An anchialine pond is a brackish water pool near the ocean. The Kona coast of the big island is scattered with such pools.
Near the ocean the water table is quite high, often just a meter or so beneath the surface. These recent lava flows are highly fractured, riddled with cavities and lava tubes. Here the abundant fresh water from the mauna comes down to meet the seawater. The young lava rock is rich in nutrients and life flourishes in the dark crevices and chambers.
Here and there low depressions expose these otherwise hidden waters in anchialine pools. Small fish and the bright red ‘ōpae‘ula shrimp feed on the algae growing on the jagged rock. Biologists are enthralled at the life in these pools, oasis in the otherwise barren lava fields.
I often make it a point to seek out these pools, the cool waters and lush life such a contrast to the black rock. But, in this case no long hike was required, rather it is only a few feet off the road I use to get to work every day. I just did not know where it was.
I knew there was a pool around here somewhere, I had even stopped and looked for it a year or two back, not finding it. While reading a water quality report for NELHA I again found a reference to this particular pool, the state lab regularly pulls a water sample from this pool to check for contamination from nearby facilities. With a better location I tried again.
Yup, found it, no problem. A pretty little pool in the rock not far from where I had looked before. Even a few ‘ōpae‘ula feeding along the bottom.
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