Black Triggerfishes congregate and feed near the surface so snorkelers see them often. They’re mostly black with bright lines at the base of their dorsal and anal fins, but they can also display iridescent blue lines between their eyes and blue lines along the length of their bodies.
I saw these two Fourspot Butterflyfishes happily nibbling on this coral head. If you look closely, you can see a small Arc-eye Hawkfish nestled in the coral, just behind and below the butterflyfishes. It looks a little anxious, probably wondering if it’s going to be nibbled next.
A Reef Lizardfish strikes a pose.
I took this photo coming back from a swim last weekend. We like to go early as it’s never crowded then and, generally, conditions for snorkeling are better earlier in the day.
Achilles Tangs are one of those fish that I see often, but rarely photograph because they zip away when my camera is raised. They’re particularly plentiful at Mauna Lani, and last weekend I encountered this one that was a bit slow with its escape.
Threadfin Butterflyfishes are almost always seen in pairs. They are quite common, but not numerous around here.
Boxfishes are little boxes of armor. Their only moving parts are eyes, mouth, and fins! Females are a dark brown covered with white spots. Males are a beautiful blue with white spots only on the back, and some gold highlights. And, despite their somewhat ungainly looking shape, they’re actually excellent swimmers.
I only saw this eel because I passed directly over it. It was lodged in crack and not moving. I waited a while and eventually it backed out and revealed its head and a beady eye looking at me!
