The two fish in the second photo are juvenile yellowtail coris. Over time, they’ll transform into adult colors like the one above. The bright blue spots identify this yellowtail coris as a female.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
This is the Hawaiian name for the wedgetail triggerfish or picasso triggerfish. It’s also the state fish of Hawaii.
Back in 1984, the legislature decided an official state fish was needed and public input was sought. Eight species made the shortlist to be voted on by the people. Not surprisingly, those of a serious bent thought one of Hawaii’s endemic species should get the nod and lobbied accordingly. But kids liked the humuhumu-nukunuku-ā-pua-a, which gets a line in the song ‘My little grass shack,’ and children’s hula groups, dancing to this song, won people over. It netted nearly twice as many votes as the runner up.
An attempt to ‘Boaty McBoatface’ the result failed and the humuhumu-nukunuku-ā-pua-a was ultimately confirmed as state fish.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
A small cluster of whitebar surgeonfish pass over sandy ridges dappled by sunlight.
Various kinds of surgeonfish and wrasse often join shoals of yellow tang (which are also surgeonfish). These are orangeband surgeonfish. Up close, the orange band looks like the bold application of a thick layer of paint.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
From the look of this raccoon butterflyfish, it’s probably thinking, ‘What is this creature and why is it stalking me?’
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
Chubs are often seen in the turbulent waters where the swell surges around rocks. This one is a brassy chub, so named for the touches of yellow around mouth, eyes, and gills. Gotta have a soft spot for anything called a chub.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
This bird wrasse is another of those fish that will grow up to look completely different than it did as a youngster. The juvenile above will not only change color, but will also end up with a much longer snout, like the fish on the right, a supermale.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
This whitemouth moray eel appeared to startle these fish, a lei triggerfish, yellow tang, moorish idol and whitespotted surgeonfish. However, it kept going, sliding into and out of cracks as eels do, until it settled between a couple of coral heads.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
