Bouffant Hairdo

This Electric Blue Crab is carrying a heavy hair load! HA. I am a bit surprised it didn't disappear inside the shell when I swooped down to take its picture.  Gotta love their energy.

What a great day of swimming it was on December 7.  My friend and I saw whales and dolphins from the cliffs...even a couple of whale breaches! (No pix, unfortunately...it happened too quickly for me to catch. But just imagine in your mind the energy expended to get a big body up and out of the water.  It was a smallish whale, but still.)

The dolphins were more near shore:

I always love to see dolphins. They were just swimming along in their pod, not jumping or anything.  Perhaps so we wouldn't be distracted and watch them instead of the whales.

If it were me, I'd feel kinda itchy with all that sand on my face!  This seal was later joined by another:

Thankfully, these seals were already roped off to protect them, so I was able to just take a few pictures and enjoy their sneezes.  It's a whole new concept when you're a seal: there's a lot more noise.  And no Kleenex!







Once in the water, I happened upon two Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasses doing their jobs:

They swim around the waiting fishes and pick off parasites.  It did occur to me to wonder: who cleans the Cleaner fish?

This Pencil Urchin was someone's breakfast or dinner.  The loose red spine went into my dive bag...it occurred to me that I could take the whole thing, but I wasn't sure if it would start smelling when I got it home.  I do usually put operculum or bits of shells into a bleach solution for a while, to kill off any bacteria that might be clinging.  My jar isn't big enough for the whole Pencil Urchin though.

These animals are so colorful, they really stand out on the sandy/rocky bottom.  The Saddle Wrasse on its way out of the photo had swept by me to see if any bits of food would be released when I picked things off the bottom.

Trunk Fish, zipping around.

This Christmas Wrasse reminded me of two things: how drab the bottom can look, so the Wrasse really stands out and how hard it sometimes is to find octopuses, as they can really blend into the bottom.

Always thrilled to find an octopus, especially my first one of the day.  This one later had relaxed to its "normal" coloration:

Off white, brownish yellow and the eyes: brown and at the bottom center of the shot.  Not sure why it didn't turn dark brown on the second pass by it.  Maybe it had decided that I wasn't going to harm it. 

 

See the big rock below and to the right?  The fish had just picked that rock up in its jaws and hurled it over there!  These fish are fierce in finding food.

My old pal, the Abudefduf:

They are more shy here on Kauai, not sure why.  But I can occasionally catch 'em with my camera.

This Lizard fish was pretty well hidden:

It looks kinda like a stick in the middle of the shot.  Very good camouflage.  Usually, I can spot them when they move...kinda like the octopus.

Sea Hare:

Not pretty, but fascinating.  Note the track down its back, almost like an outside spine.

This fish is apparently the juvenile of the Barred File Fish.  It was quite shy and tried to hide under a coral overhang.

Sunrise from just outside our house. Ah, what a glorious Painter we have!

And in case you're wondering, I used two cameras today, for a total of 412 pictures. The first and fave camera got tired, so I whipped out camera #2.






And palms, too, once I got to Poipu:

Palms, clouds, ocean..ah, what a great view!
I was quite pleased to see a Hairy Triton shell:

Not only is it a lovely shell, but please note the Operculum in the center: holding the occupant in and intruders out. It is also interesting to note that the operculum is not white, as I usually find, but a brownish concoction.  And if you click on the photo, to the right of the shell's center, you can see what I think is the animal oozing down the little groove to the right.  I REALLY wanted to take this one home, as I love these shells, but of course, I didn't.  After all, it was a live thing.

Further in the Shell Corner, two Flea Bite Cones:

I don't know if they were planning to eat each other or had something else in mind.....
And a lovely Cowry shell, hiding underneath:

It's amazing how hard it is to get these shots!  You gotta go kinda underwater and then rear your head up to see underneath the rocky overhang.  But worth it.  I love these shells. I have seen shots where the animal is seeping out and over its shell....I guess that's what keeps them so shiny.

Pearl Harbor Day: I cannot let December 7 pass by without noting the Pearl Harbor "Day of Infamy", when the Harbor was bombed.  One of the ladies I know was there on that day, so long ago.  She said her mother hid all their Japanese kimono and katana (sword) so they wouldn't be discovered. Thankfully, she and her family were not put into a Camp.  She added that the kindness of others during that time was responsible for changing her from Buddhist to Christian. God does move in mysterious ways.

Hanging in, hanging on

Perhaps because I saw no octopuses on Sunday, today I was treated to two!  And two Scorpion fish...different kinds, but enjoyable. 

I won't criticize you if you say you cannot see this octopus.  #1! A small one, kinda shy. Look down from the red rock.  Then at the bottom of the photo, look a bit left.  There you have it. 

I am of 2 minds about teaching you how to see them...promise you won't catch and eat?

Octopus #2 got a bit sandy, as the waves brought things up from the bottom:

If you look just to the left of the center, you'll see two bits of red: that's the octopus eye.  And oh yeah, it was watching me.   Bigger, so probably older than the first octopus. (This is the Hanging in part of the post title.)

I wonder if people swimming around me wonder why I'm thanking God out loud?!




Two Scorpion Fish, of different kinds:

I'll grant you: not easy to see.

They are ambush predators, so they hide out, underneath coral head overhangs.  If you look in the top third of the photo, just to the left, you'll see the eye.  Its fin is resting on the rock to the right, and the tail is just inside the sunny part of rock near the bottom.  

The 2nd Scorpion Fish, a Spotfin, was easier to see, because I was able to get closer:

This one has red eyes, near the top of the photo.

There was also a cool urchin, hanging onto the top of the rock:

Actually, I guess it's really hanging on the side.  But if you look closely at the rock it's on, it is so amazing how much STUFF there is on this rock!  Kinda like a hoarder rock...

I noticed today that there are many fish that I kinda take for granted: One is the Saddle Wrasse:

Another is the Orange Shoulder Surgeon fish:

I should never take any pretty fish for granted...or any fish at all, for that matter! Just imagine how cool it would be to be free to swim around all the time.  Wonder why they don't get pruney?  Hmmmmm....

I also found a gold ring:

No inscription, so it's a keeper...or i will sell it...haven't started my new job yet!

And I could be wrong, but I think that this might be how a shell looks when an octopus has used its beak to drill into it:

I didn't pick the shell up, but assume it was empty...but you know about assumptions.

And my fave puffer fish, the Ambon Puffer:

I keep trying to get a shot of the fin on its ventral side: it has a very pretty electric blue fin! 

And before I get sleepy, two for my sweet man:

Zee box fish, or trunk fish....

You may have to look carefully, but there ARE palm trees in this nice cloud and water photo.  Too bad that no one will pay for photos of clouds...I'm told you have to have people in the photo...they will pay.  Supposedly.  What a shame.  People are tougher to photograph.  And they don't change color, usually, nor can they make their skin become instantly bumpy as the octopus can.  Oh well.  Guess there's only one very cool animal like the octopus.  Although cuttlefish are a close second.

Have a wonderful holiday season.  Remember to thank Jesus for life, love, light, peace.. oh yeah, and His wonderful creations in the ocean!

No octopus?!

As alluded to in my previous post, I came up empty on octo-sightings today.  I didn't venture into the Big Pond, as the waves were still mashing that water around.

Not that I had no waves in the Kiddie Pond, but there, they are more manageable.

See the pole and sign just to the right of the palm tree in the middle?  That's the sign that tells you not to snorkel beyond that point; and that's where I have seen an adult octopus in the past, but lately I haven't been able to get close enough to see if it is still there.  At least not without being pounded by waves.
Before the sun came out:

I do love the early morning colors.  More sun would have been nice, but I'm thankful I was able to swim at all.  Just a reminder: Please do not always believe the weather predictors!  We were to have rain and winds....not so much.  We did have waves, of course.  I am awaiting the "real" winter, when the water becomes like glass.

I did hear, although I didn't see, that there were whales frolicking offshore. WISH I had seen that!

The island that used to be tied to the beach was under the onslaught of waves and tide:

 And folks were still walking out through the current to get out there.  Different goals, different folks..

Wana:

Love how it looks, but am happy to not have been hugged by this animal..
I was surprised to see Pencil Urchins in the Kiddie Pond.  I don't believe I've seen those in the shallower water before.  Perhaps they were just hiding better previously:

I did discover two in the Scorpion Fish family:
The Hawaiian Green Lion Fish:

I find these fish fascinating.  Not being the most patient person, I am amazed at any animal that can sit that still for that long.  And in this case, it was pointing itself downward, while clinging to a rock.

 The Spotfin Scorpion Fish. Not nearly as good a photo, as it was hiding between two coral heads.  But you can see the face and fins..

I can't remember the name of this crab, but will let you know.  It's very boxy and kept hiding in this hole.  There SHOULD have been an octopus in this hole....just sayin'!

I am always happy to get wet in the ocean....next time, I'll ask God again for an octopus.

Dueling Rockmovers

Yesterday, an event called Lights on Rice took place.  I left my swimming hole with what I thought was plenty of time...NOT!

Unfortunately, there was an accident on the way home, so what is normally a 20 minute ride turned into an hour. Part of the problem was, as Alex would call it, the "lookie-loos"...people who have to rubberneck to see what happened.  As I crawled by, I must admit I did glance quickly over: one car on its side and one mashed beyond belief! But after that, the traffic did speed up, so I got home in time to grab a quick bite and then go caroling with my church.

But no time to write about my swim.  So here you go, a day late and a dollar short.

At least there was an octopus!

Should I call it Eagle Eye Challenge?

Because it is the weekend (!!!!!!), part of our power went out during the night.  So I'm typing this on the laptop (and yes, I am thankful we have at least SOME power!  We just bought big frozen chicken and Mahi Mahi (one of the many benefits of living on Kauai and in Hawaii.), so I'm glad we didn't have to have a bbq and invite people. Those of you who know me might be surprised that I'm not a big party person.  All that said to say this: there will be no cropping on this post or the next one... sorry.  Bu the octopus is in the center of the shot, peeking up at me.  Wishing I would go away. If they only knew how much I admire them, they wouldn't be afraid of me.  But until I figure out how to communicate, we must live with each other, just guessing what each other has on its mind.

I am always grateful and thankful and Mahalo-ish about finding an octopus.  Especially since I didn't today...

But I did find two beyond-juvenile Rock Mover Wrasses, hanging out with each other, and kinda looking like they were going to get feisty.

They are almost the same color as the bottom, so hope you can see both of them. They have a white band on their tails.  They are quite flexible, as they often grab a rock in their mouths and throw it around. (Hence the name..)  I haven't seen any other Wrasses do this.  They all are quick, however, so you gotta grab the shot while you can.

Male box fish: 

Bluefin Trevally:

 I don't see nearly as many of these fish over here, so I do enjoy them when I do...and I look, if they are circling, to see what they are hunting.  It is usually an eel.  Guess I should be happy they aren't chasing an octopus, even though that would help me find more.  I don't want the fish harassing them or eating them.

Still haven't figured out what this is:

I'm still guessing some kind of waste, but am having a hard time picturing what animal could make it.

Flea bite cone:

 

Snowflake eels trying to get away:

And I call this one Everyone needs a hairband...even an urchin!

I was going to pick it up, as trash, but who am I to argue about someone else's fashion sense?!

After all, they are called Collector Urchins.

And a shrimp doing something in its tunnel...the orange color drew my attention.  I guess that's one good thing about the bottom being sand colored: some things really draw your eye.

This photo definitely would have benefited from being cropped.  Look in the center for the claws...or are they arms?

Sorry, another Eagle Eye Challenge...just to the left of center.  It's about 2 inches long, including the tail. SO CUTE!  And yet so feisty!  For a tiny fish, this guy was prepared to defend his territory...or zoom into the hole near him.

So any snorkel with an octopus is a good snorkel.  Stay tuned for today's report. And please drive safely!