a threat display but are actually just using their muscles to pump water over their gills.

Just a little further down the reef was this big Yellowmargin Moray. These are usually pretty docile as are most morays. However, a couple years back I found one of these that was absolutely huge. I took a couple friends down to the rock where it lived but couldn't find the eel right away. I shone my flashlight under the rock and found him tucked way back in. I signaled my friends to come take a look. I was astonished to see one of them reach her hand directly towards the eel's face! Before I could process what was going on it was all over. The eel bit down on the web space of her hand so hard I could hear a distinct "pop". Dive over. The eel let go and disappeared further under the rock. It was then that I saw the big Marlinspike Auger shell my friend was reaching for. From her angle, she never even saw the moray. It took a few stitches at Kona Hospital ER to close it up. A fun fact is that many moray eels have a third and sometimes a fourth row of teeth on the roofs of their mouths. These are known as vomerine teeth and aid in holding prey in the mouth.

The cleaning stations were busy this morning and I got a photo of this Ornate Butterflyfish being groomed.

Tucked under an overhang, this Tiger Cowrie gleams like a polished jewel. I'm always amazed how nature decorates marine snails and slugs with beautiful colors and patterns. Their terrestrial counterparts are seldom as attractive.

I love to find an octopus. Whenever I see a goatfish swimming excitedly near what appears to be a moving rock, I know I'll get some photo ops with my favorite mollusc. This was a little one, but quickly adapted to my presence and let me follow him around the reef.

I watched this octo for around 15 minutes before my air supply began to run low. Octopus are not at all uncommon in Hawai'i but they're also not really easy to find. Seeing one always makes me feel a little privileged.

The last thing I photographed on my first dive was this Mushroom Coral. This is a really interesting coral in that it is not attached to the bottom. The colony you see in the photo can be (but shouldn't be) picked up like a stone or shell. Most hard coral colonies are mound-like and attached firmly to the substrate.

My second dive was a pretty one but not as eventful as the dawn patrol. Sometimes when you're not seeing things that are big or uncommon, you just have to kick back and enjoy the little, everyday things that are always there in front of your face mask. Like..

... a Fourspot Butterflyfish

... an Agile Chromis

... or a Threadfin Butterflyfish.

I also found an overhang in shallow water that was crawling with Reticulated and Humpback Cowries. Here a Humpback hangs from the ceiling Spiderman-style.

When I came up from my dive, my daughter was at the Two-Step waiting to help me with my camera. My wife and grandson were at one of the tidepools with Jacques earnestly scooping the water with a dipnet in his own version of "fishing". Then the ladies took off for the spa and we boys were left on our own. My day was just beginning.