Tag Archives: Eels

Viper Moray Eel

A viper moray eel rests in a recess in the reef
A viper moray eel rests in a hollow

A year or two ago, when I was snorkeling, I spotted an enormous eel resting in a recess in some rocks. I took a few photos, but couldn’t get anything very good because it was so tucked away. I pointed the eel out to some other snorkelers in the vicinity and they checked it out. One of the other snorkelers is much better than I at getting close to subjects so she was able to get better photos despite the surge around the rock. I joked with her that I was fine hanging back, and that I was waiting to get a photo of the eel attacking her!

The eel in question was a Viper Moray Eel so since that time the spot has acquired the name Viper Rock. My fish book describes these eels as “evil-looking” and “one of the largest and potentially most dangerous of Hawaii’s eel.” It’s been an on-and-off resident of that little cave since ever since and I’ve taken photos when I’ve had the opportunity. None have been great, but these are a couple that give an idea of the spot and its inhabitant.

Whitemouth moray eel looking up

One thing I can rely on when I’m snorkeling is that when I’m looking down into the water there’s a very good chance something will be looking up at me. Most creatures in the water are constantly scanning for predators, or prey.

In this case, this whitemouth moray eel was in a typical position, wedged into a crack, and keeping a watchful eye on my movements.

Posted in response to Becky’s January Squares challenge theme of ‘Up.’ See more responses here.

Snowflake moray eel

I saw this fairly small snowflake moray eel sliding over and around a shallow rocky area recently. Often times, eels will vanish into barely visible holes in the reef, but this one stayed in sight for quite a while before doing so. I like how, in the top photo, it’s peeking out to see if I’m still there.

Snowflake eels are probably the prettiest eels to be seen in the waters around here.

Better Days: Eel on the hook

I hope this photo doesn’t ruin anyone’s breakfast, but I run it for a couple of reasons. First, a lot of people fish around the island and most of them don’t like eels. Snag an eel on your line and there’s not much to be done. The eel will wrap itself in knots and the only way to be rid of it is to cut the line. The person fishing could try removing the hook and releasing the eel, but even if they were so inclined, the feeling is, ‘why release an eel so that it can tie itself in knots next time you throw a line in?’

And that brings us to the other reason for running the photo, and which also explains another reason no one wants to remove that hook. Look at those teeth! Rows of them, front and back, side to side. Reach for that hook and chances are you’re going to get bitten. This is also why it’s not a good idea to mess with anything in the water. Even little fish that look harmless can have a powerful bite, or sharp spines, or some other nasty surprise.

Abstracts: Yellowhead moray eel

At one of my regular snorkel spots, there’s a place where a small whitemouth eel had taken up residence. I saw it there several times, head sticking out from a hole in the rock, flashing its white mouth. Then one day it was gone, but there was clearly something else in there. It looked like another eel, but I only saw a smooth patch of skin, it was curled in there so tightly.

Recently though, I saw that the creature had turned around and, in the small opening, part of its head could be seen, revealing it to be a small yellowhead moray eel. In the photo, the eel’s eye peers out from its lair, which is surrounded by rock covered with different-colored growths.

Zebra moray eel

Things to like about the zebra moray eel include that they’re probably the easiest eel to identify. They also tend to be quite long and make visually interesting shapes as they meander through rock and coral.