Slightly murky conditions, but not terrible considering the island was bashed by the winds and rough surf of a typhoon much further to the west of us. The water was shallow, not much more than 40-ft at the lowest point. Shallow is good on a sunny day when lots of wildlife is out and about. Our first encounter was a curious eel:
Unlike the rocky "fingers" of Kume-jima, this beach on Aguni offered little pockets of coral and fish among a sandy sea floor. Our swim between these patches of rocks and coral was a little unnerving for me whenever I saw a Titan Triggerfish. After Ryan had a close encounter with one of these guys, we learned that they are territorial around their nests, which are usually constructed in sand on the ocean floor. I am wary when I see them, but wish I could get close to one for a picture because they are pretty. These moments of Titan Triggerfish Terror were short-lived, because there was LOTS to see today. I had fun playing with the light of the surface and shots of corals and fish:
One patch of rock was almost completely absorbed by polyps and bubble-tip anemone - just gorgeous! There must have been 20 clownfish of various sizes snuggling down amongst the polyps and anemones. When I approached, they snuck back down inside, hiding so well it was like an underwater whack-a-mole game. They would re-emerge when I went to the surface to breathe, which only made me want to capture the perfect image even more. We played this game for a bit, until I decided I was molesting them more than peacefully admiring them.
My favorite moment of the day was getting to swim close to 3-4 sea turtles. We've seen them before at other islands, but usually just one and usually a bit in the distance so that getting a good look is nearly impossible. Ryan saw them earlier in the day, so we knew we were in the area. We happened upon them while they were foraging near a coral. I squealed so loud through my snorkel that they took notice of our presence and swam away without hesitation. I ruined what could have been a happy amount of time with the sea turtles, but I am happy for the moment.
This was our first trip with our new underwater camera: a Fuji FinePix XP200. I wasn't too fired up about this camera because I was really smitten with the underwater version of the Canon PowerShot we've had since we got married. However, the Canon no longer behaves when it's submerged, meaning it won't take pictures underwater, so it was time to move on. See the photos from this day with the FinePix, I think we are happy with our new camera.
After a good 2.5 hours in the water and some good spear-fishing for Ryan, we made our way back to Nagahama beach. Ryan showed me his prize for the day: a blue-fin Trevally!
So pretty. The colors out of the water were not nearly as bright and shimmery as when Ryan first caught it, but it is still a beautiful fish.
But the day was not without casualty. Somehow, Ryan left the water with only one reef boot. Not sure how this happened, but we were lucky it happened in a place where the exit from the water was more sand and less urchin-filled rock.
Back at the hotel, we asked our hostess where we might purchase ice, and she showed us what is presumably the only store on the island. We grabbed some ice and some snacks, and took a breather on the downstairs public patio of the hotel. We relaxed, enjoyed an Orion from the vending machine, and pondered what we might do with the rest of the afternoon. Ryan spotted a stink-bug, allowing us to appreciate the terrestrial invertebrate wonders of Aguni.
We opted for some afternoon birding and then a walk before dinner. Birding in agricultural plots may not sound like the best place for a slice of nature, but it offers an ease of viewing that rivals a more untouched forest patch. Some brush near one of the fields gave me a good view AND photo of a Brown Shrike, which is easily the most common bird on Aguni.
Other addition to my life list AND some good photos were the Eastern Wagtail and the Pacific Swallow:
The Pacific Swallows made me quite happy. They resemble Barn Swallows, and in poor light with quick glimpses, I was never sure if I was seeing a new species or an old friend in a new country. There is nothing like getting a good look at a new species, being able to compare it with something familiar, see the differences, and then have the satisfaction that you now KNOW something new.
We returned to town to park the car and then take a tour of the southern side of Aguni. If you look up Aguni on Google Maps, you'll see that the southern side features quick access to very deep water without having to swim far from the coastline. The winds made this side of the island less hospitable to more snorkeling, so we kept our fingers crossed that we could see the deep deep blue tomorrow.
We had fun using Ryan to size up the "jacks" that are often used to bolster coastlines and ports. The beach to the west of the port was peppered with smaller jacks:
The walls of the Aguni port were created by much larger jacks, which Ryan says offer grouper and other large and/or good-eatin' fish a place to hide:
We continued westward along the southern coast from the Aguni port to take in the sights. These included hermit crabs feasting on a wayward "shikwasa," or local citrus delight...
...vegetation on the cliffs...
...agricultural fields of sugar cane...
...and the inquiring but timid glances of a kitten.
Then sun set, so we decided to call it a day - and what a day it was! - and make our way towards the hotel for dinner. WE took a more direct route, along the roads we'd driven several times since our arrival. Sections of the paved road were more sand/gravel that pavement, and we wondered if this was due to seasonal typhoons or because the road was not quite finished.
Aguni may not be the largest island, but we had to agree that what it lacks in area it more than makes up for in variety, from caves to corals. This was our last full day on Aguni, and we were already talking about when might be a good time to return for a second visit. For birds, I hope to return sometime between January and March in hopes that a Hoopoe might be hanging out in the pastures to I can add it to my life list. For fish, next summer might be a prime time to catch the schools of tuna and trevally, which might attract a nearby shark. For the moment, we were content to enjoy the sunset, good weather, and thoughts of how much more we could squeeze in to this trip.
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