Here Fishy Fishy Fishy
I've opted to take a weekday off and work a day on the weekend instead in order to coordinate my work schedule with others (okay...with one other...). As long as I still am available for rehearsals and meetings as needed no one at HTY has a problem with this. I'm sure the school isn't too fond of having a lone person working in the secluded third floor space that is the costume shop, but until I give them a valid reason to complain...
One extra perk of the weekday off is that tourist destinations tend to be less populated. Such as this last Wednesday. Hanauma Bay. When I went in February with Mom, but the weather was really not on our side, nor was she that interested in snorkeling. This time around with flippers, snorkels and underwater cameras in tow three of us greeted the reef.
We arrived shortly after low tide and aside from one colorful fish greeting us at the water's edge, the view was actually quite dismal. No...it wasn't the view... At low tide the water line just barely cleared much of the coral. We had trouble finding an area deep enough for us to lay prone over the reef, let alone swim over it. Once we moved away from the shore and into the deeper sandy pockets in the bay we found the nooks and crannies lower in the water and hiding the first of the fishes.
Swimming over the reef got easier as the day progressed and the tide slowly lulled in. Areas shore ward that were barely knee deep in early suddenly allowed us a full range of flipper movement. And with the tide came the stronger swells. But once we got the hang of the rolling waves it was fun to steady ourselves against the outgoing surge and dart forward with the incoming or vice versa. It was what the fish were doing after all.
Ross and I with flippers in tow
Yup...that's my belly
Two of the many varieties of surgeonfish. The one on the right is the yellowfin (pualu) though I may be mistaken..it looks a lot like the eyestripe surgeonfish (palani). On the left is the umuamaki or orangespine surgeonfish
Orangeband Surgeonfish
A massive parrotfish cruising with the convict tangs
One of many corals
The Humuhumunukunukuapa'a or Picasso Triggerfish--the state fish of Hawai'i
A surgeonfish trying to hide
A juvenile male parrotfish
The Manini or convict tang
More Convict Tangs
Kikakapu--A threadfin butterfly
A brown tang...but it certainly didn't look that drab...and its Hawaiian name is more fun: ma'i'i'i
One extra perk of the weekday off is that tourist destinations tend to be less populated. Such as this last Wednesday. Hanauma Bay. When I went in February with Mom, but the weather was really not on our side, nor was she that interested in snorkeling. This time around with flippers, snorkels and underwater cameras in tow three of us greeted the reef.
We arrived shortly after low tide and aside from one colorful fish greeting us at the water's edge, the view was actually quite dismal. No...it wasn't the view... At low tide the water line just barely cleared much of the coral. We had trouble finding an area deep enough for us to lay prone over the reef, let alone swim over it. Once we moved away from the shore and into the deeper sandy pockets in the bay we found the nooks and crannies lower in the water and hiding the first of the fishes.
Swimming over the reef got easier as the day progressed and the tide slowly lulled in. Areas shore ward that were barely knee deep in early suddenly allowed us a full range of flipper movement. And with the tide came the stronger swells. But once we got the hang of the rolling waves it was fun to steady ourselves against the outgoing surge and dart forward with the incoming or vice versa. It was what the fish were doing after all.
One thing that still strikes me, more so when I was at the Barrier Reef 10 years ago, is the lack of color. The fish themselves, at least those not blending into their surroundings, are quite stunning. But the coral, sand and algae all blend together into a neutral blob of grayish brown which then fades into the sea green infinity. The incoming tide (and clouds overhead) sucked out a lot of the contrast too...the water that had been crystal clear, albeit shallow in the morning became thick with kicked up sand, salt and bubbles. It's no excuse for the hazy photos, but it is the reasoning. The fish were identified with the help of Hanauma Bay's online fish ID card. I hope you enjoy!
Ross and I with flippers in tow
Yup...that's my belly
Two of the many varieties of surgeonfish. The one on the right is the yellowfin (pualu) though I may be mistaken..it looks a lot like the eyestripe surgeonfish (palani). On the left is the umuamaki or orangespine surgeonfish
Orangeband Surgeonfish
A massive parrotfish cruising with the convict tangs
One of many corals
The Humuhumunukunukuapa'a or Picasso Triggerfish--the state fish of Hawai'i
A surgeonfish trying to hide
A juvenile male parrotfish
The Manini or convict tang
More Convict Tangs
Kikakapu--A threadfin butterfly
A brown tang...but it certainly didn't look that drab...and its Hawaiian name is more fun: ma'i'i'iLabels: Hawaii
posted by Unknown at
1:42 AM
2 Comments:
ha ha! you said full-range of flipper movement. Seriously feel sad for me, I haven't been swimming in years.
mmm...braaaaiiiin...coral.
Is that you sexy bikini'd body? Or a sexay fishie? :)
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