Hix goes tropical........ again - Tokelau

[Hix]

Day 10 - Friday, 31st August

Probably because I'd gone to bed early I awoke early, around 4:00am. The rain had stopped for now, but the moon still shone brightly outside. I could hear Maliana moving around in the next room in the dark, and after a short time she went out the front door. No wonder I couldn't find her in the mornings - she left way before dawn. I went back to sleep.

Mika's cousin the teacher had told me that today the school was holding a sports day from 8:00am and I should come along, so I grabbed my cameras and headed over to the school (after putting on heaps of sunblock). It was only the primary school and kindergarten kids competing, and they had a few events. They started the day with a marathon - running around the oval three times. Then there was another run around the oval, just one lap, followed by a 50 metre sprint. Some kids ran in thongs, some in sneakers, and some ran barefoot, which I thought would be a problem because many parts of the oval didn't have grass, but limestone gravel. Oddly enough, it was the barefoot kids who seemed to be fastest and the gravel didn't slow them down at all. The kids had separated into three age groups, Kindergarten, and younger and older primary, and while they all ran in the marathon together, they competed in the others separately (kindergarten might have only run the marathon once around the oval, it was a bit hard to tell).

After that they split up into different sports and spent 20 minutes on each before a bell rang and they'd rotate to the next one: Relays, in a couple of different layouts; Shotput, with a real put for the elders a rubber ball for the youngsters; Long Jump, and most of the younger kids just ran through it; and High Jump over a thin PVC pipe, which appeared to be the most fun because everyone ended up falling over onto the mats. By 10:30 it was all over.

After photographing a spider, the only orb-weaver I've seen on the island, I headed over to the government building to see Pio, the transport manager. I had decided the best way to see the ocean was to get someone with a boat to take me out, I'd jump over the side and have a look around, and if it was safe I'd take some photos. If there was any trouble then there was a boat to get back into and someone to help me. And I was told Pio was the best person to help me.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/orb-weaving-spider-288501/

But Pio wasn't there and nobody knew where he was or when he would be back. Maybe this afternoon.

I returned to Mika's house via the reef and photographed some Pacific Golden Plovers, Wandering Tattlers, Reef Herons and Ruddy Turnstones foraging in the intertidal zone. The turnstones were a problem because despite their bold colouring, they blended in so well on the rocks that to get a decent phot I had t get close, and they were very shy. I managed to get a couple, plus one in flight. I also saw a crab with bright red eyes that, instead of scuttling away like they do, stood up, leaned back and threw his pincers open wide as if to say "Come on, I dare you!"

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/pacific-golden-plover-pluvialis-fulva-288511/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/reef-heron-egretta-sacra-288512/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/wandering-tattler-heteroscelus-incanus-288509/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/ruddy-turnstone-arenaria-interpres-288516/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/ruddy-turnstone-arenaria-interpres-288514/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/ruddy-turnstone-arenaria-interpres-288510/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/ruddy-turnstone-flight-arenaria-interpres-288515/

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/aggressive-crab-288513/

With lots of photos from the day before requiring sorting and labeling, as well as more than 300 odd from the school that morning, I spent the next few hours on the laptop. At 3:00 I went back to the government building but Pio still hadn't returned. I headed back and got home just as it started to rain.

And so Friday was very quiet day. The PB Matua was due to leave Apia on Sunday and would arrive in the morning on Monday. I wanted all Sunday for packing, and for my snorkelling gear to dry, so tomorrow - Saturday - would be the last opportunity to go out in the water - and I really wanted to go out in the ocean.

After a dinner of rice and mince with vegetables, I did some more work on the laptop and went to bed. Just before turning in I noticed how bright and full the moon was, and spent 10 minutes trying to get a nice shot of the moon and a coconut palm in the light. Then I went to bed.

http://www.zoochat.com/1820/moon-288502/
http://www.zoochat.com/1820/moonshine-288503/

But I couldn't sleep so I turned my laptop back on, plugged in my headphones and put in a DVD.



Hix

Photo count for the day: 390 taken, 4 deleted.

 

[Hix]

Some more photos from the Sports Day

 

[Hix]

And some more

 

[Hix]

And even more

 

[Hix]

Last ones.......

 

[Hix]

Day 11 - Saturday, September 1

The first day of spring, not that you would know it as the temperature has been I the high 30's ever since I got here. I can generally handle high temperatures, but combined with high humidity - it just saps the energy out of you. Of course, it feels like the high 30's, I can't confirm that because the weather-station isn't working. Being the first day of Spring didn't seem any different. As Tokelau is only a few degrees south of the equator (Nukunonu is at the same lattitude as Port Moresby), there are only two seasons - the dry season and the cyclone season. And this was the dry season, despite the periodic heavy rainfalls.

My plan was to find someone with a boat to take me out beyond the reef edge, and Mika was going to see whom he could find. It was the weekend and government offices were closed, so Pio would be even harder to locate. So while Mika headed off to see what he could do, I walked out the back and looked at the reef-flat while it was high tide. The reef-flat is terraced - the main flat itself is about 150 - 200 metres wide, and then there's a wall of sharp blackened limestone about a metre high, which is the second terrace. This terrace is anywhere from 2 - 30 metres wide. Behind this is coral rubble and the main part of the island.

At low tide the reef-flat was quite shallow, the deepest rockpools were only knee deep and , despite the calm ocean, waves formed and crashed onto the edge of the reef. At high tide the waves not only broke on the reef edge, but also broke onto the second terrace. A number of people had said they thought it was safe to swim on the reef-flat and beyond the reef, but I couldn't find anyone who had actually done that.

Mika was unsuccessful with a boat. With the working week over everyone had plans, and those with boats were heading to other islands on the lagoon for the day, either to fish or collect coconuts, or both. The barge had been floated around and was going to an island to collect rocks (needed for a seawall that was being built) and a number of men were heading out for that. Mika also needed to collect more coconuts so he was going with one of his friends (or relatives) and asked if I wanted to come along. I should have gone, but I having surveyed three lagoon sites already I was more focused on the ocean. I should have gone. The rest of the day wouldn't have been wasted.

As it was I spent most of the day on the laptop, had a little sleep, and watched some more DVDs. The General Manager for Nukunonu dropped by (his name is Zac and he's Mika's boss) and I asked him about a boat, but he was also unable to help. However, he did say I would not be leaving on Monday as planned. The cargo ship was sailing directly from Apia to Nukunonu and not stopping at Fakaofo as it carried the body of a dead Tokelauan, a young girl who died in Samoa. The funeral was going to be Monday afternoon. After dropping off the body and cargo, the boat would sail to Atafu, then come back. Zac suggested I might be boarding on Tuesday or even Wednesday. But they'll know for sure on Monday.

We talked about the reef again. "Why don't you just swim out there? There are a few spear-fisherman that do that" he said.

I showed him the housing for my underwater camera (which everyone in Tokelau seems impressed with) and said " This weighs three kilos and I don't want it smashed on the edge of the reef".

"Oh" said Zac, understanding my concerns. "I'll see what I can do".

But, unfortunately, Zac couldn't find me a boat either.

The heat was stifling, but in the afternoon I ventured ouot with my camera and took some photos of the birds, and then the sunset. Every day I try to get a nice shot of the sun setting on the horizon. And every day, just as it gets low, clouds appear on the horizon and the sun disappears. No clouds anywhere else in the sky, just the western horizon. Every day. It's very frustrating.

http://www.zoochat.com/1820/sunset-288504/

Mika arrived back after dark, having had a successful day collecting coconuts. Dinner was canned tuna and rice which, despite being simple, was pretty good. Or maybe I've been here to long.



Hix

Photo count for the day: 20 taken, 15 deleted.

 

[dublinlion]

this series of essays are so well written/illustrated and each excerpt just the right size, that I am sorry that the adventure will have to end at some time.
The mention in earlier installments of thong wearing conjured up a mindboggling vision of a brazen young aussie parading around the highways and byways of the island and even attending solemn church services clad only in skimpy speedos had me a bit awestruck. It was only when my son pointed out the different meaning (flip flops) for this word in australia that things became clearer lol.
Anyway thanks again for letting us share the adventure.

 

[nanoboy]

Fantastic blog. I can't swim, so I am finding myself to be both extremely envious of being able to snorkel, and terrified of drowning! Mind those currents.

 

[Hix]

I'm so glad everyone's enjoying it. Makes all the cuts and scrapes worthwhile!

Dublinlion: I thought I'd cleared up the thong/flipflop/jandal issue in a previous post, but that may have been in the first part of my holiday - Samoa Part 1



Hix

 

[Hix]

Day 12 - Sunday, 2nd September

The nights are warm here too, so I sleep on top of the bed without a shirt. At around 4:00am I suddenly woke to feel a spider walking across my belly. Instinctively I reached up and flicked it away, then found a torch and tried to find it, but it had disappeared.

I suppose it could have been a large beetle, or even a gecko, but my brain had registered "spider" and my body reacted accordingly. Apart from the orb-weaver I had seen in the garden a few days earlier, the only spiders I have seen are little jumping spiders and the tiny wolf spiders that hunt across the grounds at night. Neither are a threat, but walking past my navel in the dark when I'm asleep and my body acts of its own accord. I went back to sleep, satisfied that whatever it was had learnt its lesson.

Sunday again. I decided I would not grace the church with my presence today. Instead, I would put my faith in common sense and reasoning - and swim out to the reef. My strategy (and logic) went like this:

1. There was a current near the wharf channel, as the water running off the reef flat had somewhere to go, plus the water where the channel emptied over the reef was always turbulent at the surface suggesting conflicting currents arriving from different directions. No such turbulence existed anywhere else except at the mouth of the wharf channel.
   
2. I planned on going on the reef flat just behind Mika's house, a good 500 metres from that channel. I surmised if there was a current pulling me in that direction it would be weak and I would be able to get out of the water quickly and easily. But I figured there would be no current.
   
3. Assuming no current, with only my compact waterproof camera and the GoPro, I would swim out to the reef edge, all the while testing for currents. If there were none then I would go over the reef edge and see what happens. As the reef edge would be under a few feet of water I should be able to swim straight over between waves. With no currents, I should be able to catch the waves back in over the edge on my return.
   
4. If I succeed and I think it's safe, I'll come back for my good camera and do the whole thing again.

And I hoped that I would succeed, that nothing would go wrong, and - most of all - there was something out there worth looking at (otherwise this would be a big dramatic anticlimax).

I don't usually have breakfast, but I picked up the last banana just as Mika and Maliana were leaving for Church. A few days previously Mika had asked if I didn't like bananas as I didn't seem fond of the ones he had been feeding me, and I replied that I loved bananas but normally ate them when yellow and ripe, not boiled green ones. So a few days later some yellow bananas appeared especially for me. Taking one I tried to break the skin at the stalk to peel it in the usual way, but found the skin to be very rubbery and flexible and refused to split.

"How do you open them?" I asked, and noticed they were both watching me in amusement.

"The other end" said Mika.

The bottom of the banana was dried and the skin hard, but it broke and I was able to peel the banana the usual way, just upside down. It tasted like the bananas back home, but not as sweet and a little on the soft/squishy side. I had a banana a day, for breakfast, and they were gradually getting squishier and less appetising. And today's was the last one.

Mika and Maliana had left when I peeled it and found it very squishy, brown, and very unappetising. So I threw the skin in the bucket for the pigs, but didn't want to throw the edible part in the bucket in case Mika saw it and was offended. So I took it down to the reef-flat and threw it in the water for the fishes. I then went back to the house to get my cameras and snorkelling gear ready, and to change the batteries in my strobe as they were getting depleted.

Entering the water at the first terrace I found the water on the reef-flat to be only waist deep, a bit less than I expected (I thought chest or neck deep). There was absolutely no current, just the gentle back and forth surge of the swell. So I started swimming out toward the reef edge, around 200m away. The water here was still cloudy, and the fish where the usual suspects - Convict Surgeonfish, Weedy Surge Wrasse, Threadfin Butterflyfish. But then I saw something completely unexpected.

Over the reef-flat a short ways ahead of me, and snuffling around in the sand, was a fully grown Spotted Eagle Ray! The large fish had its head down in the sand and facing me so I stopped swimming and got out my little camera, getting three shots before it saw me and flew away through the water. This was really exciting, and I hoped it was a sign of the times ahead.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/whitespotted-eagle-ray-aetobatus-narinari-288225/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/whitespotted-eagle-ray-aetobatus-narinari-288226/

Nearing the edge of the reef I discovered I would not be able to swim over the edge as I had planned. The waves were not large but had enough force to push me back each time one hit me. Grabbing hold of rocks meant that I stayed where I was, but the waves were then dragging my boardshorts down, which was of some concern. But more importantly, the water was shallower. The reef edge is marginally higher than the rest of the flat, something I knew but hadn't considered because it didn't seem much higher. But every time a wave formed, all the water in front of me was sucked back, and the water level would drop until there was only six inches of water above the coral or rock. Of course, six inches wasn't enough for me to stay afloat and I would suddenly end up with my chest on the rock while the water, still being sucked to the next wave, would drag me forward. And then the wave would hit me and push me back. And the edge of the reef was only ten metres or so away. All I had to do was get past the waves, and everything would be fine.

I decided to stand up. Not easy in flippers, harder when waves are buffeting you, but I succeeded. I also noticed a stream of blood flowing from a nasty graze on my left hand, sustained when I was dragged across a rock. After considering my options (returning to shore was NOT one of them), I walked backwards towards the edge until, between waves, I was at a cleft in the reef edge where I could swim and the water was deeper. And swimming over that cleft I was able to get past the edge of the reef-flat and into the ocean, and below me was the true coral reef.

And it was all I had hoped for, and more.






















To be continued.........

 

[zooboy28]

[And it was all I had hoped for, and more.






















To be continued.........

Now that was just mean

 

[Chlidonias]

I'm thinking horrific shark attack.....

 

[Hix]

hehehehehehhee



Hix

 

[Hix]

And it was all I had hoped for, and more.

The reef edge did not drop vertically, but was angled at roughly 45 degrees dropping down to a submarine terrace at about five metres depth. This whole area was not coral but rock, worn smooth by wave action, and punctuated with chasms, clefts and holes. Deeper, away from the pounding, there were corals growing on the rocks. The below photos show the edge of the reef-flat between waves.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/edge-reef-288234/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/edge-reef-288232/

The submarine terrace was covered in hard corals. As I said, it started at around five metres depth, then extended out for 50 metres where it abruptly vanished in a vertical drop. On this edge - the top of the reef-face - it was about 8-10 metres deep. How far the reef went down beyond that is anyone's guess.

Many years ago, just after I learnt to scuba dive, I was in Palau where they have excellent visibility (50+ metres) and reef walls that are vertical drops of hundreds of metres. The Ngemelis Wall was touted as being a 1,000 foot vertical reef-face, and I was determined to experience the thrill of diving over the edge of such an impressive feature and seeing the reef wall plummet below me to the bottom. It was an anticlimax.

With visibility of only 50 metres, hanging over the edge of the reef-face means you can only see down 50 metres (less actually, because of the loss of light), so all you end up doing is looking at blue. It was like snorkelling in Sydney Harbour, you couldn't see anything at all, except for 50 metres of reef beside you. And so it was with this reef in Tokelau.

But the reef terrace was still a great place to photograph fish - and there were so many. And - as I suspected - the water here was clear and visibility was a good 50 metres or more. I didn't know where to start so I swam around for a few moments, took some wide angle shots with my camera, and then after about three minutes turned towards shore. I had to get my good camera.

I caught a wave up onto the reef-flat without too much trouble, took off my fins, stood up and started walking in. Once away from the edge I put them back on and swam the rest of the way. Five minutes later, with camera and weightbelt, I was back in the water and on my way out. Twenty metres from the edge I stood up and walked backwards until I could get back into the deeper water, and achieved it this time with no problems.

One of the things you learn when scuba diving from shore, especially when jumping in off rocks, is to plan your exit before you go in. Know where to get out. I had thought about this over the previous 15 minutes, and I knew the only way out was over the edge of the reef-flat, letting waves carry me onto the flat. However, as the tide dropped there would be less and less water that could do that and if I stayed too long I would end up being pushed onto the edge of the flat, and then the waves would suck me back. This happened to me once a long time ago in Sydney, and it was a gruelling and exhausting experience. Admittedly, the waves then were much bigger and more ferocious, but I had both hands free at the time. Now I only had one hand and was weighed down by a three kilo camera. I figured I shouldn't stay here too long.

There were so many fish, but most of them were parrotfish which I found annoying. Parrotfish are some of the most beautiful fish in the ocean, with a livery of brightly coloured pastels in various different hues. And they drive me to distraction. Identifying each species is a nightmare as none of the fish I photograph look anything like the illustrations (or descriptions) in the books. A couple I know, like the Tan-faced Parrotfish, but most of them are just variations on a rainbow-palette theme.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/parrot-fish-288239/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/masked-bannerfish-288240/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/pinktailed-triggerfish-melichthys-vidua-288237/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/big-eye-trevally-caranx-sexfasciatus-288233/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/lemonpeel-angelfish-centropyge-flavissima-288229/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/barred-thickips-hemigymnus-fasciatus-288228/

There were also large schools of Redfin Bream (unless it turns out to be the closely related Humpnose Bigeye Bream, but I don't think so) and all the surgeonfish species I expected - Striped, Whitecheeked, Lined Bristletooth - and large numbers of Orangespined Unicornfish. Plus there were Bluespined Unicornfish, a large species I hadn't sighted in Nukunonu yet. They were a bit timid and I couldn't get a decent photo of them.

I was distracted by a white object off in the distance just at the edge of visibility. All I could make out was some white which was disappearing and then re-appearing. It blinked like this a couple of times and then disappeared from view. I suspect it was another Ray - probably Eagle Ray, but Mantas are known from these waters, too. But going after it was not an option. And then I saw a shark.

It was a Blacktip Reef Shark and was swimming along the top of the terrace. I waited until it was closer then took a photo from the surface, but when I snorkelled down to get in closer it took off quite quickly. Not surprisingly, as they are spearfished for food here.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/blacktip-reef-shark-carcharinus-melanopterus-288230/

I photographed as quickly as I could, recording 44 species of fish here (not counting the unidentified species of parrotfish), of which fifteen I hadn't seen anywhere else in Nukunonu. Some of the new species were ones I had expected to see in Nukunonu but hadn't yet (like Reticulated and Ornate Butterflyfishes, Forcepsfish, and Black Triggerfish), but surprisingly no hawkfish. There was a butterflyfish I desperately wanted to see - the Saddled Butterflyfish. I saw a dead one that a local fisherman had speared, but I wanted to see a live one to count it on my list. Alas, I was not that lucky.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/ornaste-butterflyfish-288238/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/black-triggerfish-melichtys-niger-288236/

And so, after being there only 19 minutes, I caught a wave back onto the reef-flat. I was so excited about all I had seen that as I swam back to shore I ignored everything around me. A submarine could have gone past and I wouldn't have noticed. Suddenly, my head brushed against something floating on the water and, worried that it might be another jellyfish, I used all the martial arts skills I don't possess to move me backwards through the water so I could see the little stinger and assess the situation. But it was only my banana. Apparently the fish didn't think much of it either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday Lunch was mince with frozen vegetables, pork and rice. The frozen mixed vegetables are packets of corn, peas and diced carrots imported from Samoa - and Maliana loves them. The chest freezer is full of them. After lunch, partly because it was Sunday and partly because it was stiflingly hot, Mika and Maliana slept for most of the afternoon, while I worked on the laptop.

In the evening Mika checked his emails and discovered the schedule for the boat had changed again, now he believes I won't be leaving till Friday, and will arrive in Apia on Saturday. I'll need to confirm this with Pio, the Transport officer tomorrow, because my snorkelling gear needs at least 24 hours to dry before I can pack it. If I leave on Friday, then I can snorkel up until Wednesday.

And I want to go back to the reef.



Hix

Photo count for the day: 68 taken, 14 deleted.

 

[Hix]

Day 13 - Monday, 3rd September

A very sad day in Nukunonu today, as the freighter is arriving in the morning with the body of the dead girl.

At 10:00am I went up to the government offices to see the Transport Manager and confirm my departure, but the only person in the entire office was Zac, the GM. He checked the emails and confirmed it: the freighter would be back on Friday morning, and I should arrive in Apia around midday on Saturday. As everyone else was down at the wharf, I walked past there on my way back.

The freighter was due to arrive at 9:30, but still hadn't shown. But it seemed like the entire village of 300+ was there waiting. The whole school was there, the children in their uniform lava-lavas, and the barge had been decked out with a decorated double arch over a table and with greenery. Mika and some other men were in the cemetery digging her grave. Because of the sun, everyone was in the shade cast by a very large shed, used for Customs and Immigration inspections.

The school in Nukunonu teaches from kindergarten up to high school, except for the last two years of study which are taught in Samoa. This young girl, only 16, was in her second year of study at Samoa and apparently had a bright future. Which was one reason why the entire school was present - most of them knew her. One of the policemen I spoke to said the girl was bright, fun-loving and out-going, a popular and well-liked girl. And nobody has any idea what drove her to commit suicide.

I went back to the house to upload my photos from the previous day onto the internet. Along the way I noticed the teeth of a cowrie shell in the road. This is not surprising as there are shells scattered amongst the coral gravel/rubble everywhere. I had already collected a few shells from Te Fakanava beach, two of which were common cowries that had a pink spine. The upside-down cowrie I was looking at in the road was much larger. Picking it out of the ground I turned it over expecting to find half the shell gone, but found it to be complete, and of a different species to the pink one, not a tiger cowrie but similar. I took it home and cleaned it up, adding it to my small collection. Over the last few years I have seen people return from Fiji, the Cook Islands, and other tropical islands with shells they've picked up - frequently half a bivalve or a couple of nice little twisted things. I can understand taking a nice complete shell, but often these shells they bring back are broken, encrusted with seaweed or algae, and I can't understand why you would pick up something like that when there are beautiful whole shells to be found.

Around 11:00 I looked out the back window and saw the freighter and the barge just leaving it. I had wanted to photograph the barge but I didn't have my camera earlier and it had been so hot that when I got back I just wanted to sit in front of the fan. So I grabbed my camera now and ran up to the wharf.

I arrived just as the barge was docking. There was complete silence amongst everyone. The entire school was on the wharf itself, lining the wharf on either side. As the coffin was lifted off and carried up the school started singing a song in Tokelauan, and the rest of the congregation joined in. The coffin was carried through the shed so everyone could see it, and then carried past the church to her family home where it was taken inside. The congregation followed it, singing as they went. The family home was an average size for Tokelau, but it saw over 100 people inside while others stood or sat outside. It is tradition to take the coffin to the family home, and then friends and family sing songs and tell stories about the departed. When they've finished the coffin is taken to the church and the funeral is held, and then taken to the cemetery for burial.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Having conquered the reef the day before I felt more confident going out again. Having confirmed my departure on Friday meant I could get wet up until Thursday morning, then pack Thursday afternoon (my wet gear would be mostly dry by evening and completely dry by the following morning if it didn't rain). However, knowing how these things change at the last moment, I planned on having my last snorkel on Wednesday morning, just in case the freighter returned early.

Knowing what the reef edge looked like now, I felt confident going out at low tide which I thought would confer some advantages. So in the afternoon I waded out through the low water and rocks to the edge of the reef-flat where smallish waves were breaking on it. After identifying a suitable entry point I moved to ten metres from the edge and put on my fins, then walked backwards until I was at the edge and, between waves, threw myself off sideways. The weightbelt and camera took me a couple of metres below the surface and by swimming horizontally I got past the waves and back over the reef proper.

The environment was slightly different from yesterday, for me anyway. The water was not quite as clear as it had been, maybe only 40 metres visibility, and the gentle swell from yesterday was much stronger today. But this wouldn't make much of a difference to me, or to photography. So I set out to explore and see what I could find today.

When I was in Niue I created a spreadsheet listing the fish I had seen and the locations where I had sighted them. I had used this spreadsheet as a template to do a similar one for Nukunonu, and this had the added bonus of showing me what I had seen in Niue that I hadn't seen here yet (although only 1,000km apart they should have similar fish life). Which is why, the previous day, I had been excited to see three species of butterflyfish I hadn't seen elsewhere on the atoll. I had also looked hard to see a hawkfish; I've seen four species in Niue where they are fairly common but none in Tokelau. According to my spreadsheet, I had seen 44 species over the reef the day before in just nineteen minutes. By comparison, at site Lagoon 1, I had also recorded 44 species, although I had been to this site twice for a total of three hours; the reef-flat had a total of 51 species (three visits totalling over three hours); and the lagoon next to Te Fakanava had 64 species in one visit totalling just over three hours. All up, I had seen 107 fish species, not counting the species I had yet to identify (mainly groupers and parrotfish). I hoped to improve the count of the reef, and see if I could find some new species to push my overall total over 110 species (which were the totals FishBase and FishWise both had). And, of course, I still wanted to see a live Saddled Butterflyfish.

This session was differnt, but just as exciting as my first visit the day before. I saw at least three reef sharks (or the same shark on three different occasions), a very large Green Turtle, a Sharksucker (like a remora, but different species), a Scrawled Filefish, a school of Small-spotted Darts, a Bluefin Trevally, and a weird fish that looked like a Small-toothed Jobfish, but was darker, had a stripe down the side - and a bright yellow blotch on top of its head. Very odd. One of the first fish I saw immediatly after crossing the edge was a Scythe Triggerfish - one of the many fish I expected to find but hadn't seen yet. Another fish that's extremely common in Niue is the Clown Coris - the Initial Phase and Juvenile stages are seen everywhere, but I had seen none in Tokelau, until now when I saw a single Initial Phase, and a mature one at that.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/scythe-triggerfish-sufflamen-bursa-289035/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/small-toothed-jobfish-aphareus-furca-289049/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/small-toothed-jobfish-aphareus-furca-289048/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/clown-coris-coris-aygula-289058/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/scrawled-filefish-aluterus-scriptus-289061/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/sharksucker-echeneis-naucrates-289047/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/sharksucker-echeneis-naucrates-289041/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/blacktip-reef-shark-carcharhinus-melanopterus-289046/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/small-spotted-dart-trachinotus-baillonii-289043/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/green-turtle-chelonia-mydas-289037/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/green-turtle-chelonia-mydas-289038/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/bluefin-trevally-caranx-melampygus-289036/

And then, while diving down to try to photograph a Fourspot Butterflyfish and hide behind a small staghorn coral, I saw an Arc-eye Hawkfish! I took a couple of photographs of it, and then noticed a Halfspotted Hawkfish nearby! So I took a couple of shots of that one too. And then I saw a dark phase Halfpotted Hawkfish (which looks very different), so I got a shot of him.

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/arc-eye-hawkfish-paracirrhites-arcatus-289052/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/halfspotted-hawkfish-paracirrhites-hemistictus-289051/
http://www.zoochat.com/1821/halfspotted-hawkfish-dark-phase-paracirrhites-hemistictus-289054/

As if that wasn't enough, the normal Half-spot then swam onto a coral head next to the dark phase, so I had to go down and try and get a photo of them both together! Unfortunately, due to the limitations of peering into a viewfinder through a facemask, part of the normal phase got cut out of frame. But it was exciting at the time!

http://www.zoochat.com/1821/halfspotted-hawkfish-both-dark-normal-phases-289055/

Unfortunately, I didn't see a Saddled Butterflyfish.

After 45 minutes it seemed to get darker and, popping my head out of the water, I could see some dark rainclouds approaching. While rain is not an issue for someone in the water, the change in pressure would affect the waves, which would make it harder to get out, so I decided to leave immediately. I found an area where a wave would wash me onto the edge of the reef-flat and caught a wave in, and when I was lying on the rock the wave continued to drag my camera towards shore, but I had a firm grip. Unfortunately, it got a severe buffeting up and down onto the rock. As soon as I could I got on my feet and checked the camera - it was fine. Nauticam make their housings out of hardened steel and they can take a beating, but the beating wasn't over.

While wading in to shore, far from the reef-flat edge, I had to traverse a number of rockpools that were kneedeep. Not a problem, just step down walk across and step out onto rock on the other side. For one of them I stepped down, my foot twisted and I fell heavily onto rocks and coral on my right, both cameras being belted hard against the rock and my left hand hitting some coral on the other side. I got up quickly and checked the cameras, but both appeared OK. I collected my fins which were floating in the pool and my mask and snorkel on the bottom and continued on to shore.

Both cameras were fine and I got some great pics from them (the GoPro had been twisted a full 360 degrees when exiting the reef, but had still recorded OK and was facing the right direction). The Nauticam had scratches on the bottom corner and on the bottom of the port, but seemed intact, and I was so glad I went with them and not one of the other cheaper brands I had been considering. But the cameras fared better than me.

Joining the previous nasty graze on my left hand were a few more smaller grazes on my left palm and fingers, my right hand (holding my cameras when I fell) had a nasty bruise and a sore joint at the base of the thumb, and my legs had more scratches and cuts on them both. The big surprise was when I was changing after my shower - a very dark and nasty bruise had appeared at the top of my inner thigh, very close to some delicate equipment, and I have no idea how it happened. Oddly enough, it wasn't painful at all.

Looking at my photos and adding the new things I'd seen, my count for the reef had gone up to 63 (just one species behind Lagoon Site 2), but my total count was now 118 species. Very happy with that!

After a dinner of pork chops and rice, and a couple of hours on the internet, we called it a night.



Hix

Photo count for the day: 83 taken, 20 deleted.

 

[Hix]

Just a quick note - I leave Tokelau in about 12 hours for the 24 hour boat ride to Apia in Samoa. From there I'll probably be running arund trying to move my flight fowrward by a few days, so I may not be posting for a few days. But don't worry, the last few days will eventually be posted (once I've written them).

Thanks to everyone who have expressed their appreciation of my efforts. My family and friends are interested to hear wha tI do, but they have limitations - leave the fish out of it! They're only interested in the pretty pictures, the people and the other 'touristy' things. I'm very glad to be able to share my experiences with others who can truly appreciate the adventure of it all and - more importantly - my interests and views.

Regards

Hix

PS: The attachment below is just for Chlidonias

 

[Chlidonias]

awww, its got a little baby!!

 

[devilfish]

Thanks for this brilliant thread Hix - I'm really enjoying reading it and looking through the photos.

 

[Monty]

I have to keep logging on to check for updates to.

 

[Chlidonias]

are those white terns nesting in a breadfruit tree?