Diving the Kona Coast: March 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

Prince Kuhio Day - Dive Report for Friday March 26, 2010

Today is Prince Jonah Kuhio Day, a state holiday in Hawai'i and yours truly had the day off which was spent wisely at the beach.

On the first dive I found this Common Bigeye sheltered under a ledge. Note the silvery sheen on its dorsal surface. These fish always stay tucked away during the daylight hours.

I always have a difficult time getting close enough to Bluespine Unicornfish to get good photos. They tend to swim off when you begin to draw close. These are very aptly named fish with a prominent horn projecting forward from between the eyes. They are a beautiful light blue color.

The photos above are of an Orangespine Unicornfish. Despite the name, these fish don't have a horn on their heads. Go figure! What they do have is an ornately decorated face that reminds me of a tribal mask. Like other unicornfish, it's hard for me to get close enough for a good shot.

Undulated Morays, like this one, are sometimes aggressive. This one was pretty shy, keeping tucked in its coral haven and foiling any attempt to get a clear shot.

I'm still seeing a lot of octopus and a respected divemaster has told me that this is their mating season (the octopi's, not the divemasters'). Anyway, I've tried to cut back on octophotos but this one was just to cooperative. I was particularly pleased with the one where it blanched mostly white.

A try at an artistic shot with a sunny background. The fish is a Threadfin Butterflyfish.

The turtles are all doing well today. The one in the top photo is getting a good cleaning by a gaggle of tangs.

Saddleback Butterflyfish are beautifully colored and are one of my wife's favorites. They usually travel in pairs but this one was going solo.

Ornate Butterflyfish cue up at a cleaning station awaiting their appointments with a Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse.

On the second dive I saw yet another Day Octopus. I limited myself to this one photo. It was a nice day of diving. My only complaint is that the water is getting colder instead of warmer. Hopefully that will change soon.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Dive Report for Sunday 03/21/10

The surf was really up this morning! I took this photo with my cell phone and it shows big waves slapping the lava flow that extends seaward from the national park at the southern end of the cove. There was big surf to the north as well, but inside the cove conditions were manageable and visibility was OK. Water temp is still hovering at ~74 degrees.

Early in the first dive I found this Bullethead Parrotfish scraping algae from the coral. You can clearly hear the beak scraping the rock-hard surface. The fish ingests the calcium carbonate "skeleton" of the coral and (very) shortly thereafter poops it out as beach sand.

This little male Spotted Boxfish kept me entertained for awhile. It's body is covered with hexagonal plates and is fairly rigid. Nevertheless it is quite nimble and surprisingly fast for a creature that is as streamlined as a box!

I resisted the temptation to photograph another octopus that I found today. After all, how many octo photos does one blog need? I have a much harder time ignoring honus. This one was extremely mellow, swimming right along with me for a few minutes before rising to the surface for air.

I caught this Hawaiian Dascyllus being given the once over by a Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse. In this photo the wrasse is oriented so his "back" (dorsal surface) is facing the camera.

On the second dive, I saw this Moorish Idol. This one is a small adult. It used to have a partner with it but now seems to be going solo.

This funny little fish used to be called a Leopard Blenny. Later, the common name was changed to Shortbodied Blenny. This year it's called a Spotted Coral Blenny. Some species of fish are doomed to have an identity crisis created by fickle fish fanciers! They usually sit out in the open but seem to freak out the nano-second you make eye contact with them. They frantically dive down into the coral and erratically and quickly do a series of quick peeks at you before disappearing for good. This one was an exception, allowing me to take several photos which I am very happy to share.

Another little treat was this Jeweled Anemone Crab. Like all hermit crabs it inhabits a snail shell for protection. But this kind goes a step further by attaching anemones to its shell. When disturbed, the anemones eject bright pink stinging filaments called acontia. This gives the crab an additional line of defense. Nature is awesome.

My last photo for this post is the lowly and under-appreciated Hawaiian Sergeant. Plain and common it doesn't get much attention. I've been giving the species a little more attention as thy are cooperative photo subjects.

That's all for now, folks. See you next time!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Heroes and Influences

I have reached the point in my life where I find myself looking back at where I've been almost as often as I look forward to where I'm going. It's by no means a sad thing, as the journey has been a pleasant one and I have been more fortunate than I could have ever imagined. Here I am, aged 50-plus, married for 20 years to a truly wonderful and beautiful woman and living out my dreams in an island paradise. I've been thinking about how I got here and what and who led me along this most improbable path. All people have heroes and we can't help but to be influenced by them. While we may not consciously attempt to become these heroes, I think we do try to embody some of the qualities in them that we find admirable. This is a little retrospective of some of those influences.

AQUAMAN

I really loved comic books growing up! And, yes, I was certainly a fan of the major characters like Superman, Batman, Spiderman and so on. But of all the "lesser" comic book characters, it was Aquaman who caught my imagination the most. He was king of a fantastic, hidden world where he had not only the powers of a monarch but also power over nature. Despite all this, he was a truly nice guy. The Aquaman of my youth was stalwart, brave and true. He was not motivated by angst or vengeance but simply by a desire to do good. He had a family and just seemed well-adjusted by superhero standards.

The ability to control sealife was a major draw to me as well. At a young age, I was fascinated by three things, dinosaurs, airplanes and fish. I thought fish were really cool. A typical fish was streamlined and had fins much like a plane or spaceship. And fish had so many bizarre and fascinating adaptations...sword-like noses, wing-like fins, electrical weapons... it was all pretty thrilling to me.

I looked forward to Aquaman stories a great deal and also watched the Saturday-morning cartoons as well. As silly as it may seem to a lot of people, Aquaman had an early influence on my life.

JACQUES COUSTEAU

The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau was a staple in our household when I was growing up. As the youngest of four children, I'm certain that I didn't get to choose what was on TV. Nevertheless, I got to see this real-life sea king regularly on ABC-TV. To view actual footage of the amazing sea creatures that previously I'd only seen in books was like watching incredible science-fiction. To me, he embodied the essence of what an explorer/adventurer was supposed to be. He and his loyal crew traveled the world discovering new life, unearthing ancient civilizations, and dispelling old myths and misconceptions. A lot of his discoveries were truly by trial-and-error and he often took risks that bordered on being somewhat reckless. And yet, he presented himself eloquently, lyrically, and humbly. I think he was one of the last real explorers. Nowdays, people just don't set sail on an adventure for the sake of knowledge. Exploration these days is the provence of governments and major corporations and mavericks like Cousteau can't make much of an impact. Like all people, he was flawed and much of that has come out since his death. Nevertheless, he was very successful in guiding me to care for and love the ocean. I know he did the same for a great multitude of kids growing up in the 60's and 70's.

MISTER SPOCK

As I headed into puberty and all the upheavals that go with it, I found a friend in Mr. Spock. It goes without saying that , as a space-hero, he was wildly popular with many of the youth of the time. That aspect, of course, appealed to me. But more so, I identified with the conflicted nature of his half-human,half-Vulcan persona. As a nerdy, not-so-popular guy, I found a kinship with Spock that was almost painful. To me, we were both loners among people who couldn't possibly relate to or care for us. Spock's advantage was that he could stuff his feelings away with his logic and his discipline, whereas I was a mass of emotions and conflict that was always near the surface for all to see. While I wanted to be the cool, collected guy with all the answers, I never was and still am not. What I learned from Spock is to accept the duality of my spirit and accept the strengths and weaknesses that my "logical" and "emotional" sides have to offer.

CHARLIE FACKLER

The goofy kid is me and the guy with the Marlboros sticking out of his shirt pocket is my Dad, Charlie Fackler. My Dad had a list of shortcomings as long as your arm. He had skeletons in the family closet that seemed to truly haunt him. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade supposedly for knocking his gym teacher to the floor. He argued a lot and took everything in the National Enquirer as absolute gospel. Despite all this, he was a good Dad, not perfect, but good.

Dad worked hard at a string of jobs while supporting four kids in an economy not much better than today's. Primarily he was an aircraft mechanic for the government but was the victim of base closures more than once. He had 14 years of gov't service in...six years short of earning retirement benefits. I heard that often. He also worked as a car salesman, shoe salesman, security guard, gas station attendant and probably a couple of other things that I don't remember. He was definitely old-school and didn't want my Mom to work. Eventually, money got so tight that she had too.

When I was little, I remember going to an office with my parents every November and watching them fill out forms. It wasn't until I was older that I realized we were going to a finance company to take out a loan. Mom and Dad were borrowing money to make sure we kids had a nice Christmas.

Much of what I learned from Dad was what not to do. He often said "Don't do as I do, do as I say" and that was good advice. But he did have his good qualities: he worked hard: he sacrificed for others; he took on responsibilities he didn't have to; and he persevered.

We like our heroes to persevere and triumph. In real life, however, those who persevere often fail. My Dad may have fallen into the latter category.

My Dad loved his kids and, I believe, did his very best by us. Sometimes I see hints of him in things I say or do and I react with a little horror and a little wistfulness. His efforts helped his kids to see a brighter day, and his grandkids all the more so.

My Dad loved the sea. In the photo above, I'm wearing a captain's hat and a tee-shirt from Long Beach Island, NJ. We lived well-inland in Central Pennsylvania, but we usually made at least one trip a year to the seashore at Long Beach Island. My Dad loved the beach, the boats, the lighthouses, fishing and crabbing, the sound of pounding surf and the seafood. He helped me decorate my room with nets and shells. He helped to lead me to Hawai'i and to the ocean that I now know and love so much. He was a hero, too.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Dive Report for Saturday 03/13/10

The morning sun shone warmly on Hale O Keawe and the glistening waters of Keone'ele Cove .Still can't believe the luck we've been having this winter (I know, It's now "officially" spring). Anyway, the surf was way down on Saturday and diving conditions were epic once again.

This was an unusually cooperative Stocky Hawkfish. Usually, they dart for cover as soon as your eyes turn in their direction. More than one diver I know calls them "army fish" because of their effective camouflage pattern and colors. this one was fairly mellow, letting me crank off four shots before he headed for cover.

In the shallows I saw a mixed school of Raccoon, Threadfin, and Lined Butterflyfish. Initially they were hanging in the water column but soon settled on the reef to feed. In the photo above, a Lined Butterflyfish grazes among the coral. These are the largest butterflyfish in Hawai'i and are not common.

Here, some of the Threadfins linger in the water column. Some of the Threadfins in Keone'ele Cove must have been fed by divers or snorkelers because they occasionally approach quite eagerly.

I caught another Spotted Puffer napping on the coral this AM. These fish vary greatly in color and pattern. They can be dark or light and have a few large spots or many small spots. All of them have bristly skin which gives them the nickname "velcro puffer".

Puffers weren't the only creatures caught napping. This old honu was resting beneath an overhang of coral. Before long, he stretched his flippers and started to swim about the reef.

I snapped this photo just as the honu raised his head for a breath of air. I'm not wild about the composition of the photo but I love the colors. This was at the end of my first dive.

This Spotted Eagle Ray may have been following me for awhile on my second dive. I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my left eye. When I turned to look in his direction, he started to pull away into the blue. There was no point in following as he seemed a little skittish and unlikely to give much in the way of photo ops.

Despite the surge, I stuck my head in the swim-through to check on the little Ambon Toby I saw last week. It's still in there and looking pretty good.

I did see another octopus on this dive. This one was a bit shier than most so, I let it be. Over the past few weeks I've amassed quite a few octo photos, anyway.

This sand-dweller is a Clearfin Lizardfish. Except for the tail, all its fins are transparent. When it is not partially buried in the sand, it looks very much like a stubby snake.

I saw a few supermale Belted Wrasse like this one on my second dive. This is a really pretty fish with a bright orange "belt" bisecting multiple hues of green. Unfortunately, like most wrasse, they are very fast and flit about erratically so I have very few decent photos of them.

My last dive photo for this post is of the common Hawaiian Sergeant. Sergeants are a type of damselfish and are common at tropical and semi-tropical dive locations around the world. They have a common shape and most have black bars on the sides. They form loose schools and are often overlooked as "background fish".

This is a photo of one of my most beloved pieces of dive gear, my '98 Jeep Cherokee Sport. For 10 years it has transported Betty and I, as well as numerous guests to adventures all along the coast. The decade has been rough on the machine and it is now rusted and showing signs of mechanical wear and tear that would be impractical to repair. I have to decide in the next month if I'm going to invest the money in it to make it able to pass the upcoming safety check. It needs 4 new tires and some electrical work at the very least. It also tends to overheat if I drive it to town and back. The latch that shuts the rear has corroded away and I have to close the hatch with bungee cords. Classy, huh? Just a little reminder that this diving lifestyle isn't all glamor!

Til' Next Time, Aloha