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.
Red pencil urchins add striking color to the reef, seen here among cauliflower coral and, what I think are, black banded urchins.
To identify this, I used John P. Hoover’s book Hawai‘i’s Sea Creatures: A Guide to Hawai‘i’s Marine Invertebrates. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
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.
In the water, it’s wise to be aware of what waves and swell are doing. Caught unawares, it’s easy to get tumbled over rock and coral. But I like to get close enough to see fish sluicing back and forth, and also to see the waves crashing around the rocks leaving little whirlpools and storms of bubbles.
