By Alison Hands

This past August, I decided to stray from the norm and travel around Hawaii instead of returning to Fairfield University for my junior fall semester.

I arrived on the island of O’ahu on the fifth of September. Since then I have been fortunate to learn about Hawaiian culture and many marine animals. I made my first dive when I was 10 off the island of Saba. So being that I am an avid scuba diver, this experience in Hawaii is extra special.

This is the first of several blogs that I will share about my scuba and free dives, and the creatures I witness.

The Hawaiian Islands are home to five of the seven species of sea turtles: the green sea turtle, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, and the olive ridley. Last week I swam with dozens of green sea turtles and got to know their habitat and feeding habits. This morning I went on a shore dive and right away we encountered a family of three green turtles feeding on seagrass at the bottom of the reef. It was very lucky timing!

On another note, I have been surrounded by some of the most beautiful reef fish I have ever seen. My favorite sighting has been the Hawaiian parrotfish, a two-foot rainbow colored fish that lives among coral reefs. Besides that, these coral reefs are home to many triggerfish, eels, snapper, scorpionfish, and squirrelfish.

Unfortunately, at this time, O’ahu is dealing with a major disruption to fishing. The island has always been known for spectacular fishing but lately scientists are seeing a high rise in overfishing. This is disturbing the coral reef ecosystems. Also, increased marine debris, such as derelict fishing gear and trash, plus invasive species such as marine algae, are negatively impacting coral reefs. This is why it is so important to help maintain a healthy ocean ecosystem regardless of where you live!

Two mornings ago, I went kayaking in the bay that is just two blocks from my house and got to experience dolphins jumping and playing right next to my boat! These dolphins were soon after classified as spinners and were traveling in a pod of about 15 or so. I later found out from a friend that dolphin sightings are getting rarer on the North Shore of O’ahu because high-speed tourist boats go out looking for spinners and bottlenose, without realizing that they are stressing the animal, disrupting their behavior and causing them to relocate. This was unfortunate news to hear but good advice for the future - always practice ethical behavior if you encounter a dolphin.

Finally, another amazing experience was diving with One Ocean Diving and getting to meet and free dive with Ocean Ramsey. This had been on my bucket list for years. I was so fulfilled to accomplish it!

We were surrounded by at least 20 sharks, including Galapagos, sandbar, and tiger sharks. Ocean Ramsey was helpful, pointing out individual sharks that she knew and recognized because of physical features that she and her crew had previously noted. The best part of this dive was meeting Nikki, a fifteen-foot tiger shark that had recently given birth. I have been diving with sharks for about a decade but I had never seen a tiger shark, let alone any shark that is fifteen feet long! It was such an exhilarating adventure and I highly recommend it to any shark enthusiast.

Next on my travel plans is to head to Kauai and hike the Napali Coast!

If you have any questions for me, please send them to info@futurefrogmen.org and they’ll pass them along.

Ali

Report From Hawaii #1