I don’t see Spotted Eagle Rays as often as I used to, but that’s true of many creatures that live in the ocean around here. This one went skimming by a small school of Yellow Tangs and out into deeper water. Happily, it looked in excellent condition with a beautiful array of white spots on its wings.
I came across this relatively small Giant Porcupinefish on a recent swim and it headed directly towards me for a short while, before deciding I wasn’t that interesting and swimming off.
I used to see Scrawled Filefishes all the time at the place where I usually go snorkeling. For the past few years they’ve become occasional visitors, so I’m pleased when I run into them these days. This one had the good graces to not only stick around, but to do so in a spot where the light illuminated its wonderful markings.
I rarely see Paletail Unicornfishes in my usual swimming spot, though it might be that they’re around and I just haven’t noticed them before. I managed to snap a few quick photos before they disappeared and this was the best of them. Ironically, the pale tail was at exactly the wrong angle! No prizes for guessing the reason for the name ‘unicornfish.’
It’s fairly common to see lobster molts while snorkeling, but not live lobsters, since they’re mostly active at night. On a recent swim, I got down to the water earlier than usual and was rewarded by seeing two fairly lively Tufted Spiny Lobsters. The smaller of the two scooted amongst the rocks and never really came out into the open, but this larger one traveled a good distance over the sea floor before scuttling backwards under a ledge.
These lobsters are notable for the patches of blue at the base of their antennae and the pale stripes on their legs.
This Pacific Day Octopus was easy to spot when it was on the move, but when it settled down it quickly became almost invisible.
How many Arc-eye Hawkfishes can you fit in a head of Cauliflower Coral? I count six here, though there could be more, and who knows what else besides. Corals like this offer vital shelter for small fish and other creatures seeking to avoid the many predators out hunting.
Yesterday, I posted photos of a manta ray encounter (here), noting that, if fins are seen in the water, manta rays are one likely reason. After the post went live, I went for a swim. I didn’t see anything unusual and was heading back in when I turned and saw fins in the water. This time, they were clearly dolphin fins.
Sometimes, the dolphins zip by as if they’re late for an appointment, but these were proceeding in a very leisurely fashion, so I thought I’d swim back out a ways and see if any came to check my out. As I swam, I’d pop up to see what was going on. Quite a few dolphins went by in small groups, but I saw more were following.
Luckily, one of these groups was traveling closer to shore than the others and as I ducked my head underwater, I saw them approaching. The lead dolphin did veer in my direction, but carried on its way, followed by a trio that maintained impressive formation as they passed. The whole encounter lasted just a few minutes, but I was thrilled to see them and happy to get a few decent photos.
Graham's Island 