Hunting Eel

A white mouth moray eel cruises the reef in broad daylight in search of prey. This photo was taken right after we dropped down on the reef at magic sands on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii. The white mouth morays are one of the few species of eels that are active hunters during the daytime.

Bowriding Dolphins

A small pod of bottlenose dolphins riding the pressure wave created by the bow of our boat. They look so graceful and effortless, like they aren't even moving their tail when they do this.

We can study individual dolphins by taking a close up photo of their dorsal fin. Many dolphins have unique notches, scratches, and wounds that allow us to identify them and gain a snapshot into their life history.

Backside Molokini Crater, Maui

Scuba Divers along the vertical underwater wall at the backside of Molokini Crater, Maui. This is the premier wall dive in Hawaii. Set about 3.5 miles offshore of the island of Maui, the water here on average exceeds 100ft almost every day of the year. The micro life on the wall is amazing and the possibility of macro wildlife swimming by on your other side makes every moment suspenseful.

Slate Pencil Urchin

The slate pencil urchin shows off its amazing array of pattern when you get a close look. The bright red blunt tipped spines are easy to spot out on the reef, although usually snorkeling are too busy looking for the sharp, poisonous black spiny sea urchins to care to stop too long for a detailed look at one of these less dangerous species.

The real charm in these urchins comes with the back story of their name. When the urchin dies the spines lose their color, turn white, and sometimes wash up on shore. Early missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands utilized these by drawing marks on a slate board just like chalk on a blackboard. This is the method they used to teach writing to new students.

Crown-of-thorns Sea Star

The Crown-of-thorns sea star has a bad reputation around the world thanks to its habit of devouring coral. Great swaths of the barrier reef in Australia have been devastated by this naturally occurring sea star.
It is when blooms of crown-of-thorns occur that the reef really suffers. On some patches of reef thousands can gather during one of these blooms, moving over the reef and eating any coral polyps within the reach of their extruded stomach.
But it is important to remember that they do occur naturally, and are spotted here in Hawaii from time to time. We do keep a close eye to make sure they are not proliferating in large numbers. Also while viewing and photographing these striking animals it is important to stay clear of their many thorns as contact with your skin will cause an itchy, irritating rash.

Dwarf Moray Eel

     Moray eels are one of my favorite fish to photograph. There are many different species out here in Hawaii ranging from 6 foot Giant Morays to tiny 6 inch Dwarf Moray Eels like the one pictured here. Notoriously shy these little eels will peer out of their protected crevices until you get to close then disappear completely. Most of the bigger eels will retract only a little, leaving their head sticking out. I was lucky enough to get a picture of this little guy right before he zipped backwards into his crevice, not to be seen again.

Banded Coral Shrimp

Banded Coral Shrimp, Stenopus hispidus

These conspicuous reef shrimp are very interesting subjects to watch. They have been seen cleaning other fish, including moray eels, presumably picking off parasites. They are often in pairs and have been seen protecting each other during molting, grooming each other, and even performing a 'courting' dance. A truly remarkable relationship for shrimp. However, I have been told that if two unmated coral shrimp are placed together, they will fight to the death!