One of the many things I like about chubs is how they catch the light as they cruise close to the surface.
Dappled chubs
Tag Archives: Snorkeling
Abstracts: Sunrise from the water
When I’m snorkeling, I like to take photos looking back up to the surface. On this occasion, I was hoping to capture bubbles floating on the surface, but got this image instead. To me, it looks like a sunrise shot, possibly after a night on the town!
Spinner Dolphins zipping by
We have had a seemingly endless stream of swells rolling in from the west, west-northwest, northwest, and north. What they all have in common is that they make snorkeling miserable here. The water gets churned up, reducing visibility to near zero, and getting in and out can be an adventure.
A few days ago, there was a gap between the incoming swells, allowing the water to settle a little and visibility to improve. And, luckily, that was a day that a pod of Spinner Dolphins went by.
I had stopped swimming for a moment and popped my head up to look around when I saw fins arching through the water towards me. This pod of 20 or 30 dolphins was just passing through, but I was happy to snap a few photos, of which these were the best two.
The visibility still wasn’t great, but any dolphin encounter is a moment to be treasured.
Favorites from 2022
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Your 2022 Year-in-Review.’ See more responses here. Like last year, I’ve gone with a favorite photo from each month of 2021, with a caption and link to the post the photo first appeared in.
Floating weed
A little clump of weed, or some such thing, catches the light as it floats by.
Yellow fish in blue water
Yellow Tangs nibble on coral heads on the steep slope down to deep water at Two Step, a popular snorkeling spot in South Kona.
Whitemouth Moray Eel
At one of my regular snorkeling spots, there’s a spot I call The Eel Motel. It’s a little hole in the rock, which is often occupied by a small Whitemouth Moray Eel or Yellowhead Moray Eel. On this visit, the former was home.
In the top photo, the eel’s head is on the left and its tail on the right. Even though the eel has its mouth closed, the white tip to the tail is another sure identifier. I drifted above it, taking photos, while its head twisted back and forth keeping track of me.
The markings on these eels can vary quite a bit, one of which is a full spread of bold white spots, such as these.
Reticulated Butterflyfish
These butterflyfishes are easily recognizable because of their distinctive black coloring. This one came over to check me out and, as most fish are wont to do, quickly got bored with me!
Graham's Island 