2008-March 7: Poipu, Lawai sunset

Time to hit the South side for some more snorkeling.  This time we headed to Poipu.  Love snorkeling both sides of the tombula.  Most people only go to the right of the tombula, but the rocks that spell out Poipu by the lifeguard station are a great place to get up close for pictures of the fishies. (I noticed in 2016 the rocks no longer spell out Poipu.  They've been knocked down---we've seen people moving them a lot in the past--but I guess the rough surf could topple them, too.  Too bad, it was a lot of fun investigation around them!)

 Another saddle butterflyfish

 moorish idol--always a favorite to watch with their long fins

 A popular beach

 one of the many big wrasses around Kauai. 

 a couple juvenile yellow tail corises.

 Poipu beach on the right side of the tombula (looking out from the beach)

 big colorful parrotfish

 a flounder

 A barracuda hanging out a few feet from the entrance to right of the tombula.  We see them here quite often.

 These guys are use to being fed, too, so a huge mass of fish converge when someone does feed them.  I try to stay away from the frenzy---some of them will bite out of sheer excitement.  I picked up a shell once and a big silver chub nipped my hand hard enough to break the skin.  Wish people wouldn't feed them.

Now I'm over on the life guard side of the beach (left of the tombula as you look out at the water) another wrasse

 and another wrasse

 and another

 a school of orange bar surgeonfish

 a well hidden scorpion fish

 a unicorn fish

 looking towards the lifeguard station from where the Poipu rocks are.

 4 spot butterflyfish

 eventually we dried off and went in search of food.  Don't remember where we ate, but did end up over by Poipu Point.  That's a good place to look for whales.  Unfortunately it's getting late in their season so we didn't see any.

 so we headed on---love the flowering trees.  Love that they flower continuously instead of just for a couple weeks like our flowering trees back home.

 some of the banyon trees in Koloa

 We decided to go to Lawai for sunset.

  It's like a ritual there!  There's a nice brick retaining wall that makes for a perfect seat to sit and watch the sunset.  Every evening near sunset people congregate there.  Even people inside the restaurant will come out and take pictures.

 Sunset wasn't that great, but it's neat to be a part of the "ceremony".

 Thus ended another beautiful day on Kauai.