Another weekend of great diving at Honaunau this weekend. The seas were almost flat with only some occasional, small sets slapping at the shore. The weather was nice and sunny, the U/W visibility easily 100' and the water temp an exhilarating 74 degrees. Except for the temp everything was as close to perfect as it gets. By the way, before I go any further I'd like to point out that the area I've been referring to as Honaunau Bay is actually named Keone'ele Cove. Please forgive the inaccuracy.
Betty dove with me today and it was nice to have her company.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
We went deep to check on our little cluster of Longfin Anthias and found them all to be doing quite well. Here Betty checks on two of the females in the "harem".
We went south along the face of the dropoff and happened upon a number of Oval Chromis in the act of spawning.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
This is a male Oval Chromis displaying his "spawning colors" Spawning season is from about February through May. During this time a male will establish a territory, prepare a nest and defend his territory from rivals. The male then performs the aquatic version of a mating dance to attract females to his nest. When an interested female arrives she deposits eggs at the nest site and, afterwards, the male fertilizes them. Once the eggs are fertilized, the female departs, leaving the male to rigorously defend the eggs against any intruders, even those far bigger than himself including divers!
For the second week in a row a Peacock Grouper was seen engaging in cooperative hunting. This time the partner was a good-sized Whitemouth Moray. When we first saw the pair, the eel was free-swimming but it dove into the coral when we approached.
For the second week in a row a Peacock Grouper was seen engaging in cooperative hunting. This time the partner was a good-sized Whitemouth Moray. When we first saw the pair, the eel was free-swimming but it dove into the coral when we approached.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
We found this Whitesaddle Goatfish, or kumu, resting after a night of hunting along the reef. This fish was highly valued in ancient times and could be offered as a sacrifice in lieu of a pig if a pig was unavailable. Men could eat the kumu but women were forbidden to do so.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
We saw several of these young Whitebar Surgeonfish during our first dive. They seem to stay solitary when they're small but form small schools when they mature.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
Seeing and photographing Green Sea Turtles is pretty routine but I really like this photo of a honu I took toward the end of the dive. It's not a great picture of the turtle, but the water's surface looks really amazing. It sort of reminds me of a Salvador Dali painting combined with Van Gogh. I particularly like the way the clouds are distorted in the upper part of the frame.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
Here's another photo taken a couple of seconds later but minus the view of the clouds. When I'm photographing a moving sea turtle, all I really concentrate on is keeping the animal in the shot. How the background appears is completely serendipitous.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
On the second dive we encountered this trio of Hawaiian Dascyllus just before they dove into a coral head. These fish are in the same family as the Oval Chromis and can also be quite bold. attacking fish that trespass into their territory.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
We went into a swim-through and surprised this little juvenile Blackside Hawkfish who wasn't expecting company, apparently.
The Humpback Whales that had been residing outside the cove appear to have left the area. I haven't seen them for the last 3 weeks. Maybe they'll return next year.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
Tucked deep inside the swim-through was this cute little Ambon Toby. The neon blue color at the base of the anal fin is a defining characteristic of the species. There was another Ambon Toby in the area but it was really hidden deep in a crevice behind this one. They usually appear in pairs.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
The population of Convict Tangs in Keone'ele Cove continues to grow. This pair comprised the tail-end of a long chain that was traveling close to shore as we finished up our dive.The Humpback Whales that had been residing outside the cove appear to have left the area. I haven't seen them for the last 3 weeks. Maybe they'll return next year.
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