Category Archives: In The Water

The Numbers Game #25

Encrusted pilings in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii
Corals grow on the pilings in Kawaihae Harbor.

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 146. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

These photos, all with a 146 in their numeric identification, are from a snorkel in murky water in Kawaihae Harbor.

Blacktip Reef Shark

A Blacktip Reef Shark in the waters off Hawaii

I don’t see sharks a lot, but when I do they’re usually Whitetip Reef Sharks, which are fairly common around the island. I’ve seen others, including a few Blacktip Reef Sharks, but haven’t got photos of them before.

A few days ago, snorkeling out of Lapakahi, this Blacktip Reef Shark emerged out of hazy waters, heading my way. When it saw me, it veered off to the side, zipped past, and continued on its way. The shark was no more than four feet long, but there was no mistaking it with those markings.

It was a short encounter, so I only took a few photos and, given the conditions, had no great hopes that the photos would be any good, or that the shark would even be in them! So I was pleased that this one shot turned out halfway decent.

Lurking

A Spotted Coral Blenny peeks out from a head of Cauliflower Coral in Hawaii

I took this photo of a head of Cauliflower Coral because I was happy about how healthy it looked. Then I saw that I was being watched. This Spotted Coral Blenny was wedged into the coral head, as they do, clearly waiting for me to move on.

Well, it is the last of the month, so time for me to move forward into June and for the blenny to go about his business.

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #23

A Giant African Land Snail on the move in Hawaii
A Giant African Land Snail moves forward with purpose, if not speed.

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 144. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #22

A Bristle-thighed Curlew snags a snack at Kiholo Hawaii
A Bristle-thighed Curlew moves forward to grab a breakfast snack.

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 143. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

Waves

Wavelets in Pelakane Bay Hawaii
A calm morning with little wavelets and a view of Hualalai.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Water, Waterscapes and/or Water Safety.’ See more responses here. Captions on the photos.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning, because waves are always moving forward. See more responses here.

Moving forward sideways

A Pallid Ghost Crab on the sand in Hawaii
On the lookout.

I was walking the beach at Pelekane Bay one morning, when I realized there was a lot of movement on the sand. A bit of quiet observation revealed crabs everywhere. They skittered back and forth, but if I moved, they zipped back to the edge of their holes or disappeared into them.

I picked a spot where I could observe a good number of them and spent about 40 minutes there, kneeling in the sand, moving minimally, while the crabs went about their work. The ones in these photos are Pallid Ghost Crabs.

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.