May 2013Th e Marine Option Program Newsletter

2013 PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

Q&A WITH MARINE LIFE PHOTOGRAPHER KEOKI STENDER

THANK YOU JOHN CONEY

Seaw rds

THE PHOTO ISSUE

MAY 2013

Notes on the photography in this issue,

Cover Photo: Th is month’s cover photo was submitted as a part of the May 2013 photography contest. Th e winning shot was chosen by MOP staff . Th e winning photograph was taken by UHH MOP student Daniel Jennings-Kam with a Nikon d7000. Congratulations!

Th e photo featured on this spread was taken off the South Shore of O‘ahu by Eternities Beach, see Letter From the Editor for more details.

Back Photo: UHH MOP Student Kristina Tietjen

Responsible Marine Mammal Viewing Guidelines1. Never encircle, entrap, herd or separate whales, dolphins, never “leapfrog’ or cut in front of animals and limit observation time to 30 minutes or less.2. Never entice marine wildlife to approach you. Take extra caution not to surprise marine mammals; loud nises or abrupt movements can startle or stress wildlife.3. Use binoculars or telephoto lenses to minimize intrusive viewing4. Avoid animals showing signs of disturbance; rapid or erratic changes in swimming direction or speed, escape tactics such as prolonged diving or exhalation underwater, female attempting to shield her calf with her body, sudden stop in important breed-ing, nursing feeding or resting activities aft er your arrival. 5. Also federal regulations about approach distances..For monk seal, dolphins and other species of whales the approach rule is staying 50 yards away and staying quiet.Humpback Whales are 100 yard distance in the water and 100 ft from the air.

Volume XXVII, Number 5, May 2013

Editor: Naomi LugoAssociate Editor: James StoneAssistant Editor: Kathryn Lam

Dr. Cynthia Hunter (éminence grise)

Seawords- Marine Option ProgramUniversity of Hawai‘i, College of Natural Sciences

2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105AHonolulu, HI 96822-2219

Telephone: (808) 956-8433, Fax: (808) 956-2417E-mail: <seawords@hawaii.edu>

Website: <www.hawaii.edu/mop>

Seawords is a monthly newsletter of the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawai‘i. Opinions expressed herein are not

necessarily those of the Marine Option Program or of the University of Hawai‘i

Suggestions and submissions are welcome. Submissionsmay include articles, photographs, art work, or anything that may be of interest to the marine community in Hawai‘i and around the

world.

All photos are taken by MOP unless otherwise credited.

Seawords

Naomi N. Lugo/Editor

The Photography Issue

-via: Project S.E.A.Link

MAY 2013 |3

Letter From the Editor: Behind the lens

Th is issue of Seawords is dedicated to the photographic arts, specifi cally your immense photographic talent. It was amazing to see all of your work, and it made it tough to pick a cover shot.

On page 20 you will fi nd student and alumni submitted shots. Th ank you to everyone who submitted to our fi rst ever Photo Issue.

Most of my ocean photography shots have been topside (so you guys amaze me even more with your skills), and the camera I’m currently using (that created the image in the background) is the Lomography Fisheye One in red, a good little point and shoot with an attached fi sheye lens that provides a vintage feel to the above water ocean scene shots. So whether you’re on a point and shoot or a DSLR keep on getting those inspiring shots.

Naomi N. Lugo

-Editor

Aaron Nicholson/ MOP Alumnus

Contents:

6 10 12

20 4818

THE

PHOTOGRAPHY

ISSUE

6| Seawords

DOLPHQU

The Marine Option Program (MOP) recently attended an informQuest program. A group of over 20 MOP students took advantawith the dolphins. Upon arrival, groups were split up and pairetrained, health hazards/concerns and move on to meet the dolph

reward for letting MOP students get up close and personal at times.

Dolphin Quest is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks andisplay, education and research. Dolphin Quest also has locations on the

A big mahalo goes out to the whole crew over at Dolphin Quest at The Kstudents a great time and for sharing their knowledge and facilities, but

All Photos courtesy of: Dolphin Quest

MAY 2013 |7

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

HINUEST

mative excursion to The Kahala Hotel & Resort to visit the Dolphin age of the opportunity to tour the Dolphin Quest facilities and interact ed with a Dolphin Quest instructor to learn about how dolphins are hins. Each MOP student was able to feed a few dolphins fi sh as a

nd Aquariums, which are dedicated to conservation through public e Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu and Bermuda.

Kahala Hotel & Resort for showing the Marine Option Program most impo rtantly, the dolphins!

8| Seawords

MAY 2013 |9

10| Seawords

GENERA

Actions for t

THE O

It is remarinoceamakethe oocea

BLUEWhat to do w

old cameraccesso

1954 fi lm video camera, midcenturymoddesign.

Nao

MAY 2013 |11

ATION

the Ocean

OCEAN SPANS OVER 70 PERCENT OF OUR WORLD.

esponsible for regulating temperature, food production, sustaining numerous ne species, and is a source for inspiration among multiple other things. The n gives us so much and it is time for us to return the favor and take actions to e the ocean ecosystem healthy again. Almost every action that we take affects cean in some way. Our everyday choices can be tailored to support a healthy n. Here are some examples of green acts that will keep the ocean blue.

with that ra or its ries

Recycle your digital camera.

Old (and some new) fi lm cameras are pretty cool and can be con-sidered a collectible, newer more disposably made digitals are a diff erent story. Before you get rid of your digital camera, consider the options.

Sell it if it’s in good enough condition, it’s a way to give someone a discount and a way for you to get some extra cash. Resell it on-line. Or you can donate your camera to a local program that will take them, like a school photography program or Goodwill.

Photo paper isn’t recyclable,

but that doesn’t mean you can’t reuse it. If you have a bunch of old photos that you don’t know what to do with, make them into something new! Use them as a postcard to send to a friend, turn them into magnets, be creative! Same goes for fi lm negatives which aren’t recyclable. Both your fi lm and photos are usually safe to dispose of in the traditional way, but if you can, turn them into something new.

Go out there and take photos of the ocean!

continue, or revive your photography. Photography is a great way to explore the blue world, and possibly inspire others to protect it.

.tumblr.com

omi Lugo, Editor

Sandy expanses – in Hawai‘i divers avoid them, gravitating

more toward the rich colors and excitement of the coral reefs. Most divers think of the sand as a desert, devoid of life with nothing to see, boring. Until recently I was one of those divers, however, lately I’ve found myself spending entire dives turning my back on the reefs to explore the sand. When I do, more oft en than not, I fi nd the most amazing creatures.

Just last week as my dive buddy (John Coney) and I cruised over the rippling gray sand of Ho̒okena in South Kona, a low fuzzy mound steadily skittered toward us into view. At fi rst we thought it was a crab, then maybe a tribble (ask a Star Trek geek). As it got closer we soon recognized the moving mound as a blue-spotted

urchin (Astropyga radiata), a rare and beautiful fi nd. While the urchin traveled, it kept its thin sharp spines in punk-rocker bunches, but once it reached us, it somehow sensed our presence, stopped and directed its spines evenly around its surface, fully displaying its colorful weaponry. Its white test decorated with rusty lines and fi ne blue spots is a one of the many rewards of diving in the desert.

Th e previous dive, aft er visiting the garden eels (Gorgasia hawaiiensis) and spending some time observing a freckled snake eel (Callechelys lutea), I stumbled upon a small Hawaiian lizarfi sh (Synodus ulae). Not

Sandbox Surprise

Jeff Kuwabara, UHM MOP Coordinator

12| Seawords

Astropyga radiata: Th e blue-spotted urchin is rarely spotted on the sand. It can get up to 8 inches in diameter and is found in Hawai‘i and the Indo-Pacifi c.

MAY 2013 |13

unusual, but it was a fi sh that didn’t seem to mind the underwater paparazzi, so I obliged by snapping a few quick photos from diff erent angles and moved on. It wasn’t until later while reviewing the images on my computer that I noticed it had something in its mouth. As I magnifi ed the image, that “something” turned out to be a Gosline’s fang blenny (Plagiotremus goslinei). Predation - cool!

If you’re a diver and fi nd yourself avoiding the sandy expanses, I encourage you to drop your prejudices and take a chance. You may discover what I did - that the life in these areas may not be as dense or as obvious as it is around the corals, however, it is far from a desert and the things you do see (sea stars, garden eels, snake eels, anemones, razor wrasses, sting rays, fl ounders, auger snails, etc.) may be new to you and to your fellow divers. And with a few hundred (or thousand) dives under your belt, something new is something exciting.

10| Seawords

Th is series of photos were taken with a Canon rebel T1i and a 16mm macro lens.

MAY 2013 |11

18| Seawords

Keoki Stender, Marine Photographer

Q: How long have you been a photographer? Who or what got you started?

A: Started taking photos of marine life for MOP in 1990.

Q: What’s your favorite part about photography? About marine photography?

A: Seeing fi ne details invisible unless magnifi ed on screen, fi nding a species I haven’t seen or shot before.

Q: You were a part of MOP, what made you join?

A: I love the ocean and found a way to pursue my interests at school.

Q: Why are you so interested in marine life? What got you hooked?

A: I’ve always been intrigued by fi sh and shells by fi shing and beachcombing with my family from infancy.

Q: What was your favorite part of MOP?

A: QUEST and ID classes.

Q: What kind of advice would you give an aspiring marine life photographer?

A: Look at interesting photos and learn how they were created. Don’t be discouraged as we are all diff erent. Discover what comes to you naturally

and concentrate on doing it well. Experiment with your camera system to determine its strengths and weaknesses and apply it. Never stop learning and have fun.

An Interview With:

Bractechlamys langfordi

Phycodurus eques

See more photography at marinelifep

Keoki Stender, former MOP student, now runs his own Marine Life website, Marinelifephotography.com, and works for the UH Diving Safety Program located on the UH Mānoa campus.

MAY 2013 |19

Life

Cephea cephea

Clavularia sp.Hippocampus denise

Canthigaster valentini

ephotography.com

MAY 2013Photo ContStudents and alumni from all across the Marine Option Program submitted their photography to be apart of the fi rst ever Photo Issue. Th e winning shot was featured on this month’s cover.

test

Alison Watts/ UHH MOP Student

Matthias Keller/UHM MOP Student

Taylor Shedd / UHM MOP Student

Daniel Jennings-Kam/ UHH MOP Student

Paul Bump/ UHM MOP Student

30| Seawords

Kiane Kanaha/ UHM MOP Student

MAY 2013 |31

Jacob Vandor/ UHM MOP Student

Logan Magad-Weiss/ UHM MOP Student

Kimberly Wood/ UHM MOP Student

Rebecca Zeigler/MOP Student

Don Mcleish/ Friend of the Program

Daniel Jennings-Kam/ UHH MOP Student

Katrina Berry/ UHM MOP Student

Dieter Stelling/ UHM MOP Student

Daniel Jennings-Kam/ UHH MOP Student

Kimberley Mayfi eld/ MOP Student

Kristina Tietjen/ UHH MOP Student

Amelia Dolgin/ MOP Student

Devon Aguiar/MOP Student Darin Padula/ UHM MOP Student

Zachary Gorski/ MOP Student

46| Seawords

MAY 2013 |47

Heterostichus rostratus or a giant kelp fi sh photographed at Catalina Dive Park, in Santa Catalina Island, California by MOP student Rebecca Ziegler.

“How’s it goh-win? Want some candy?”

Pointing to the candy jar by his offi ce door with a warm mustached smile, John Coney greeted 23 years of visitors to his offi ce. As a boat captain, SCUBA instructor, computer nerd, photographer, auto mechanic,

carpenter, plumber, and master multi-tas ker, he took the MOP Coordinator position far beyond its job description. He ate, drank, and breathed MOP, often working late into the night building UH Hilo MOP to an impressive program of over 100 students. So when John announced that he’d be leaving MOP for a position with Physics and Astronomy, he left giant-sized shoes to fi ll and all our jaws agape in disbelief. None of us thought that this mainstay of UH Hilo MOP would ever leave. For many of us, John has always been such a big part of MOP, that his move to a new position came as a huge surprise.

One of my favorite stories happened during QUEST (our scuba-based reef science fi eld school) a few years back. Aft er dark “helping” John work on the brakes of the cargo van (we won’t mention who burned the brakes down the hill, but some think he

John Coney – Weighingafter 23 yearsJeff Kuwabara, Manoa MOP Coordinator

g anchor

Jeff Kuwabara/ UHM MOP

sits in the old gum tree), I pumped the brake pedal while he bled air from the lines. Looking into the side-view mirror, I could see Coney’s legs protruding from his work station under the van. Suddenly in the lantern’s soft glow both his legs began to twitch furiously. Next thing I know he’s yelling for me to get the fi rst aid kit. We rushed into the pavilion past Kevin, the QUEST diving safety staff er, who quickly followed. Now John’s demanding “Alcohol! Alcohol! Get the alcohol!” A normal chant just aft er QUEST, but the fi eld school had just started. It turned out that a medium sized cockroach, attracted to the lantern next to John’s head under the van, found its way into John’s ear. Each time the roach moved, John involuntarily convulsed like a rag doll shaken by a giant hand. We poured alcohol into his ear and the roach went nuts – and the giant hand shook John furiously. Finally, Kevin pulled a dead roach out with tweezers, and the darn thing was 2 inches long! On John’s offi ce shelf now sits a vial of alcohol preserving both the roach and the legend of that fateful evening.

“Let’s take a short cut back to camp,” is the beginning of another Coney story. Th e 2009 Maritime Archaeology Surveying Techniques fi eld school (MAST) on Lanai’s Shipwreck Beach involved a daily 2.5 mile coastal hike from camp to the wreck site and usually another 2.5 mile hike back to camp. Th is aft ernoon, John suggested we look for a trail a little more inland, it would cut some corners and get us

back quicker. FIVE miles and 13 ‘we’re almost there’s later, bleeding in 1000 places from kiawe (mesquite) thorns, and having discovered three goat and deer skeletons, we emerged from the trailhead at our camp, smiling with a fi nger pointed toward the other guy. If you ask John, he’ll say it was my idea – don’t believe him.

Th ank you, John, for these and so many other memories. On behalf of the Marine Option Program, thank you for 23 years of blood, sweat, tears, laughs and most of all, for giving a generation of ocean leaders an opportunity to chase their dreams. Job well-done. Yes, you left us with very large shoes to fi ll, but you also left us with a strong UH Hilo MOP and a legacy in QUEST that will continue the work you started 23 years ago. Th ough we miss you already, we wish you success and happiness in your new job, and know that your infectious smile and disarming humor (and your candy jar) will attract Physics and Astronomy students like roaches to a lantern.

It’s the smile and the warm twinkle in his eyes. And it’s the way he listens—intently, and completely. And then

there’s how he makes you feel when he’s at the helm—whether it’s on a research vessel or an electron microscope—he knows what he’s doing and he’s going to give it (and you) his best. It’s all of these and much, much more that are at the

core of John Coney.

JC is a guy who has set the bar in so many ways, in terms of giving it all to his program and to the people that he cares about. Colleagues, students, friends—we know that we’re all going to miss Captain Coney greatly and we thank him deeply for the years of service and inspiration that he brought to the

Marine Option Program. We also know that: 1) he’s moved to a new arena in which he’ll continue to cheer and inspire those around him, and 2) he really hasn’t moved far. (JC, we miss you, and always will, so they’d better take good care of you in P&A because we know where to fi nd you!)

-Dr. Cynthia Hunter, MOP Direc

50| Seawords

ctor

MAY 2013 |51

Jeff Kuwabara/ UHM MOP

Photos Jeff Kuwabara/ UHM MOP

Critter of the Month

Seawords features marine critters seen and photographed by MOP students. Send your critters to seawords@hawaii.edu to be featured and be sent an issue of Seawords in color and a MOP sticker. (Come in after we contact you to claim your prizes).

This month’s critter photo is by MOP student Rebecca Ziegler.

Commerson’s Frogfi shScientifi c name: Antennarius commerson

Also known as the giant frogfi sh, the commerson’s frogfi sh is the most common frogfi sh found in Hawai‘i. It can not only be found in Hawai‘i, Indo-Pacifi c and the Tropical Eastern Pacifi c.

The frogfi sh has an expandable stomach, so its prey can consist of fi sh comparable to itself.

It can vary in coloration, often blending into its surroundings, however, juveniles are born bright yellow.

This frogfi sh was spotted and photographed off of Kohola on the Big Island.

To submit photography, send an email with photographs attached to seawords@hawaii.edu

May Events

MAY 2, 2013A Sea Full of Decisions: Th e Past, Present and Future of Ocean Policymaking,

by Graduate Students in the UHM Ocean Policy Certifi cate Program

MAY 9, 2013Listening to a Superstorm: Lessons of Hurricane Sandy for Coastal Cities & Managers by UHM Graduate Students

MAY 16, 2013Managing Interdependent Resources Together: Th e Case of Groundwater and Kiawe by Dr. Kim Burnett, Research

Economist, UH Economic Research Organization

MAY 23, 2013Starting Small but Starting Loud: Catalyzing Community Based Management of Small-Scale Fisheries by Dr. Kirste Oleson, Assistant Professor, Natural Resource and Environmental Management Dept., UHM, & Dr. Tom Oliver Researcher, Hawai‘i

Institute of Marine Biology

MAY 30, 2013Making the Most of our Rain: Water Catchment and Rain Gardens for Residents by Todd Cullison, Executive Director, Hui

o Ko‘olaupoko

Calendar of Events at

UH Sea Grant’s Hanauma Bay Education ProgramMarine Science in East O`ahu

***Presentations take place in the theater of the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, beginning at 6:30 p.m. every Th ursday evening***

For more information or questions please contact:

Hanauma Bay Education Program100 Hanauma Bay Rd. Honolulu, HI 96825

Phone: (808) 397-5840 Email: hanauma@hawaii.edu

http://hbep.seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/

56| Seawords

FLASHBACK: 1988

Students of the MOP Molokai Project take a fi sh survey through the use of a seine net at Ualapu’e fi shpond, on the southeast coast of Molokai. Left to right: Leif Adachi, Kalani Ulii, and Mel Esteron (all from Molokai High School), and MOP student Todd McDonough (WCC). Photo by former Seawords Man-aging Editor Lani Teshima

-September 1st, 1988

MAY 2013 |57

M A YMOP & Community Events

Sun. Mon. Tues. Fri. Th urs. Wed. Sat. 1 2 3

98765

4

10

171615141312

11

232221

2019

18

24

28

2726 25

29 30 31

Last Day of Instruction

MOP Graduation4:30pm-7(@ UH Mānoa)

Summer Session I begins

Darin Padula/ UHM MOP Student

UHM Graduation

58| Seawords

Last Look

Rebecca Ziegler/MOP Student

Dieter Stelling/MOP Student

Amelia Dolgin/ MOP Student

Jennifer Robbins/ UHM MOP Student

MAY 2013 |59

Bailee Richards /MOP Stu-dent

Katrina Berry/UHM MOP Student

Jaaziel Emmanuel Garcia Hernandez/MOP Student

Zachary Groski/MOP Student

Next: The Maui Issue

University of Hawai`i at MānoaSeawords, Marine Option ProgramCollege of Natural Sciences2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105AHonolulu, HI 96822-2219

Address Service Requested