IT'S WHAT WE DID NOT SEE

The Pacific Ocean was it's usual amazing ocean... It shimmered like diamonds. It beckoned me.

During the weekdays, I normally swim in the morning, Sundays it's after Church. We attend a Church across the street from the  ocean, and I could not resist taking a peek of the conditions as we walked into Church. It would be one of the beautiful indescrible days, I knew it.

After Church, I saw Linda and we agreed to jump in, in about a half an hour. My husband decided to canoe along with us (outrigger canoes, which are very popular on the Islands).

I WAS a beautiful day indeed. It was like swimming in gin. Crystal clear.

We swam to our normal "Kings Buoy" and kept traveling past to our special Reef.

Kona Reef is about .9  miles from the pier and the water is only about 2 feed deep in some areas of the reef. You can hear the crackle of the reef when you begin approaching the reef. The crackle sound is all the fish and various critters enjoying their lunch and just the sound of life on the reef. It's it's own underwater city.

I wanted to show off some of the beautiful "Tiger Cowries' I normally see at this reef to my husband. I am always careful when finding them as not to disturb their resting place as I have heard they have lifetime mates, and when you move them they sometimes can  no longer find their mate. Sadly, people like to collect them because of their beauty. I have probably not seen two together for several years.

 Tiger cowries  found in Hawaii are the largest in the world. Cowries, sometimes called "porcelain shells", all have a shiny shell, since a "mantle" covering the shell protects the animal from predators. Like all cowries, tiger cowries are herbivorous, grazing on small seaweeds or algae. Tiger cowries are used as octopus lures in Hawaii and among other Pacific islands.The larger Tiger Cowries, extraordinarily beautiful, are now difficult to find. Although the pattern is simple, white with dark spots, the varying number and size of the spots can produce shells ranging from very light to almost solid black. It is said that no two are alike. The mantle is mottled dark gray with long, pointed, white-tipped papillae. This cowry is more likely to be seen by day than many others, probably because of its beauty as well as it's size. They can be as big as a softball. In Hawaii they are easily seen in shallow water, 10 feet. Easy to see by snorkelers and easier to take because of their beauty.

I saw three beautiful Tigers just Friday.

When we went back today they were all gone along with allot of the clam shells split open and robbed. Someone had been there and helped themselves to these beautiful creatures!  It's a good thing I did not witness this, or I would be in jail today.

I felt heartsick that all these Tigers were gone. I secretly hoped they had just been hiding,but feeling they had been taken by someone very self centered.

The dolphins were in the vicinity,  but we were too busy at the reef to catch them today. It was another one of those God-sent days in Hawaii.