Spanish Dancer Nudibranch Portrait

A spanish dancer nudibranch (Hexabranchus sanguineus), gracefully undulates through the nighttime water off one of Maui's coastal reefs. This nudibranch has two very different modes of locomotion: crawling and swimming. When it crawls, the wide edges of the mantle are rolled up close to the body. When the animal swims however, the red edges unfurl, and are whirled through the water in a spectacular undulating motion, propelling the animal forwards.

Pelagic Jellyfish

Jellyfish in Hawaii are pretty rare to encounter. If you are ever lucky enough to swim with a large pelagic jelly then take the time to look for little commensal fish like jacks, that are using the jelly as a protective home.
There is also a rare nudibranch that is only found on man-o-war jellies. Sometimes its the little things that you have to be on the lookout for. This is why when everyone is screaming jellyfish and heading the other way I am going in for a closeup!

Cornet Fish

Named after an instrument these long slender fish are often spotted at Molokini by our snorkelers. We often get the question,"what is the long, skinny, silver fish". And this will be the culprit. The can get up to an astonishing 4 1/2 feet which includes their filamentous tail which they sway side to side, unlike the trumpet fish which is also seen around Maui reefs.

Guess This Animal

First Cathedrals Dive, Lanai, HI

Scuba diving inside the famous First Cathedral off the coast off Lana'i

Gold Lace Nudibranch

Easy to pass this gold lace nudibranch hangs to the tops of overhangs and ceilings of caves. The first time I saw one my bubbles had dislodged it and it came floating down past my mask. The seem to glow with an internal light making them one of the most beautiful sites on the reef.

Waiting to be Cleaned

A goatfish, unicorn fish, and surgeon fish all lined up for a tiny Hawaiian cleaner wrasse to pick them clean. This is what cleaning stations can look like out at Molokini Crater, Maui. I have seen these tiny wrasse clean everything from eels to sharks and everything in between.