Tag Archives: Kailua Kona

C-17 Globemaster

c-17 globemaster

Kekaha Kai State Park, north of Kailua Kona, is a pretty park with some excellent beaches. It’s also right under the flight path for aircraft heading to Kona International Airport (officially known as Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole).

What this means is that a steady stream of jets, on final approach to the airport, pass overhead, and not that far overhead either. It’s not the quietest park in the state.

While most of the aircraft are operated by the usual airlines, a few military planes pepper the skies. This one is a C-17 Globemaster, a military transport plane. It was arriving from Oahu, delivering firefighting equipment for the military’s Pohakuloa Training Area.

c-17 globemaster details

Honokohau Harbor entrance

Honokohau Harbor, just north of Kailua Kona, is the main small boat harbor on the west side of the Big Island. In addition to private pleasure craft, a lot of charter boats operate out of the harbor, taking guests out to fish, snorkel, dive, and whale watch.

While it looks placid in this photo, once outside this harbor entrance, boaters are in the Pacific Ocean and conditions can change dramatically in a very short time.

Pride Of America

Cruise ship

Every Wednesday, the cruise ship Pride Of America drops anchor off Kailua Kona and ferries people ashore to explore the offerings of the town and of the Big Island.

What I like most about the ship is how the name is reflected in the paintwork – all red, white, and blue, and stars and stripes. Indeed this ship was built in the U.S.A. and sails under an American flag. And even though the name of the company that operates the ship is Norwegian Cruise Line, it’s now an American company. Best not to mention that Norwegian Cruise Line’s parent company is based in Bermuda, and not because it’s warm and sunny there.

Cruise ship name

Ironman 2018

Saturday saw the running of the 40th edition of the Ironman World Championships in Kailua Kona. This is the event featuring a swim of 2.4 miles, a bike ride of 112 miles, and a run of 26.2 miles. As in previous years, I participated in this event by walking out to the main road and taking photos, whenever possible from a nice shady spot.

Actually, this year’s race was run in prime conditions for the athletes. It was overcast with occasional light rain and only a gentle breeze from time to time. Consequently many records were set, including new course records for both men and women.

The top photo shows men’s winner and defending champion, Patrick Lange of Germany, zipping by on his way back towards Kona. Second photo, Great Britain’s Susie Cheetham heads out of Hawi. Third photo, Dan Plews of NewZealand (1685) leads Robin Schneider of Germany (2310), and Neil Eddy of Great Britain (2070). These three finished the bike leg in fairly close proximity, but after the marathon run, Plews finished 21 minutes ahead of Eddy and 45 minutes ahead of Schneider. Fourth photo, Jodie Robertson of the U.S.A demonstrates the importance of color coordination while cycling. Bottom, a large group of riders roll into Hawi, the turnaround point of the bike leg.

For more information about Ironman, go to Ironman.com.

Island hopping

Mokulele plane landing at Kona

Honolulu Airport In Hawaii, it’s not unusual for people to commute between islands. Many medical professionals are based in Honolulu, but have offices on the Big Island which they visit on a weekly basis. The same can be said for other professionals: lawyers, scientists, engineers and the like. Politicians and government officials go back and forth on a regular basis.

But it’s not just professionals. Skilled tradespeople might work on any of the islands, commuting on a daily or weekly basis. Highway construction crews likewise move from island to island depending on where and what projects are being worked on. Musicians and other artists are regular island hoppers. The list goes on.

There’s one mode of transport for all these people and that’s air travel. There are no inter-island ferries. The Hawaii Superferry operated from 2007 to 2009 but was suspended when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a second environmental impact statement was required. One concern with a ferry is the increased risk of spreading invasive species and diseases of plants and animals.

Hawaiian Airlines is the biggest operator in the islands, with the lion’s share of the inter-island business. It operates from its hub in Honolulu, but also offers direct flights between the other islands. The second photo shows the distinctive tails of a couple of its planes at Honolulu Airport.

Smaller airlines have also offered inter-island routes. These include Aloha Airlines, Go! Airlines and Island Air. These three ceased business in 2008, 2014, and 2017 respectively. Currently, the only other island airline is Mokulele Airlines, though it doesn’t fly to Kauai. They service some smaller airports and operate smaller planes such as the one above, coming in to land at Kona Airport.

Posted in response to this week’s Sunday Stills challenge is on the theme of ‘Transportation or Commute.’ (More responses here.)

Signs: No Lay Net

Signs-No Lay Net

Lay nets are also known as gill nets. They can be hundreds of feet long and many feet deep with floats on the top edge and weights on the bottom. The problem with them is that, rather than targeting specific food fish, they can catch anything swimming by including turtles and monk seals. Because of this, they’re banned in certain areas, though not everywhere in Hawaii.

To me, this photo represents how the ban works. This section of the Kona coast is one of those areas where lay nets are banned. Someone has gone so far as to erect a sign in the lava near the coast. But that’s about it. In due course, the sign will fall down. It probably won’t be replaced. In the meantime, enforcement of the ban is spotty at best. Even when a violation is called in, chances are no one will be out to check on the situation until long after the net has been hauled and the netters gone home.

Abstracts: Cruise ship windows

Abstracts-cruise ship windows

Every week, a cruise ship drops anchor off Kailua Kona and passengers are ferried ashore to explore the delights of the town or to go on tours of the island. While it’s there, the ship dwarfs the town.

This image shows a section of the ships side, row upon row of cabin windows. Technically, one might be expected to refer to these as portholes, but I don’t think that applies to cruise ships, which are basically giant floating hotels.

Fish farm

Fish farm net pen and boat

Not far off the Kona coast, near the airport, one or more of these nets can often be seen. They’re the submersible net pens of a fish farm run by Blue Ocean Mariculture. The farm raises Almaco jack which it markets under the name Hawaiian Kanpachi.

In the wild, the fish is prone to ciguatera, a toxin that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, numbness, and other unpleasant symptoms. This is the reason almaco jacks aren’t fished commercially. But the farmed fish are free of this problem. I have mixed feelings about farmed fish, but this farm seems to be well regarded and is approved by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.

Part of my ambivalence may be down to the fact that, last year, one of the few resident monk seals living around the island became trapped in a pen and drowned. I’ve since heard that when work is being done on a pen, it should be raised so part is above the surface. That way, if something swims into a pen and can’t get out again, it can at least surface inside the pens to breathe. Whether that happened in this case, I can’t say. The official word is that mariculture projects in Hawaii are under review by the Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA.

Fish farm net pens

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii