ZECO TRAVEL TALK

There are many wonderful features as regards our Zegrahm Expeditions journey upon the Clipper Odyssey from Hawaii to Papeete. Not only are we visiting countries that members of the Century Club Travelers want for their “I’ve been there” list but the information that we are learning from our onboard lecturers is exceptional.

One of our lecturers is John Earl, a research associate in ichthyology at Honolulu’s Bishop Museum. John has compiled a checklist of fish species from the areas we are visiting and has generously shared his wealth of knowledge both in his lectures and out in the water while we are snorkeling. John has visited the Line Islands several times in the past – the following are some of his impressions.

Fanning Island, Septmeber 3, 2008: “As the sun rose, a thin green line materialized on the horizon. Gradually, from the deck of the Clipper Odyssey, I could make out a few buildings amid the groves of palm trees that lined the shore. So far, Fanning Island appeared unchanged from when I last visited in 1979, but change is inevitable and I knew that once I was ashore, it would be apparent. We landed at English Harbor in our Zodiacs and it was as though I had entered a time warp. Nothing had changed! The same buildings… the people looked the same… and not a single Starbucks in sight. This was the little island that time forgot. After lunch, I led a snorkel group exploring coral gardens just offshore from the village. There were many colorful reef fish, but a reduced number of edible fish, as one might expect outside a native village. The highlight of the snorkel venture was later in the afternoon when we made two drift snorkels and dives, riding the incoming tide into the lagoon, swept at high speed over a coral reef teeming with tropical fishes. To my surprise and delight, we all saw one of the glories of Line Island fish fauna: the goldspotted angelfish, Apolemichthys xanthopunctatus. I could not have imagined that we would see this exotic beauty at snorkel depths.” John Earl

Christmas Island, September 4, 2008: “It felt strange to be arriving at Christmas Island by ship, for all of my numerous trips here over the past 30 years had been by air. Of course, flying to Christmas Island was a bit like roulette because of the unreliability of air service. One of my friends was stranded here for two months when air service was unexpectedly suspended. We landed in London and were greeted by native singers and dancers and a group of very cute children in grass skirts, trying to dance but obviously distracted by the antics of these strangers from abroad. We boarded “Christmas Island buses,” large flat-bed trucks with U-shaped benches running along both sides and the back of the cab, topped with brightly-colored cushions and a canopy to shield from the equatorial sun, and began our tour of London and its environs. We returned to the ship for lunch, then split up for various group activities.

While my wife went with a group to see the seabirds on Cook Island, I was with a group of snorkelers just offshore. The reef is what is known as a “tongue and groove” formation, the grooves being channels for returning in-rushing water in periods of high surf. Fish life was rich, possibly aided by the rain of fertilizer from the clouds of seabirds above. While my count of butterflyfish on Fanning Island was a respectable 14 of the 21 species I have recorded from the Line Islands, in this one spot off Christmas Island I recorded 20 of the 21 species, including Chaetodon semeion, the dotted butterflyfish, which I had only seen twice before in all my trips here. I was amazed to find so many butterflyfish species in one spot, indicating that this is a very prolific reef indeed. I returned to the ship with a very happy group of snorkelers.” John Earl

We are looking forward to the next Line Island on our itinerary—Malden Island and then to Starbuck…Island, that is! We doubt that we’ll find any caffeine refreshments on an uninhabited atoll, but one never knows what you’ll find out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

“Fair Winds,”
Shirley Metz