Hope for Hawai'i's coral reefs

The reefs circling the main Hawaiian islands are known for the abundance and variety of fish, not for their coral, which lack the color and variety of, say, the Caribbean. The coral is also in a sorry state, thanks to decades of overuse and overexploitation by a growing population, wastewater and industrial pollution, marine invasive species, disease, and bleaching. In most of my photos, the coral is dead, as in this background to a Christmas Wrasse (right): 

In this photo taken at Ke'e Beach on Kaua'i's north shore (below), you can see new coral growing on the left side, as a slow-moving durgon (in the triggerfish family) floats by. There are islands of new coral growth even inside the reef at Hanauma Bay that look much like this, and similar signs of recovery at Shark's Cove and Three Tables on O'ahu's north shore.

Marine researchers recently claimed that there is still hope for Hawai'i's coral reefs to revive, if all ocean users--snorkelers and divers, fishers, boaters, surfers, paddlers, and the companies that support them--take comprehensive steps. Researchers base evidence of area coral's ability to recover on history: after being heavily exploited after Polynesians settled about 1300, coral reefs flourished from 1400 to 1820 because Hawaiian communities used conservation strategies to protect the reef, and as they depended more and more on domesticated animals for food, reef fish--and the reefs--got a respite. Another example: the reefs of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands rebounded when the military abandoned the area after World War II (one of these islands is Midway, where a turning-point battle was fought with Japan). Everyone else left, too, and conservation initiatives and minimal  commercial activities (especially now that the area is a protected national marine monument) has led to "one of the most diverse and abundant coral reef ecosystems in the world," according to the  Honolulu Star-Advertiser ("Researchers float hope for Hawaii's coral reefs," Oct. 7, 2011--subscription required)  The lead author of the study says that this time it will take an ambitious "collaborative marine ecosystem stewardship" to restore the reef, involving no-take reserves and protection of various habitat types. 


Read the press release that announced the study's publication in an online marine science journal here.

Honu or Turtles

                                                            

Josie McCord contributed to this post.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about turtles, called honu in Hawaiian:
Where is the best place to see turtles?
The best place for seeing honu on O'ahu is Turtle Beach, located north of Haleiwa. Here is a page with pictures, a map, and description of Turtle Beach.

How big are the turtles at Turtle Beach?

They are about one yard long (three feet). The three pictures above were taken at Turtle Beach in July 2011, by Keren McCord.

Where else in the Hawaiian islands do you see turtles?

I saw my first turtle on the first day I ever snorkeled, at Hanauma Bay. Here are some photos from there. Marilyn Schweitzer took the top one.

 

At Ke'e Beach on the north shore of Kaua'i people usually see many honu. The next 3 pictures were taken by Sierra Club members on a service trip in 2005 and 2006. One shows what turtle poo looks like.

  

 

   

How we look underwater

Sylvie at 18 months

Sylvie at 6

Blowing bubbles

Josie 2011, age 9

Night Snorkeling

Snorkeling after dark is so much fun. Hanauma Bay is open until 10 p.m. on one Saturday a month in the winter months. Walking up or down the path after dark you see a dozen circles of light indicating the location of snorkelers exploring a nocturnal, underwater world. There are pictures here.

They may not be a different set of creatures compared to those you see in the daytime, but they look different at night. Sometimes all you see are eyes peering out from every crevice, catching the light and holding it. Other times brittle stars abound. Last time I was there, sea cucumbers with thorns poking out all over were everywhere. With my sister in 2004 I saw a crab anemone, a grotesque walking creature that mystified us until a park official explained that crabs attach anemones to the top of their shells as camouflage; when they change to a larger shell, they pop them off and stick them to the new shell. Here's a picture Marilyn took; what would you think if you saw this lumbering across the sea bottom?

But perhaps the best night snorkel was with Janet and her housemate, in November 2009. Emily found us an octopus to play with. It ate and ate, appearing to keep an eye on us but not disappearing into a hole. We finally got cold  and made a break for shore. Here are some photos of that memorable night:

banded urchin

mystery sea cucumber

We saw it walk, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Baby squid

In July 2006, I was snorkeling at Queen's Surf with Christy and Will. We were about to head in when we noticed a squid hovering out about 50 yards from shore. Soon we realized there were two smaller ones--babies? Will said the adult was keeping its eye on me as I took pictures of the small ones, perhaps being protective. Will might have taken one or both of these photos, as I handed the camera (a Canon PowerShot 610 with an underwater case) to him. It's hard to frame a shot in midday with the sun shining on the screen. I usually look through the viewfinder, but that's not easy either.

Looks like a baby having fun

The mother being protective?

The Barracuda and the Boxfish

Who knew snorkeling in shallow water at Kuhio Beach could be so interesting? After patrolling the sand the length of the beach to pick up plastic bags and other debris about three o'clock today, I went in for a half hour. Right away I saw a peacock flounder--it so matched the bottom that I wouldn't have seen it except that it moved.  Its two eyes were on the same side of its head  and circled 360° independently. I've never taken a picture  of one, but here's a link:  peacock flounder  It wasn't this colorful, because the sand was monochromatic and it blended in perfectly with that.

I also saw a beautiful spotted boxfish, and then the hairs on my arm stood up as I saw a Giant Barracuda staying steady with its triangular mouth occasionally opening and closing. It's the biggest one I ever saw, at least 2 1/2 feet.  It was striped, whereas others I've seen have been 18" or so and with black tails. I watched it to see what it would eat. Most fish gave it a berth, but it didn't even go for the cute male boxfish that swam near (like the one on this long page compiling photos of all kinds of pufferfish--boxfish are a subset of pufferfish). Females aren't as colorful; they are dark with spots all over, whereas the male has electric blue sides. Maybe the barracuda didn't eat it because, according to John Hoover in Hawai'i's Fishes, their skin secretes a toxin when they are attacked. 

male from the top (a preview of the night snorkeling post)

Snorkeling right in Waikiki

I've decided to keep a web log (a blog) of fish I see in my twice weekly swims in Waikiki, which lately have been in Kuhio Beach, at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki. That's because it's November and there have been some south swells, making it less clear at Queen's Surf, which is an old favorite--it's the next beach Diamond Head (east) of Kuhio. On east of Queen's Surf is Kaimana, or Sans Souci, which was my first regular snorkeling beach, beginning in 2001 when I lived down on Ainakea Way.  All the beaches I'm describing fall within a crescent beginning at the Sheraton Waikiki, which is at the beach end of Seaside Ave. (my street), looking up toward the hotels and apartment buildings that start at Kaimana Beach. I took this photo on my iPad in early October 2011.

                   

Here is a photo of Kuhio Beach that Marilyn* took in 2004. The waves wash many fish over the wall; I haven't had an underwater camera with me, but I have other pix of those I have seen lately, which include a giant pufferfish and many Moorish Idols.
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*Marilyn is my sister; she'll get photo credits frequently, as she took some underwater photos in 04 too.

Beginning with humuhumunukunukuapua'a pix--what else?