Crown of Thorns and Other interesting inverts off Kona

Ron Leversee · #1 08/27/2007, 11:47 PM

Here are a few invert shots I took of kona...including the crown of thron star....

I turned him upside down for a bottom shot...

Ron Leversee · #2 08/27/2007, 11:49 PM

Some more shots...

Ron Leversee · #3 08/27/2007, 11:54 PM

Just a couple more shots...

coral diver · #4 08/28/2007, 12:05 PM

NOOOO Crown of torn are coral killer. Australian been trying to erradicate then their the biggest contributors to the death of the Great Barrier Reef

Ron Leversee · #5 08/28/2007, 05:38 PM

Yep...they are...there are many on the reefs...and they do eat certain coral for sure...very interesting star!!!

edr42 · #6 08/28/2007, 07:55 PM

Just a note, australia is not trying to eradicate them. A few big "cattle boat" dive operators try to keep their little patch of reef clear, but thats all, and i don't think it's legal. They are merely a part of the reef, if we wanted to eradicate the biggest contributer to coral death, we should be organising mass killings of parrotfish, and thats just stupid.
Anyway, i thought i'd just stick up for the crown of thorns.

By the way, they are very sharp and quite venemous, so picking up or touching them in any way is not advised unless you enjoy pain (or have very thick gloves).

Oh, and i love those cushion starfish!

Ron Leversee · #7 08/28/2007, 08:58 PM

There is info on these critters all over the net....and they are venemous and it is a very slow recovery if you get pierced by one of those thorns..... I flipped the one over with my light to show just how sticky they are...they have hundreds of suction cups on all those arms.... They are truly amazing to say the least!!

The cusion stars are also amazing critters.... I took the pic and my dive buddy is holding it....The reason I took those last pics is because there is a small shrimp on the star...I didn't get focused right but you can make it out if you look very closely!!!

thor32766 · #8 08/29/2007, 01:37 PM

love the triton trumphet!!!!

Ron Leversee · #9 08/29/2007, 04:10 PM

Thanks...That thing was amazing... Very cool!!!!

David P · #10 09/01/2007, 12:24 AM

where on Kona were you? What shop did you dive with? I dove off of the old airport, had a blast tried to do beach dives at two steps but there was a big party and I couldnt even get to the water through all the people...

Ron Leversee · #11 09/01/2007, 12:32 AM

Went with "Wana Dive"....Great little dive boat....did several dives from the airport side all along the south central to east of Kona....

Here is the link.... Steve was a great captian and good guide...
http://www.wanna-dive-kona.com/faq.htm

And I did the manta dive a night dive with.... big island divers....also a very good dive operation...

http://www.bigislanddivers.com/

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Bluey101 · #12 09/01/2007, 12:35 AM

Hey Ron....Thanks for sharing....Your pictures turned out great....I must be getting old though I can't see the shrimp on the starfish and my eyes are getting blury from staring at it....Neat stuff though....

Ron Leversee · #13 09/01/2007, 09:21 AM

Heheheh....Yeah...It is a mysis...if you look about 2-3 inches in front of the index finger of my dive buddy you will see a half moon looking mysis shrimp.... I couldn't get focused on the little rascal it keep moving.....

Shoreliner11 · #14 09/11/2007, 07:30 PM

Cool pics. I also love the triton. While on the topic of crown-of-thorns stars, tritons are one of the few adult predators of acanthaster planci.

Ron Leversee · #15 09/12/2007, 12:25 AM

Yes, the a local dive master said the same thing that tritons do help keep the Crown of thorn "acanthaster planci" population under control when they are not taken off the reef for their beautiful shell!!!! He really stressed that those diving his boat were not to hurt or take the tritons off the reef!!!!