The Lights of Honolulu

We stepped foot on land (not just a dock) yesterday for the first time in close to a month. It was rather a shock to the senses that we were allowed 4 hours of liberty in Honolulu. This was just enough time to be totally overwhelmed by traffic, people, Home Depot and Best Buy. But after our errands were finished, Ben and I had time to run home and see that the place is in better condition than we left it! (Thank you Stephane and Amy!) It was good to see that Seeayte is still happy and healthy as she has been rather lax on making regular phone calls. But what can you expect of a cat? Then after a quick Starbucks and grocery run, I watched from the fantail of the ship as Honolulu quietly slipped off into the distance. The lights of the city were just starting to twinkle and the mountain tops were covered in clouds. I was surprised to find that I was rather relieved to be leaving all of that behind again. I am missing my own home and the chance to go for a hike, but it is a nice feeling to have the quiet simplicity of the ocean for another week.

The Volcano Coast

A few days ago we were diving off the volcano coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. The Puna district, which encompasses most of this area is spectacular with jet black lava rock under verdant green palm trees. The sapphire swells crash against the coastline sending up towering cascades of snow white spray. In the distance, great billows of steam rise where lava as the volcano spills lava into the ocean. This is where the earth is formed and the views and the diving are like nothing else. In towing past Madame Pele, I was reminded of some footage we shot a year or so ago on a different trip to the Big Island. While shot at a different time, it nicely represents some of what we saw the other day. We hope you enjoy.

On one of our final days at Kure Atoll, I tagged along with Jake on an algae collection dive.  Shortly into the dive we ran into two Hawaiian Grouper (Epinephelus quernus) just as curious about us as we were about them.  These inquisitive fish are rare in the Main Hawaiian Islands (they taste good) but are more common in the more remote Northwesterns.  I have always loved grouper, both here an during my previous time in Florida.  On numerous dives they have followed me around for hours, like a long-time pet, looking at what I am looking at, peeking under rocks I turn over and providing company.  I have always wondered what was going on behind those huge, knowing eyes.  This guy was no different.  We sat, eye-to-eye for nearly ten minutes before I had to head off to follow Jake to find more algae.  I turned around nearly half and hour and hundred of yards later, and guess who was still behind me...

The cliffs of INSANITY

We spent today off the south coast of the island of Lanai. The winds have dropped for a few days giving us a welcome rest-bit from the otherwise constant pounding and the scenery has been amazing. Lanai has some of the most spectacular sea cliffs in the archipelago, which we were diving under for most of the day. The water was calm and clear which, for the most part, made up for the cold One would never think diving in Hawaii could be cold, but 78 degrees for an hour is far from warm. All-in-all it was another wonderful day. Jason's acceptance of the apricot challenge was the icing on the cake...

Back to Sea again

It has been a hectic couple of days and I apologize for not posting more often. We arrived back in Honolulu on October 12 for a four day turn-around between cruises. Yes, four days to offload everything from a month-long expedition from one ship ... and load it all again for another month-long expedition on a different ship. Needless to say it was verging on the brink of madness. We managed to get it done, but I can't say it was exactly a ball.

We headed out from Pearl Harbor again on the 16th, this time abroad the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette, the sister ship to the Hi'ialakai. We were bound for Maui and the southern part of the Hawaiian Archipelago known as the Main Eight Hawaiian Islands. These are the largest in the chain, and the only ones with a sizable human population. I will be continuing on as one of the fish biologists and this time also serving as divemaster for the expedition. Shortly after leaving Pearl Harbor I realized that I couldn't find the O2 analyzers which are required so that we can determine the amount of oxygen in our air tanks before diving. This would have been a major show stopper. I was able to make a few phone calls to find out the O2 analyzers had never made it off the Hi'ialakai. I guess that's what happens with such a quick turn-around with no one in charge of the procedure. A colleague was able to rush down to the ship, pick up the analyzers, and rush them across to the other side of Oahu where we sent in a small boat to pick them up.

It was then on to he windward side of Maui, a beautiful but blustery place. On our first morning of operations we awoke to winds blowing at nearly 20 knots (23 mph) and waves nearly 6 feet high. We manage to launch our small boat anyway and get in a full days worth of operations, but it wasn't pretty. We got out butts whopped. The next day we moved east but conditions were even worse with small craft warning all over the area we were tow work. The chief scientists and I decided it was no use getting pounded for a second day, so we moved south to the leeward side of Maui where conditions were much more favorable. It was nice.

Today we are off the southeast coast of the island of Lanai, sitting under sea cliffs several hundred feet high, and are getting ready to head back out on the water. Lanai has some of the highest coral cover we have found in this section of the Hawaiian Archipelago, but does not always have the best visibility. I guess we'll have to see what today brings. Off to breakfast.

Heading to bed

I am off to bed after another hard but wonderful day out on the water. The seas were flat calm and the water was warm and clear. Chief made curried lamb last night and chicken wrapped in pastry dough. It was exquisite. Tomorrow is our last day at French Frigate and then we have two days of transit back to Honolulu. We will leave the Northwest Hawaiian Islands with mixed feelings. They have been spectacular, but have reminded us how much work we have to do. We are in the middle of the ocean, 2500 miles from anywhere, and yet most of the beaches of these remote islands look like a landfill. On Midway alone we saw countless bodies of dead albatross and frigate birds, their decaying carcasses filled with plastic. Cigarette lighters, glow sticks, bottle tops, and other bits and pieces unrecognizable.


We have marked and done our best to retrieve fishing nets, lost or tost by open ocean trawlers, now tangled in the coral. The fish stocks aren't looking much better. On our last mission to these islands in 2006 we recorded 1500 large jacks, this year we have only seen 400. In 2006 we saw 200 sharks, this year ... 41. It is frustrating to be working so hard to make a difference when so much seems against us. When it comes down to the reefs and the economy, do the reefs really stand a chance? If there is "pressure at the pump" will we really hold off drilling in these spectacular areas? It doesn't help that the day-to-day operations seem governed by so much minutia. Were we back to the ship at 4:30 or was it 4:45? Are we using the right computers to enter our data? Would someone have to get paid overtime in order to take that nightime CTD sample? I know these must all be important concerns at some level, but in the face of it all, it makes what we are trying to do so much harder. I am so tired right now. It's not the diving ... it's everything else.

Dolphins at Kure

We are a few days past Kure Atoll right now but our experiences of the last day there are still with us.  After our final dive we were on our way back to the ship when we happened upon a huge pod of spinner dolphins.  We quietly slipped over the side of the boat with mask, snorkel, and fins, hoping they would come by to see what we were all about.  We were not disappointed.  We swam together for about 20 minutes before we decided it was time to head back to the ship to prepare for the next day.  It was a truly magical experience. We are now several hundred miles south at Lisianski island and are looking forward to the final few days of this leg of the expedition. We have one more day here at Lisi, two more at French Frigate Shoals and then two days of transit back to Honolulu. The expedition so far has been amazing. I am sure the days ahead will not disappoint.