And patterns, and shapes. Fish vary widely in what they look like. Some choose to blend in, others choose to stand out. Some fish change colors in front of your eyes. Others stay the same.
Here are some examples:
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| Terminal phase male palenose parrotfish (uhu) |
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| Male bird wrasse (hinalea i'iwi ) |
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| Male spotted boxfish (moa) |
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| Black durgon (humuhumu 'ele'ele) |
This morning, we were at the harbor by about 5:30 AM, in time to gaze at the big dipper. About 10 minutes later, we found the boat we were heading out in, and at about 6 AM, we headed offshore to fish in water that was 1 to 2 miles deep.
As we started out, the very pink clouds were warning us that bad weather was coming. But the captain assured us that the weather wouldn't change until 2 PM, and we would be back by 12. However, the wind waves and currents were running against each other, so as the captain said "it's like a washing machine."
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| Mount Hualalai |
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| Mauna Loa (the long mountain) |
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| Mount Hualalai |
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| Mauna Loa |
We were back by 12, but largely because I got seasick. After about the 4th time that I puked, Bori and the captain decided to head in. We were out for 4.5 hours instead of 6. No fish were caught (by us or any other boat that we could see). I caught a glimpse of one brown booby that was sitting on a buoy. No other birds were seen. No whales and no porpoises were seen. In case you think it couldn't have been that bad because the photos are straight -- I had to make corrections of up to 7% to get a straight horizon. I didn't want to share anything that might promote seasickness.
Definitely no fish were harmed on this expedition.
After a couple of days that were quite gray and wet, this morning we were graced with sunshine. So we headed to the beach to snorkel (along with lots of other people who had the same idea).
One of the challenges of snorkeling at a site with freshwater springs is that the more freshwater that pours into the site, the poorer the visibility. So we swam towards the seawater.
Almost as soon as we got into the water, a bluefin trevally ('omilu) swam by. It was about 24 inches long. The freshwater mixture made taking photos challenging, but this fish is so striking in color and shape that I wanted to share it anyway.
Then just before we got out of the water, we found a really active cleaning station that was being operated by two adult Hawaiian cleaner wrasse (about 3 inches long). These were the best photos of the day. Their cleaning station was at the bottom of a small coral head, and a nocturnally active fish that spends its days just behind there would periodically chase all the fish away before the station would form again. The wrasse have yellow heads and a magenta tail.
Well that's a mouthful of a name, but a lovely fish to encounter. We often see a few of these, but the other day we encountered hundreds of them in aggregations. They were small (8 or 10 inches) but made a striking impression on us. Despite their name, this species does not possess a unicorn horn. The Hawaiian name for orangespine unicornfish is umaumalei.
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| They can rapidly change color. One in the middle towards the left side is displaying a yellowish tint. |
This morning, we took a tour of the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm. They are sustainably growing seahorses for the aquarium trade, and have a very successful breeding program.
The tanks look pretty generic from the outside, but when you see what they are growing inside the tanks, it's pretty cool.
Below are some of the seahorses that we were able to observe. The seahorses were about 6 to 8 inches in length, and they frequently wrap their tails around other seahorses or structures. Their use their prehensile tails to anchor themselves in place. They are not very strong swimmers.
Here in Hawaii, shoreline access is a public right. Therefore, gated communities have to provide access points. Today, I used public access through a posh neighborhood to walk along the lava-rock beachfront and gaze into tidepools.
The first point of interest was a lovely Keiki pond (a children's pond).
After that, I looked into many tidepools and found a few invertebrates, and some small fish.
But the last tidepool I looked into had a very content sea turtle, grazing away on encrusted algae. That was a pleasant surprise.
We are staying in the "historic" village of Holualoa. In contrast to the structures that we see in France that are hundreds or thousands of years old, the old buildings of Holualoa were built around the turn of the 20th century. Several of them still stand along the highway.
The old post office is now a ukulele gallery.
The old phone exchange is now a private residence.
The Tomikawa store is still a business, but not a general store.
The dentist's office has been preserved as it last functioned.
Yes abalone. Big Island Abalone. We went to see their aquaculture facility here. They grow abalone using clean, cold seawater that is piped up from a depth of 3000 feet just offshore of the island. They have been doing this since 1998.
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| Bori and our tour guide, Carlos |
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| Abalone grow pens |
They also grow dulse, the seaweed that they feed the abalone. However, the seaweed grows best at one temperature (50 degrees F) and the abalone grows best at another (60 degrees F). The surface ocean temperature is in the mid- to high-70's. Keeping everything at optimal temperatures is a big part of their work. Seawater is rapidly flowing through all systems. The dulse is harvested with nets, then transported to the smaller pens where the abalone graze on it and grow.
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| Dulse seaweed, food for the abalone |
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| Tank full of dulse |
They sell the live abalone beginning at about one year up to about 10 years. Prices increase with the age and corresponding size of the abalone.
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| Top to bottom: 6 months, 1 year, and 3-yr old albalone |
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| A 5-yr old abalone showing its "face" |
The tour ends with a tasting of grilled fresh abalone, and canned abalone. Very cool facility. We bought some dulse and some fresh abalone to eat tonight.
Recent afternoon showers seem to have awakened some of the Plumeria (also known as frangipani) trees here. These deciduous trees have been looking pretty barren. They seem to often flower before sending out any leaves. But this week, I've been noticing both new blossoms and new leaf production. In Hawaii, their lovely, fragrant flowers are often picked and assembled into leis.
As we have often visited the southmost point on the island, today we visited the northmost point. It is known as Upolu Point. This is the closest point, on the island of Hawaii, to Maui which is visible across the channel. There is a very small airport on the point, equipped with a runway, a bench, and a telephone. But by following a dirt road to the west from the airport, you can find two historical sites: the Mookini Heiau and the birthplace of Kamehameha I.
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| Looking at Maui from Upolu Point. Lots of humpback whales were breaching nearshore today. |
The Mookini Heiau is one of the oldest archaeological sites on Hawaii, dating perhaps to 800 AD.
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| The Heiau as seen from the Kamehameha I site |
The birthplace of Kamehameha I is near the heiau. The boulders in the center of this site are reputed to be the stones where Kamehameha I was born. Lava rock walls surround the site. It is a peaceful site, looking towards Maui.
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| Looking south at the site |
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| The stones where Kamehameha I was born |
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| Looking north at the site |
The dirt road had recently received a lot of rain, so hiking out there required negotiating many moster puddles.
Tip du jour: Stay out of the mud for a more enjoyable day.
