Big Island Reef Death

[AJS]

I have been shore diving the Big Island for 30 years. It was, in my opinion some of the best shore diving to be had anywhere. Someone needs to tell the truth about what is happening there so here goes...Coral on the west side of the Island has been decimated in the last two years. Puako for example is 90% dead. Gone also are most of the fish, eels, and turtles. It looks like a nuclear death zone. Even the best spots like Mahu Kona and the Small Boat Harbor are experiencing pronounced die offs (they looked fine 18 months ago). Long stingy green algae is everywhere. Two Step, is in the best shape of any spot but it also has been impacted severely .

 

[drrich2]

Any idea what is causing this? Has there been a historical pattern of such 'waxing and waning' or reef quality that anyone knows of?

Richard.

 

[tilikum]

I doubt it is part of any natural cycle. More likely it is human caused from runoff from various resorts and other development.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

A similar thing happened along the west coast over the past two years. We had a brown. stringy substance on many reefs and most of the animals disappeared. Things have slowly been returning to normal for the past few months.

 

[AJS]

Things are only getting worse on Big Island. There are lots of theories on the cause ranging from warming ocean temps, change in the oceans PH, run-off, aqua culture, over fishing, nuclear waste from Japan...you name it.

 

[cpace]

AJS, thanks for your honest observation. I just booked flights to Kona this September for some shore diving and a couple of boat dives. It looks like I'll be changing my plans.

 

[iamrushman]

sorry to hear such sad news....keep us filled in and informed over time....

 

[tphelps]

AJS, thanks for your honest observation. I just booked flights to Kona this September for some shore diving and a couple of boat dives. It looks like I'll be changing my plans.

I'm a marine scientist with UH Hilo on Big Island. There is still incredible diving in Kona, such as the manta dive which remains the #1 night dive in the world.

@AJS, thanks for posting and bringing this to attention. The reason for this are the two back to back bleaching events due to El Nino. Last summer we saw record high temperatures, such as 86F at 130fsw. This put enormous stress on corals and some places saw 95% mortality. While these El Ninos are natural, it could be argued that they were accelerated by anthropogenic sources. In the coming years, management agencies like our Division of Aquatic Resources will impose increased protection on herbivores and crack down anthropogenic effluence that could be driving algal blooms to preserve the recovery of our corals.

But it's not all gloom and doom. Our research over on the Hilo side reported only a 25% bleaching from the past El Nino. This was in part due to the cooler temperatures from the east side and selection of resilient genes that have been adapted to higher levels of stress on the windward side. If you make your way out here, there is still great diving on the Hilo side, especially if you like to see sea turtles.

 

[AJS]

tphelps, Could you please please share with me the source of you data regarding ocean temps in the summer of 2016. I cant find any of my friends here in Kona, including a dive shop owner and a professional underwater photographer (this guy dives the west side several times a week)who agree with your statement of 86 degree temps for that summer. Did you mean to say the summer of 2015? Everyone here remembers the 86 degree temps for that year but not in 2016. Can you help clear this up? Both my friends an I would be interested in seeing your data.

I agree that the Manta Ray night dive is a great experience...I've done it twice. I must ask you, as a "Marine Scientist", are you at all bothered by this aquarium show type enterprise. It is somewhat similar to the shark feeding shows done in the Caribbean. The main difference here is that he bait is attracted with huge lights instead of being brought to the site by the dive operators. I guess this bothers me some but ....obviously not enough to miss the show.

I am in Kona right now. Nobody I know here goes diving on the Hilo side. Where is a good spot to check it out?

 

[scottitheduck]

Thanks TPhelps! You the man...... I knew you would chime in.