Ahukini Dive 1-27-2014

This dive site had some of the most beautiful giant mound corals growing on the jetty and in the the mouth of the bay a few years ago. I found the first outbreak of cyanobacterial disease on the rice corals about three years ago and since then hundreds of large rice corals have died.

We dove Ahukini two days ago. This site is right in the bay at the end of the airport runway in Lihue, Kauai. This dive site had some of the most beautiful giant mound corals growing on the jetty and in the the mouth of the bay a few years ago. I found the first outbreak of cyanobacterial disease on the rice corals about three years ago and since then hundreds of large rice corals have died.

What is more disturbing, is that the giant old growth mound corals are now infected with what appears to be the same disease. It has the same growth rate of 2 to 4 inches per week, killing each coral it infects. At this rate, all the corals in this once-beautiful place will be gone within 10 years or less!

This reef is a habitat for a ton of cool creatures... brilliant colored flat worms, Lizard-fish, Red Nudibranch eggs, Stout Moray Eel, a Sea Hare shooting out its purple ink, Spaghetti Worms, and a starfish that is growing out of a single leg dropped by the parent starfish! All of these cool critters will be gone soon if we do not wish to study this reef and figure out what is killing it at such a rapid rate.

I have invited Surfrider, The Hanalei River Hui and the Department Of Aquatic Resources to come along on this dive to help monitor the damage but they did not show up! I guess something else must have been more important than saving our coral reefs here in Kauai.

Aloha,
Terry