The Blackspot Sergeant is a solitary damselfish which lives near the surface in shallow waters. They’re fairly common around here, but quite shy, so tricky to photograph. Coloration can vary, but the black spot above the base of the tail is ever present, hence the name.
I spotted this A’ama Crab molt on a rock when I was about to get in the water. The molts are so complete they look like live crabs. The blank eyes are the giveaway. This one was notable for its color. As the molts sit in the sun, they turn an orange-red, so this one was likely very recent.
This month’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Metallic.’ See more responses here.
The top photo shows a Metallic Skink (Lampropholis delicata), which is also known as Delicate Skink, Garden Skink, Rainbow Skink, and less-flatteringly, Plague Skink. This one was crossing a road, luckily a lightly-traveled one.
The second photo is an orchid with the catchy name of Rhyncholaeliocattleya Shingfong Gold Gem ‘Golden Gem.’
The third photo is shoal of small, silvery fish, which I think are the aptly named Hawaiian Silversides.
An assortment of sergeantfishes swim beneath floating debris, gathered by a series of big swells. Unlike the fish, I got to swim through the debris, which can sometimes include sizable chunks of wood.
The surge zone is the area above shallow reefs near shore, where incoming swells churn up the water. It’s home to a variety of fish including chubs and flagtails, the turbulent, bubbling water acting as a screen from predators.
Chubs will venture out a ways during the day, but flagtails only emerge at night to feed on plankton.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Traditions.’ See more responses here.
I’m the world’s worst fisherman and would have starved long ago if I had to rely on catching fish for food. But in Hawaii, fishing has long been a traditional way of putting food on the table. With line, net, or spear, on shore or from a boat, catching fish has been, and still is, a big feature of island life. And if the fish aren’t biting, at least the view tends to be wonderful.
Rainbow Chubs are rare in Hawaii. I’ve seen them before, though not often. These three were in an area where I saw two the week before. My fish book says they drift in as waifs from the Eastern Pacific, but I wonder if perhaps a breeding population is establishing itself in Hawaii.
The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 169. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
Graham's Island 