Gray Chubs and Hawaiian Flagtails

Gray Chubs and Hawaiian Flagtails in the waters off Hawaii

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.

The Numbers Game #50

Gullies on the side of Kohala Mountain are illuminated by early morning sun
Early morning light on the Kohala Mountain hillside.

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

A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a pink banana.
A switchback on the Kilauea Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
A switchback on the Kilauea Iki Trail.
ripples on a pond
Ripples in the water of ʻAimakapā Fishpond at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park.
A Common Waxbill feeds on cane grass seeds
A Common Waxbill feeds on cane grass seeds.
Hawaiian Stilts in a pond at Kaloko-Honokahau Park
Hawaiian Stilts.
African Silverbills at a window
African Silverbills at a window. See the full sequence here

High surf at Mahukona

High surf crashes ashore at Mahukona, Hawaii

’Tis the season for big northwest swells to start rolling in here. Happy days for surfers, not so much for snorkelers. The first of the season hit west-facing shores over the past two days. By and large the swells weren’t too bad, but every so often a big swell, such as this one, would crash ashore.

No birds or small children were harmed in the taking of this photo! Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card. See more responses here.

Fishing with a view

A fisherman at Upolu with Maui in the background

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.