Day 2 (April 26)

Photo Source: Dolphindiscoveries.com

Snorkel day at Captain Cook monument today!  I spotted some fantastic looking fish and colourful sea landscape.

Here are some of the sea creatures that I spotted:

Parrotfish
Photo Reference: raredelights.com

Smalltail Pencil Wrasse
Photo Reference: coralimports.com

Moray Eels
Photo Reference: wikimedia.org

• Orangeband Surgeon Fish
• Pufferfish
• Threadfin Butterfly Fish
• Convict Tang
• Pencil Sea Urchin
• Black Sea Urchin
• Black Durgon Triggerfish
• Trumpet Fish

While swimming in the gorgeous ocean water and observing all the lovely sea life, I made sure I took special care not to scrape my flippers on any of the coral reef around me.  After doing a bit of research, I found out that the massive coral reefs grow 0.3 to 2 centimetres per year. It can take around 10,000 years for the group of larvae to form into coral reef!

Photo Reference: habitat.noaa.gov

While on the boat heading towards the snorkel site, some dolphins decided to follow behind!  Along with the chorus of "oohs and ahhs", the guide on the boat started talking about the differences between dolphins and porpoises.  

Dolphin
Photo Reference: hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov

Porpoises
Photo Reference: scholastic.com

Dolphins tend to have longer beaks and cone like teeth, whereas porpoises have smaller beaks and spade-shaped teeth.  Their tails on the backs of the sea animals also differ.  While dolphins have curled fins, the porpoises have a triangular fin.  

After experiencing all the breathtaking sea life, it was hard not to think about how the amount of boats and people surrounding the area impact the sea life and ocean environment.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, approximately, 80% of the pollutants in the oceanic atmosphere originate from human usage.  How will this change the sea environment in the future?  What are some of the causes of the other 20%?  

While walking around and waiting for the snorkel boat to arrive, I came across some beautifully lush ferns.  What captured my attention right away was the pod-like dots that stick out of the leaves.  These pods contain the spores that land on the ground and become the gametophyte.

Other than getting sea sick on the boat, it was another lovely day in Kona.  I plan on visiting the Botanical Rainforests tomorrow and looking forward to learning more about the plants of Hawaii!

Aloha,
Julia