N.O.A.A.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

[The foundation built by these great organizations has given rise to an agency whose realm extends from the surface of the sun to the bottom of the sea, whose concern for life in the sea extends from microscopic creatures to the great whales, and whose reach in time extends from thousands of years in the past to decades in the future with global change studies and observations.]

N.O.A.A. was busy at Laniakea Beach today, and all this week. This is just about the time of year when random honu (turtles) will begin acting like they are ready to leave Oahu and swim to their mating location. That location is 500 miles northwest, the very farthest point in the French Frigate Shoals which is the outermost boundary of the Hawaiian archipelago.

Last year, only one of the females made the migration and it took her only about 33 days. The honu swim to the Shoals, mate, lay their eggs and then return to Oahu. The babies, which are only about two inches long when they hatch, make their way to the water, and eventually back to Oahu also. When they become sexually mature, at about the age of 20, they then repeat the pattern by returning to the French Frigate Shoals to lay their eggs.

So N.O.A.A.'s job this week is to document as many honu as possible, and to put satellite trackers on the females most likely to migrate. Each female doesn't go each year, so based on past history, it's an educated guess as to which ones will leave in any given year.

Not only are trackers attached, but some honu, like this juvenile pictured below, will be tagged with a number and a chip for identification purposes. The volunteers have a photo album of all the honu that frequent the beach and when one comes to bask, they have to document: the time the honu comes out of the water, which honu it is and what time it returns to the water.

Relax, the gadget in the image below is not a saw, although I have to admit, it looks like one from this angle. It measures the turtle from the underbelly to the top of the shell.

Even though I wasn't on duty today, I just happened to have my badge in the car, so after putting it on I was able to step over the red rope and get close for these photos.

George is releasing the honu back into the water.

Jackie and I then headed back to Haleiwa to our favorite coffee shop. It's just the neatest place, and here's another sign I just love. Glad to see that some businesses have their wits about them concerning cell phone use. This is the same shop that says it will give your uncontrolled, unruly child a shot of espresso and a dog...

Just a quick shot of part of the inside of the coffee shop.

A few doors down is a jewelry store with this great framed momento. Click on the image to see what it says. Okay, so Gilligan's Island was a no-brainer of a show, but I know an awful lot of people who watched it, and for me it brings back memories of a "sweeter" time to be a young person. And didn't we all wish, to some degree or another, that we could live like them, even for a short time? (If you still can't see what it says, here it is: Beads used in the making of the hit series Gilligan's Island.)

Posted at 7:50 on Wed, Feb 25, 2009