We had a tidal wave watch today...

We were pulling on to the mooring for our second dive today, and the boat leaving mentioned there was a tidal wave watch in effect from a big bang down in Tonga. After a bunch of phone calls we found it had been announced that there was no threat by then... phew... relief. We've only had a few of these in the time I've been here, but it wouldn't be fun to have a tidal wave materialize.

Here's a shot of a group of aholeholes, also known as Hawaiian Flagtails (Kuhlia xenura). There's a batch of them living off the edge of the lava at Pyramid Pinnacle, they've been in the same spot for years. They tend to be found very shallow right up in the surge, and are mylar shiny.... fun to watch on sunny days.

later,

Steve

Tsunami watch update. The watch has been officially cancelled.

Tonight's news said the tsunami center has announced there was no tidal wave generated by the earthquake off Japan. We are warned to be aware of unusual currents overnight though, which is apparently common in this type of event.

Big tsunami watch in Hawaii tonight.

Hi there,

I've been getting phone calls from friends with boats giving me a heads up over the tsunami watch we have this evening. There was an earthquake off Japan tonight and everyone is watching to see if there is a tsunami heading our way. If, and that's a pretty big "If", there's a tsunami it'd likely hit around 12:30 this morning. I've got about another hour or so to decide whether to make the trip into town to try to find a spot to move my boat uphill from the harbor. So far the type of surge they are talking wouldn't have an effect where the boat is parked, but if there's anything likely to make it this far it's probably a good idea to move it anyway.

It's likely to be busy down at the harbor around 10-11 tonight. I've got friends who live down at the coast by Kealakekua Bay who are packing as we speak with plans to move everything up the hill a ways later tonight if they do say something's coming our way.

The picture above is of a Freckled Snake Eel (Callechelys luteus). These guys are out in the sand flats and they keep just their heads out of the sand. They are tough to spot even if you are looking specifically for them. They are very shy and usually appear to be hyperventilating as you approach. If you get close enough to get a good look, they pull back under the sand. They're tough to get a shot of, this is about as good as I'll be able to do with my setup.

Later,

Steve