By Jan TanBruggencate
Advertiser Kauai Bureau
In many tropical areas, the stunning reef life is the focus of attention. In Hawaii, it's the large marine animals.
Ocean researcher and film-maker Jean-Michel Cousteau, who has frequently visited Hawaii and is now establishing an educational/commercial presence, said larger animals are attracted here in part because of the state's isolation from other land areas.
'You have a fairly clean environment and you have somewhat of an oasis in the middle of the Pacific,' said Cousteau, son of the famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. 'It's very rich in large creatures.
When it comes to coral reef, we have very few species of coral. That is because of the geology. The Islands are very young and the temperatures are such that there are not that many species.
'Hawaii's marine environment is more focused on the bigger animals: dolphins, manta rays, sharks, large whales, et cetera.' There are also special ecological areas, like the Big Island locations where lava flows into the sea, he said.
'Active volcanoes ... that of itself is a curiosity, something of great interest It creates a special environment,' he said.
There are some forms of life that are attracted to the warmer waters near the lava, and there are predators that patrol the area to feed on animals forced out of protective cover by the advancing lava, he said.
Cousteau's organization, Jean-Michel Cousteau Productions, has recently established a program, L'Aventure Cousteau (The Cousteau Adventure), in cooperation with Live/Dive Pacific and the Aggressor Fleet, which operate 10 live-aboard diving vessels in locations around the world, including the Kona Aggressor H in Kona.
Cousteau, who will be on board the Kona boat tomorrow after a weekend visit to Maui to celebrate the 50th anniversary of scuba diving, said his company will develop written and video educational materials on the Hawaiian marine environment for the firm. Furthermore, Cousteau himself or members of his company will sometimes be aboard the Aggressor boats for lectures, dives and filming.
The Honolulu Advertiser Sunday, February 26, 1995
Telephone: (808) 651-3452
Postal address: Save Our Seas, P.O. Box 813, Hanalei, HI 96714