Nā Honu Kai o ka Mokupuni Yucatan

Na Brad Nahill, Co-hoʻokumu a me ka Luna Hoʻokele o SEEtheWild.org 

"Pono mākou e hele i kahi ala e ʻike ai i kahi honu kai," i haʻi aku ai au i kaʻu kaikamahine ʻo Karina i ko mākou kū ʻana ma ke kahakai ʻo X'cacel, kekahi o nā kahakai honu koʻikoʻi o Mexico, aia ma kahi kokoke i Playa del Carmen ma ka moku ʻo Yucatan.

Ma muli o ka laki, pono mākou e hele i 20 kapuaʻi ma mua o ka puka ʻana o ke ʻano poepoe i ka nalu. ʻO ka honu ʻōmaʻomaʻo ua puka pono mai i mua o ke kahua noiʻi i mālama ʻia e Flora, Fauna a me Cultura de Mexico, he hui honu kai kūloko a me ka hoa o E nana Honu. No ka hāʻawi ʻana i ka honu i ka manawa e pono ai e ʻeli, ua neʻe mākou i ke ala, a hahai ka honu iā mākou. I ka hopena, ua hoʻololi ʻo ia i kona manaʻo a hoʻi i ka wai me ka ʻole o ka pūnana.

ʻAʻole mākou i kali lōʻihi ma mua o ka puka ʻana mai o nā honu ʻē aʻe mai ka wai. Ua kali mākou a hiki i ka hoʻomoe ʻana o ka honu kokoke loa i kāna mau hua i ʻole e hoʻopilikia iā ia ma kahi koʻikoʻi o ka hana kahiko. He honu ʻōmaʻomaʻo hou kēia, he 200 paona paha kona kaumaha. ʻOiai ua hana au i ka mālama honu kai no nā makahiki ʻoi aku ma mua o ʻumi, ʻo ia ka honu mua a kaʻu kaikamahine i ʻike ai i ka pūnana, a ua hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia ʻo ia e ka hoʻomana.

Aia ʻo X'cacel ma ka hope o ke ala lepo me nā hōʻailona ʻole e hoʻolaha i kēia oasis o ke ʻano, kahi mea maikaʻi loa ma Mexico. Noho nā honu ma ka ʻaoʻao holoʻokoʻa mai Cancun a i Tulum akā ʻo kēia kekahi o nā wahi liʻiliʻi kahi i kū ʻole ai ke kahakai i nā hōkele nui. ʻO nā kukui, nā noho kahakai, a me ka lehulehu e hoʻemi ana i ka nui o nā honu e piʻi mai i ka pūnana, no laila, he mea koʻikoʻi ke ʻano kūlohelohe e like me kēia i ka mālama ʻana i kēia mau mea kolo.

Ua lilo ʻo Flora, Fauna y Cultura i nā makahiki he 30 e pale ana i ʻekolu mau ʻano honu kai e pūnana ana ma nā kahakai he 11 o ia wahi. Ke kū nei kēia mau honu i nā mea hoʻoweliweli e pili ana i ka ʻai ʻana i kā lākou mau hua manu a me ka ʻiʻo a ma ʻaneʻi - ʻoi aku paha ma mua o nā wahi ʻē aʻe o ka honua - ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā mākaʻikaʻi kahakai nui. ʻOiai ʻo ia he paka aupuni (ʻike ʻia ʻo Santuario de la Tortuga Marina Xcacel-Xcacelito), ke hoʻomau nei ʻo Xcacel i ka hoʻoweliweli o ka hoʻomohala ʻia ʻana o kona kahakai maʻemaʻe i mau hōkele nui.

Hele mākou i ke kakahiaka aʻe i Akumal (Mayan no "Place of the Turtles"), nona ke kai kūʻono i kaulana no kāna ʻai ʻana i nā honu ʻōmaʻomaʻo. Ua hōʻea koke mākou e hahau i ka lehulehu a hoʻokomo i kā mākou snorkels a hele i waho e ʻimi i nā honu. ʻAʻole i liʻuliʻu, ua ʻike kaʻu wahine i kahi honu e ʻai ana i ka mauʻu a nānā mākou iā ia ma kahi mamao. ʻOi aku ka akaka o kona ʻālani nani, ʻeleʻele, a me ke gula ma mua o ka mea a mākou i ʻike ai i ka pō ma mua.

He 15 mau minuke ma mua o ka neʻe ʻana mai o nā honu snorkelers ʻē aʻe. Ua neʻe mālie ka honu ma ka ʻili kai, i kekahi manawa e lana ana i ka ʻili e hoʻopiha i kona māmā ma mua o ka hāʻule hou ʻana i lalo. Hāʻawi ka hapa nui o ka poʻe snorkelers i ka holoholona i kahi kūpono, ʻoiai ua kipaku kekahi kanaka i ka honu ma ke kokoke loa ʻana a me ka hoʻāʻo ʻana e hahai me ka pahupaʻikiʻi. ʻO ka hauʻoli i ka ʻike, ua ʻōlelo kaʻu kaikamahine ma hope o ka nānā ʻana i kēlā honu i kona wahi kūlohelohe i hāʻawi ai i ka manaolana no ka wā e hiki mai ana o kēia ʻano.

I ka pau ʻana o mākou, ua komo hou aku ka nui o nā kānaka i ka wai. Ma hope o ko mākou puka ʻana i waho, ua loaʻa iā mākou kahi manawa e kamaʻilio me Paul Sanchez-Navarro, ka luna hoʻonaʻauao kiʻekiʻe o Centro Ecologico Akumal, he hui mālama honu ma ka wai a me ka pūnana kokoke. Ua wehewehe ʻo ia i ka nui o ka poʻe snorkelers ma ke kai kūʻono i ka hopena nui i nā honu e ʻai ana i ka ʻili kai, e ʻai nui ai lākou a hoʻonui i ke kaumaha. ʻO ka nūhou maikaʻi, e hoʻokumu koke ʻia kahi hoʻolālā hoʻokele hou e hoʻokō ai i ka hana a nā malihini a me nā alakaʻi mākaʻikaʻi a puni nā honu.

I kēlā ahiahi, hele mākou i ka hema i Tulum. Ua lohi nā mea a pau i ko mākou hoʻopau ʻana i ke ala nui a hoʻokele i kā mākou kaʻa hoʻolimalima ma luna o nā puʻupuʻu wikiwiki pinepine ma ke ala e hele ai i ka Sian Kaʻan Biosphere Reserve. Ma ka Hotel Nueva Vida de Ramiro, kahi hōkele kūloko e hana ana e hōʻemi i kona kapuaʻi kaiaola i ka wā e hana ana i kahi hoʻokipa hoʻokipa, ua kanu ʻia ka hapa nui o nā pā i nā kumulāʻau maoli. Hoʻokipa ka hale hoʻokipa liʻiliʻi i nā mākaʻi mai Flora, Fauna y Cultura a me kahi hale hānai no ka pale ʻana i nā hua i waiho ʻia e nā honu e piʻi mai ana i kēia kahakai.

I ia ahiahi, ua kīkēkē mai nā kahu honu ma ko mākou puka e hōʻike iā mākou aia kekahi i mua o ka hōkele, ʻo ia kekahi o nā mea liʻiliʻi e hoʻopio ana i nā kukui i ka pō i ka wā pūnana a hoʻoneʻe i nā lako mai ke kahakai. He mea pono ia mau hana noʻonoʻo maʻamau ke kaʻana like ʻana i kahakai me nā honu kai, akā naʻe, ʻo ka hapa nui o nā hōkele ma kēia kahakai ʻaʻole e hana i kēia mau ʻanuʻu.

ʻO kēia honu, he ʻōmaʻomaʻo hoʻi, ke hele nei i ka hale hānai o ka hōkele akā ua hoʻololi i kona manaʻo a hoʻi i kai me ka ʻole o ka pūnana. ʻO ka mea pōmaikaʻi, ua puka mai kekahi honu ma kahi mamao o ke kahakai, no laila ua hiki iā mākou ke ʻike i ke kaʻina hana pūnana holoʻokoʻa mai ka ʻeli ʻana i ka pūnana a me ka waiho ʻana i nā hua a hiki i ka peʻe ʻana mai nā mea ʻaihue. Ua kōkua kaʻu wahine, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mea ola honu, i ka hana mālama honu i koʻu wehewehe ʻana i ke kaʻina hana pūnana i kekahi mau kānaka i hele mai i ka wā e hele ana i kahakai.

I ka hoʻi ʻana, ʻike mākou i kahi pūʻulu hou o nā ala honu e alakaʻi ana i kahi noho kahakai i mua o kahi hale hoʻomālamalama mālamalama. Ua ʻike ʻia ma ke alahele ua huli ka honu me ka pūnana ʻole i ka manawa i hālāwai ai me ka noho– ʻoi aku ka nui o nā hōʻike i hoʻololi ʻia e nā hōkele e like me kēia i ka ʻai ʻana ma kēia kahakai ʻo ia ka mea hoʻoweliweli nui loa. E aʻo hou e pili ana i ke ʻano o ka hoʻomohala ʻana i kahakai i ka honu kai.

Ua pau kā mākou mākaʻikaʻi ʻana i nā kahakai honu o ia wahi me kahi hālāwai me ko mākou mau hoaaloha ma Flora, Fauna y Cultura a me kahi pūʻulu o nā ʻōpio Mayan e mākaʻikaʻi ana i kahi kahakai pūnana kokoke i Tulum National Park, kokoke i nā wahi ʻino kaulana. He wahi wela kēia kahakai no ka ʻai hua manu ʻoiai he kakaikahi ka poʻe e noho ana ma ka wai. ʻO kā mākou Billion Baby Honu Ke kōkua nei ka papahana i ke kālā i kēia papahana, e hāʻawi ana i ka hana no kēia mau ʻōpio ʻoiai e kōkua ana i ka mālama ʻana i kahi kahakai koʻikoʻi.

I ko mākou mākaʻikaʻi ʻana, hele mākou me nā kahu honu i kahakai. ʻOiai kaʻu kaikamahine e kanu ana i kona mau wāwae i ke one, ua haʻi mai nā ʻōpio iā mākou i ka hana nui i mālama ʻia i kēia kahakai no nā honu. Noho lākou i ka pō holoʻokoʻa ma kahakai, e hele ana i kona lōʻihi e ʻimi ana i nā honu ʻōmaʻomaʻo a me ka manu hawskbill. I ka wanaʻao, lawe ʻia lākou a hoʻi i ka home e hoʻomaha a hoʻōla. ʻO kēia ʻano hoʻolaʻa ka mea e pono ai e hoʻi hou ka honu i kēia mau kahakai no nā makahiki he nui e hiki mai ana.

ʻO Brad ka mea hoʻokumu a me ke alakaʻi o SEEtheWILD.org, ka mua o ka honua no ka mālama ʻana i ka waiwai ʻole. Ua hana ʻo ia i ka mālama honu kai, ecotourism, a me ka hoʻonaʻauao kaiapuni no 15 mau makahiki me nā hui me Ocean Conservancy, Rare, Asociacion ANAI (Costa Rica), a me ka Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia). Ua kūkākūkā pū ʻo ia no nā hui ecotourism a me nā waiwai ʻole, me EcoTeach a me Costa Rican Adventures. Ua kākau ʻo ia i kekahi mau puke mokuna, blogs, a me nā abstracts e pili ana i ka mālama honu a me ka ecotourism a ua hōʻike ʻia ma nā ʻaha kūkā huakaʻi nui a me ka symposia honu moana. Loaʻa iā Brad kahi BS ma ka Environmental Economics mai ke Kulanui ʻo Penn State a aʻo ʻo ia i kahi papa ma ka ecotourism ma Mount Hood Community College.