A tail of a whale

A humpback whale slaps its tail in the waters off Hawaii

Yesterday, I posted photos from the latest of a series of swells rolling in from the northwest. After the last one, and before the next, I got in the water for a swim. It wasn’t great. Visibility was poor and the swells were still a good size.

The highlight of the swim was drying off afterwards and seeing several Humpback Whales active not far offshore. There were a few good breaches, which naturally escaped my camera, but I did get photos of some vigorous tail slapping, which was fun to see.

A humpback whale slaps its tail in the waters off Hawaii
A humpback whale slaps its tail in the waters off Hawaii

Rolling in

Surf rolling on along the North Kohala coast in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge is Aquamarine. See more responses here.

It’s the season for big swells from the northwest, and these photos are from the last one. A new one is supposed to fill in today. These are good news for surfers around here, not so good for us snorkelers.

Surf rolling on along the North Kohala coast in Hawaii
Surf rolling on along the North Kohala coast in Hawaii

Achilles Tang

An Achilles Tang in the waters off Hawaii

Achilles Tangs are one of those fish that I see frequently, but rarely get the chance to photograph. They hang around in the shallows, but scoot for cover when approached. This fish was doing just that, but I managed to get this photo before it disappeared around the corner.