Underwater Mysteries

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing the underwater mysteries by taking a submarine tour of the ocean.  As we made our way through the ocean, the guide gave out some really cool information.

Did you know that some species of fish are born female?  I'd heard something about it but hadn't really known which fish did it.  Turns out that Parrot fish are one species that does this.  There is one male parrot fish for all the females and instead of being referred to as a school of fish, this group is called a harem of fish.  I think that has something to do to having only one male.

Did you every wonder if all the fish are born female, how do they end up with a male alpha?  It turns out, if the male dies, the alpha female changes into a male and takes over.  That is really cool.

Teriyaki wreck

There are two ships that have been sunk in the area to create artificial reefs.  One of the ships, the San Marcos, caught fire a ways out from Hawaii.  During the process of trying to extinguish the fire, they used up all their fire extinguishers  so they used their cargo and successfully snuffed out the fire.

I know, I know, you are wondering what they used to finish the job!  Well it turns out they were transporting soy sauce.  Yes, you read that right!  Soy Sauce!

The problem with using this particular liquid is that when they hauled the ship into port, it stunk of soy sauce. The neighbors complained for 12 long years about it.  I'm told that if the wind was right, you could smell soy sauce all the way to the Honolulu International Airport!

Finally, the ship was given to the Navy to take away and use as a target but the submarine company heard about it and paid $1.00 for it.  Yes, $1.00 but they spent $300,000 to clean it up well enough to sink it into the ocean to make an artificial reef.  So now it is home to many of the corals and fish.  Some time along the line, it gained the nickname of the Teriyaki Wreck and if you call it that, all the locals know exactly what you are talking about.

More on the other artificial reefs and their stories tomorrow.  I hope you find these pieces of history as interesting as I do.