When you want to see the stars, find someplace dark
The moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) is one of the most memorable fish on a Hawaiian reef. They are commonly seen grazing along the open reef in shallow water. I often find these fish in caves as well, which seems quite odd as few daytime fish venture into the dark. The sponge and algae covered walls apparently provide good grazing.
A nice day for a dive, and a new species of nudibrach for me. At first I thought it might simply be a juvenile P. varicosa, but there were no yellow pertuberances. Getting back I hit the books, no doubt, P. rosans. New species! This fellow was in a cave at Puako I have entered a dozen times. Even in a place I have often explored I can find something new…
It may be a rough trail, but the goal is worth it, a relatively recent cave with an array of classic lava tube features. Emesine cave, is found in the 1881 lava flow that threatened to flow into downtown Hilo, but stopped just short of the city. Today, over a century later, the cave is now an excellent example of volcanic action and how life returns to reclaim the land afterwords.
The flows did not stop until August 10th 1881, reaching within a few miles of downtown Hilo. Some fingers of the flow crossed the present day Komohana and Kumukoa Streets near the University of Hawai’i at Hilo campus. When the flows finally did stop a number of lava tubes were exposed, including Kaumana caves, a popular tourist attraction above Hilo. Also formed in the eruption was a series of tubes higher on the north flank of the volcano, Emesine cave.
A fern draped opening into the earth, that beckons us to explore what was once the domain of Pele. A place of fire and molten rock, now a cool, dripping passage beneath the earth. The island of Hawai’i is riddled with hundreds of miles of lava tubes, most are inaccessible, but some are easy to get to. Kaumana Cave is one of the easy ones.
Going makai, a short path leads to the entrance. There are a few boulders to step carefully through, after which sections of smooth and mostly level surfaces allow a bit easier access. About 50 yards into the downhill section you will reach a choke point, a little scrambling and a bit of duck-walk is necessary to get through. After the narrow, the cave opens back up again. After another hundred yards there are a series of ledges, old crusts left by cooling lava when it half filled the cave. To continue from here requires crawling through another very low passage. Perhaps a good place to turn around if you are only interested in a short exploration.
A pretty urchin found in a cave. Apparently this is the rule for these urchins, found under rock and rubble when small, larger individuals found in caves or deep crevices with an active aversion to light. Most urchins move pretty slowly, the motion barely perceptible. This echinoderm was moving, tube feet furiously propelling it along the cave roof as it tried to avoid our lights.