Goldilocks and the 3 dolphins

Bottlenose dolphins just under the surface of the water. It was wild to see the three different sizes of dolphins all right next to each other, only feet away from us dangling over the edge of the bow of our boat. It reminded me of Goldilocks and the 3 bears.

Manta Ray Swim By

A few scuba divers get lucky as a 12ft manta ray glides over their group off the coast of Kona, Hawaii. Research here has concluded that there are two kinds of mantas, pelagic and coastal. This is a coastal with a nearly all white underside.

Kona Cave Diver

A lone scuba diver explores deep into an underwater cave system off the Kona coast of the Big Island. 

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.