A Whitetip Reef Shark resting under a ledge off the black sand beach at Mauna Lani.
When I saw this scene, I thought the dark shape in front of the shark was a diver taking photos. It wasn’t until I got home, and examined the photo closely, that I realized it was just a rock!
OK, so it’s not a great photo, but this is the first time I’ve seen an Oceanic Blacktip Shark. At the time, I didn’t know what it was, but another snorkeler, who has had a few encounters, was able to ID it.
Reef sharks aren’t considered dangerous here, but there are oceanic varieties of both blacktips and whitetips. Oceanic Whitetip Sharks are considered very dangerous, but are rarely seen close to shore. Oceanic Blacktips are more of an unknown quantity, something to be wary of on the rare occasions they’re encountered.
I was watching some chubs milling around, when I noticed a much larger fish heading my way. Easily identified as a Whitetip Reef Shark, it hugged the bottom and passed directly below me.
Whitetips are mostly curious, but like anything in the water, they should be treated with respect and given space.
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.
Sunday Stills challenge theme this week and last week is ‘Your 2023 Year-in-Review.’ See more responses here. As before, I’m going with a favorite photo from each month of 2023, with a caption and link to the post the photo first appeared in. Last week, I posted favorites from January through June. This week, it’s July through December.
I rarely post for Clare’s Share Your Desktop challenge for the simple reason that I rarely change my desktop. But yesterday, I saw this Whitetip Reef Shark and thought the top image deserved a run on my computer screen.
My first sight of the shark was the second image. I suddenly saw this large shape gliding below me, having snuck up on me from behind! I’d been thinking it had been a long time since I’d seen a shark so I was thrilled to see this one, especially since the water was pretty clear and not too deep. I love the sinuous movement in this second photo! The shark disappeared under a ledge for a short time, but then reemerged and swam up a shallow cliff face and away over the reef, leaving me a very happy swimmer.
I saw this ship off the coast of North Kohala, but couldn’t immediately identify it because it was too far offshore. Luckily, it hung around and a couple of days later I saw it much closer and stopped to take photos.
The ship is the Nautilus and it’s an exploration vessel operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust and was engaged in research, sponsored by the National Geographic Society. They were studying marine mammal vocalization and local shark diversity and abundance around Hawaii.
For more information about the ship, go to https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/vessels/nautilus/nautilus.html. For more information about the research project, go to https://nautiluslive.org/.
These robust steps lead into the water at the small park between the Port of Kawaihae and its small boat harbor. They’re nice and wide so surfers can get in and out on their way to the surf break in the vicinity. I was hoping that a large shape might pass by the steps, which is not unreasonable since there are a lot of sharks in this area.
Graham's Island 