Dance the Manta Ray

Snorkeling with manta rays is one of the coolest things I have done. I didn't have very high expectations, but it seemed too cool to not try. It is a major attraction off the Kona coast of the Big Island, and basically you go into the ocean at night with some sort of light source which attracts lots of plankton. Mantas eat plankton, so come to areas where they are gathered and feed on them. When manta rays eat, they open up the cephalic lobes on the sides of their head, which help direct the tiny food into their mouths. (When they are not feeding, mantas roll up the cephalic lobes in spirals, and they look like horns, which is where the name "devil ray" comes from). The animals are filter feeders, and the water passes out through their gills, trapping the plankton in their mouth for them to eat. Despite their huge size (the reef mantas we met can be up to 16 feet across!!!) their throats are only about as wide as a quarter, so no, they cannot eat people.

There are a couple ways to go see the mantas feeding. One is to be crazy and go out on your own. But it is at night, in the ocean, and this seems like a bad idea (at least to me). Alternatively, you can go with a group in kayaks. You paddle out, jump in the water, and have flashlights to attract the plankton. This was our original plan, but the water where these tours go out was too rough and the trip got cancelled.

The third, most popular method is to go with a tour from Kona proper who take you on a regular (engine powered) boat to the water by the airport. We ended up doing this with Big Island Divers, and I would highly recommend it. You get to watch the sun set over the water, snacks and drinks, get a manta ray briefing, and when it is dark enough you jump in. They have big lights that are set up on the ocean floor, and each group of snorkelers hangs on to a modified surfboard with a PVC rail to grab, with another pretty big light pointing down into the water. Each snorkel is outfitted with a light at the top, and each company has a unique color so they can keep track of their snorkelers. There are usually some scuba divers that go down and sit at the bottom, with their bubbles coming up.

Then there are the freaking manta rays. They swim so close you have to try not to touch them. They have sensitive skin, and will get sores if you pet them. But at the surface of the water I felt like I had to flatten out to avoid going belly to belly with the beast. When they feed they do a backwards somersault, so their light colored belly is parallel to the surface. The night we were out there were about 31 manta rays there. They can tell them all apart by their unique spot patterns on their undersides, and keep track of who is there when. I think the record number of mantas ever is about 40 animals, so we were there on an amazing night. It was pretty much nonstop action for almost 2 hours. At first the mantas were feeding right under us, which was really intimidating at first, but so amazing. We got to see them somersault, and some of them swim straight up at us, and some below us. With all the lights and the bubbles coming up from the divers on the bottom and bobbing around in the dark ocean and these huge creatures floating around it felt like an underwater rave. It was so bizarre and unique, and even though there may have been 80 people in the water, because you are all snorkeling no one is talking and it is an oddly personal experience, just you and these giants.

Hawaii- snorkeling!

Holy (sea) cow, Hawaii has some great snorkeling!!! We spent time on Oahu and the Big Island, and the Big Island in particular was fantastic! Our favorite spots were Two Step (Keone'ele Cove at the center of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau refuge) on the Kona coast where we saw turtles, spinner dolphins, a spotted eagle ray, eels, and tons of fish and coral! We did a night time manta ray snorkel on the Kona coast, which was spectacular. We also really enjoyed the Kapoho tide pools in Puna, which is a unique spot with lots of coral and fish. Make sure you go at high tide, though, or it will be tricky getting between the pools. 

On the island of Oahu we went to Hanauma Bay, which still has lots of fish but so many visitors the coral doesn't look great. We saw turtles on the beach at Laniakea Beach on the North Shore where they have docents to tell you about each individual, and you can snorkel there (though we didn't see any turtles in the water when we were there). We also saw quite a few fish in Honolulu by the jettys down by the Aquarium- though the highlight was seeing a monk seal who was on the beach!

Turtle at Two Step

Boxfish at Hanauma Bay

Dolphins (including a baby!) at Two Step

Spotted eagle ray at Two Step

Eel at Kapoho tide pools

Moorish Idols at Kapoho tide pools

Octopus! at Kapoho tide pools

Trumpet fish and raccoon butterflyfish at Two Step

Turtle at Two Step

California Central Coast (part 2) Big Sur

Wild California poppies are everywhere in the spring

If you haven’t been to Big Sur, go now. It is breathtaking. It is also really not as far as you think (especially if you are in the Bay Area) and can be visited in a day, though we spent a few nights, which was perfect for exploring.  There are a lot of parks and beaches, hikes and hidden waterfalls to see. A lot of it is unmarked so taking a guide book with very clear directions (for example, which mile marker to park by and then which color gate and direction you should be headed) is really useful. We used Lonely Planet’s California book, and it was a great starting point in finding places to see and navigating us there.

Watching grey whales migrate

 We travelled from South to North, and my overall impression is that the southern side of Big Sur is less busy. There are fewer (if any) restaurants or shops, fewer people, and camping is significantly cheaper. The northern edge is closer to the Bay Area and has the high-end resorts and big parks. Particularly in the summer months there can be a lot of visitors so it is a good idea to reserve campsites or other accommodation in advance. When we went in March it was perfect weather and generally pretty quiet, so it wasn’t too hard to find a drive in campsite (though some of our first choices were full).

We spent our first couple of nights camping at Plaskett Creek Campground, which saves some walk-in sites. While we had our eye on Kirk Creek Campground, which is on the bluffs over the ocean, that had already filled up. Plaskett Creek was extremely pleasant, just across the road from Sand Dollar Beach and Jade Cove. We walked around on the bluffs in the evening and found a California Newt just cruising around! We were surprised to see it so far from the water, but apparently this is normal. The newt was probably the highlight of the whole trip for Dave!

Sunset at Sand Dollar Beach

Campsite at Plaskett Creek

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park- Probably the most photographed spot in all of Big Sur, this place is ridiculously beautiful. There is a waterfall over a cliff that tumbles onto a perfect little beach. There is a short and easy (flat) hike to a lookout spot, and another trail that takes you around the bluffs behind the waterfall. We found a spot amongst the boulders here for a picnic lunch, and watched grey whales go by in the distance and a sea lion swim right underneath us!

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Limekiln State Park- This seems like a fairly compact State Park, with a handful of campsites in the redwoods and a few short hiking trails. Nonetheless, it was definitely worth a visit because you didn’t have to travel far to see some great sights! Limekiln Falls is impressive, and the limekilns themselves were a lot cooler- and bigger- than I had imagined! Back in the late 1800’s lime was extracted from limestone by heating it in huge kilns (using wood from the local old-growth redwood trees).

Limekiln Falls

Old lime kilns

Partington Cove- This is an unmarked trail behind a locked gate. It’s a short hike from the highway to the coast, passing through an old mining tunnel. There are lots of boulders to climb on and the coastline here is rugged and beautiful. 

Old mining tunnel

Partington Cove

When we returned to the car after hanging out for a couple of hours I spotted a huge bird just as we were about to drive away- a California condor! And then we saw a second! We re-parked and watched them fly and perch for a while. After talking to some other friends it sounds like they are frequently sighted in this area, so definitely keep an eye out- this was probably the highlight of the trip for me, seeing these endangered birds flying free in the wild after all the work that has gone into saving them!

California condor!

Camping in Northern Big Sur- Camping was a lot busier (and more expensive- $50 a night!) up here. After trying a few places we found a really nice site in Riverside Campgrounds that was, as the name suggests, on the side of a river. We spendt the afternoon at Sycamore Beach, a lovely spot with a natural rock arch, some hiking trails, and some pretty white sand.

Sycamore Beach

Riverside Campground

Even though we were camping we decided to have dinner out at Nepenthe- a restaurant with the most spectacular view! I used a gift card I won at the Ellen Show (the gift that kept on giving!) and we had a really nice meal sitting on the deck looking out at the forest and sea. We went just before dusk and watched the sun set while eating roasted garlic on toast and drinking some fancy beer. Even though this place is fancy (in a casual Big Sur way) they also had reasonably priced food- and a café during the day- so it was a fantastic experience that isn’t out of reach.

On our final day we hiked in Andrew Molera State Park which was lovely. There are a lot of shore birds and cormorants, and more stunning coastal views. We saw the iconic Bixby Bridge (I can’t help playing that one Death Cab for Cutie song in my head every time I hear the name!) and headed into the Monterey area.

Andrew Molera State Park

Hiking in Andrew Molera

There are so many more places to explore and hike along this relatively short stretch of coastline! The wildflowers were pretty special, and we got lucky with splendid sunny weather. Maybe next spring it’ll be time for another visit!

Bixby Bridge

Badger and coyote!

A grey fox investigates the camera

Here's a link to a blog post I wrote for the San Diego Zoo. I set up a few camera traps at my field site this summer and got an awesome video of a badger and coyote walking down a trail together. In this post I explain a little bit about this unique relationship.

http://blog.sandiegozooglobal.org/2014/08/13/badger-and-coyote-caught-on-camera/


I also got some photos of bobcats, coyotes, foxes, skunk, and roadrunners. I was disappointed not to capture a mountain lion, but then again nothing will top the photo I got from Nicaragua!

Three coyotes stop for the drink at an exposed portion of the creek

A bobcat cruises down the road in the morning

California Central Coast (Part 1) Los Angeles to Cambria

It wasn’t until recent years, when I moved down to Los Angeles, that I discovered the California Central Coast, which stretches pretty much between San Francisco and LA. You miss most of it if you take the fastest route between the two cities, but if you have some time (and a car) it is some of the most spectacular scenery and amazing marine-mammal viewing spots I’ve encountered. I’ve now made multiple trips, some just for a weekend to nearby spots, and a whole week camping in Big Sur, but it has been a while and I am pining to go back. Starting from South to North, here are some of my favorite spots (mostly food and animals!).

Santa Barbara- barely out of LA (or hours away, depending on traffic), Santa Barbara has pretty much everything- beautiful beaches, shopping and nightlife, vineyards, and great food. My favorite place to eat is LosAgaves, an interesting and super delicious Mexican restaurant on Milpas Street. Next door is La Super-Rica Taqueria, another unique Mexican place that does small plates. Be warned though, the line here can be hours long (no, really) and it is cash only.

We were so hungry after waiting in line at La Super-Rica we ordered pretty much everything.

Lake Cachuma- This recreation area has camping and yurts you can stay in. The water is lovely but is a drinking reservoir so you can’t swim in it. You can fish or rent kayaks which is fun. Just be careful of the wind! It gets pretty strong and you might get a more strenuous workout than you anticipated.

Lake Cachuma

Solvang- A little Danish town that is just a short hop from Lake Cachuma or Santa Barbara. It is an interesting, touristy place that has tons of places to eat and wineries nearby. Highlights are the windmills, Danish bakery, and Succulent Café.

Windmill in Solvang

Pismo Beach- As you drive along Highway 1 back towards the coast, you reach Pismo Beach. If you happen to visit between November-February you can stop at the Monarch Butterfly Grove, where the butterflies roost in eucalyptus trees. Visiting and parking are free, and there are often naturalists there to answer questions and show you the butterflies through binoculars or scopes. The beach here is also lovely, and there is a campground and a ton of hotel options. We went to a fancy-ish restaurant on the water, Ventana Grill, which does happy hour during the week where you don’t have to spend a lot to get the amazing views.

Pismo Beach

San Louis Obispo- just north of Pismo is the city of SLO- home to CalPoly and the best clam chowder in a bread bowl at Splash Café. It is also a good place to stock up and the major grocery stores if you are planning to do some camping along the coast.

Narwhal with clam chowder at Splash Cafe 

Montaña de Oro- a State Park on the cliffs above a beautiful beach. We’ve been camping here a few times and it is gorgeous and relaxing. It has a well kept campground and a few Environmental sites you hike into that have more privacy.

Montana de Oro

Morro Bay- one of the best places to see sea otters! They hang out in the bay between Morro Rock and the power plant. There is free parking and a boardwalk along the bay- also a great place for bird watching. At dusk you can see the otters start to raft together and twist themselves into kelp for the night and hold hands. Adorable.

Sunset at Morro Beach

Sea otters in Morro Bay

Just down the highway is Taco Temple, an AWESOME local spot for their seafood specialties. Crab cake tacos are probably the best. You can order to-go and sit at the picnic tables outside- a quicker option when there is a long wait for a table.

Cambria- an adorable sleepy little town right on the coast. Elephant Seal Beach at Piedras Blancas is just north of here and is amazing. You can see these beasts year-round. November-February is when the big males stake out territory and fight for breeding access to the females. Most pups are born the last two weeks of January, and stay with their mom for about a month. The adults leave February/March and the “weaners” stick around on the

Elephant seals at Piedras Blancas

A weaner elephant seal

beach for another 8-10 weeks. From mid-March through September there will be animals that come back to the beach to molt, or shed their fur and grow a new coat. There are viewing platforms on the bluffs and it is always entertaining to see the giant elephant seals!

Cambria also has Moonstone Beach and a lot of boardwalks along the bluffs over the ocean. You can almost always spot harbor seals, and often times sea otters and whales as they migrate along the coast. The town is famous for their Ollaliberry pie, and Hearst Castle is nearby. You can see zebras roaming the hills north of town, a herd that was brought in by Mr. Hearst for his grounds.