Category Archives: In The Water

Hawksbill turtle

Returning from a long swim, I spotted this turtle cruising along beneath me. I turned to follow it, usually the cue for a turtle to glide away, leaving me in its wake. But this one circled around and went back and forth in the same area for a while.

At first I assumed it was a green turtle, which are most commonly seen around here, but I realized that this one looked a bit different. The bill seemed more pointed and the edge of its shell was serrated. I thought it might be a hawksbill turtle, which are seldom seen here.

When I got home and checked my book it confirmed that the turtle was a hawksbill, which is the first I’ve seen.

Lei triggerfish

Lei triggerfish are quite common in Big Island waters. Sometimes two or three of them can be seen circling, then chasing each other. The two bands behind the eyes can change color from brown to gray or yellow. I like their blue eye shadow and their permanent look of surprise, as if they’re always saying ‘Oooo.’

Spotted boxfish

The spotted boxfish is the most common boxfish in Hawaii. They really are little boxes with a hard carapace. Only their fins, eyes and mouth move. They can also secrete a toxic slime if they’re bothered.

Surprisingly, given their shape, they’re very good swimmers and can easily outdistance a human. Such is their prowess in this regard that they’ve served as inspiration for submarine and car designs.

On a more basic level, they’re always fun to see in the water, puttering along nimbly, and keeping a good distance ahead of pursuing photographers. The top boxfish is a male and the one below, a female.

Stareye parrotfish

There are several kinds of parrotfish in the waters off the Big Island, but the lines radiating out from the eye make the stareye easy to identify. In its initial phase (below), those lines are much less obvious, and the fish blends in with its surroundings so well that it’s sometimes difficult to spot at all.

Abstracts: Jellyfish

Every so often, when I go snorkeling, the water is full of small pink filament-like things. Swimming through them leaves me feeling slightly itchy and I’ve been told they’re baby jellyfish. A few days ago, in amongst these little pink blobs was a somewhat larger one, still only an inch or two long, but definitely a jellyfish.

This was the best photo I got, but I liked how the water swirled around above it with the pink-rimmed hole looking like it might just have beamed the jellyfish down.

Whitebar surgeonfish

Whitebar surgeonfish are one of the staple reef fish. They’re regularly seen close to shore, often in large schools. Other reef fish will often join the crowd, such as the yellow tang in the second photo.

Abstracts: Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtles

This pair of yellow-spotted Amazon river turtles were waiting for something at Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens. Perhaps they were plotting a breakout, figuring out how to cut through the mesh, before making a plod for it.

For more information about Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, go to hilozoo.org.

Reef lizardfish

I saw my first lizardfish just a few weeks ago, noticing unusual marking on the rocks at a spot I often check out. Flipping through the pages of my fish book, it was fairly easy to figure out what I’d been looking at. Since then, I’ve been looking out for them and have seen several, a case of knowing what to look for I think.

Lizardfish, like hawkfish, flounders and octopuses, are better spotted on the move before they settle and blend in. I saw this reef lizardfish just as it plunked into this spot and froze. As I drifted around above it, it remained motionless, waiting for me to go away. When I did so, I saw the lizardfish shoot off and hide on a different slab of rock.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii