Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
The diving at Keone'ele Cove ("Two-Step", Honaunau) was pretty good today despite surge and occasional sets from a northwest swell. Visibility was about 50 to 60 feet on the reef with pockets of better clarity here and there. The south side of the cove had some fair-sized surf rolling in so I decided to head north for my first dive. Had some good photo opportunities for some butterflyfish like the Ornate above and the Pyramids below.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
At the point where I was about to turn around and start my return leg of the dive, I caught sight of a creature seldom seen at this locale, a Hawksbill Sea Turtle.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
This particular Hawksbill was a small female that was only around a foot and a half in length. She stayed very close to the bottom the entire time I observed her, grazing on algae every so often.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
You can get an idea of her small size from the coral formations nearby. Hawksbills differ from Green Sea Turtles primarily in the shape of their heads. The front of a Green's face is very blunt and almost vertical, whereas a Hawksbill's is tapered like a bird's beak (or maybe a hawk's bill!).
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
Hawksbills are not truly rare in Hawai'i but occur much less frequently than Greens which seem to be present at almost every beach. On the southeastern side of the island is a Hawksbill nesting site at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
I hung out with my reptilian acquaintance until my air supply encouraged me to be on my way. I snapped this photo of a Banded Sea Urchin on my way back to the Two-Step.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
For my second dive I decided to take a chance on going south even though it looked kinda dicey. I was glad I did! Early in the dive I found this cute little baby Commerson's Frogfish clinging to the side of a coral head. Juveniles are almost always bright yellow like this, mimicking a type of local sponge. When they get older, their colors change to match their surroundings and they become quite difficult to see.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
I took many photos of this fish but few turned out very well. Either I "blasted" it with the strobes and washed out the image or I lost the fish in shadows. I did get a good exposure of it in this photo with his mouth wide open in a "yawn".
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
This Spotted Eagle Ray was making the rounds to all the little sand patches using its nose to shovel up invertebrates to munch. While these rays are majestic to behold while swimming, they have a somewhat ugly face that looks like a squashed duck with snake-like eyes.
Photo Copyright 2010 by Barry Fackler
The last photos for this diving day were of this feisty little Whitemouth Moray. It was free-swimming when I first saw it, but quickly took up shelter under this overhang.
Until next week, gang! A hui hou!
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