Where are all the Fish?

Today we did a boat trip to the back side of Molikini Crater. And when we were done we asked each other,"where are all the fish". There are so few fish on Maui as compared to just a few years ago. Some of the species we used to see every time we snorkeled, are very hard to find now. The Achilles Tang, Unicorn fish, Orange sided Sturgeon, just to name a few. I'm not sure what's going on but it can't be good.  Here are a few pictures. One is a flying gurnard, and two frog fish. If the frog fish are hard to see, look for the mouth and paw paws and you can probably find it

DIVING IN PARADISE

So far this week I have done two dives off the Maui Diamond and two shore dives. All are worthy of being called a Paradise Dive.
 Wednesday we went to Turtle Valley and there were 5 big turtles just hanging out. One literally.
Thursday the visibility was way down and the waves up because a south swell is coming in. We were able to see one big turtle on the swim out, Harlequin shrimp and five different species of eel. I love the Damsel fish, they sound like doves underwater and they think they are so tough. Good dives all, with many more to come. Stay tuned for more pictures.

BONAIRE 2013

Our fifth annual dive trip to Bonaire produced some pleasant surprises. First was the lion fish population. In past years it was not unusual to find 5 - 10 adult lion fish on any one dive. This year we probably found only 15-20 on all 28 of our dives. We were informed that even though they have been a Marine Protected Area for over 30 years they have implemented a program when they train divers to hunt the lion fish and the resturants serve a lion fish dinner for $45. Together they have made a big dent in the population.

The second project we found out about is Buddys Dive Resort's program for growing antler coral. It is a  program with a 96% success rate. It is great to know that people are looking for and implementing unconventional ways to help our marine environment.

Adult Drum

Juvenile Drum

Adult Lion Fish

Banded Butterflies

Coral Growing Trees at Buddys Dive Resort

MAUI 2013

I arrived Sunday night and when I got to the condo it really hit me how much I lost when my friend Bob died. Bob and Jan own the condo I have been staying in for the last 14 years while I have been in Maui. We lost Bob because of cancer on Sat morning. He was adamant that I was to come over even without him, so here I am.
I went on the Maui Diamond out of Maui Dreams Dive Company on Tuesday. It was great to be in the water here. I forget from time to time how many fish you only see here. I always hope that Maui will start to value their fish and start taking care to protect them.
'On all three dives I have seen big green turtles. One of them today was taller than I am. There were 5 in Turtle Valley. I hope this means the turtles are doing well. I'm looking forward to many more dives and lots more fish and turtles to look at.