Meet ‘ekaha ku moana, Hawaii’s Black Coral
We all have seen the beautiful black coral necklaces that have been sold in Hawaiian jewelry stores but this coral species is not black! Only the coral skeleton is black but the actual live coral is bright orange or tan in color.
Meet kikakapu, the lined butterfly-fish
Many butterfly-fish live in schools and hang out together, but this rare, Hawaiian butterfly-fish is a master at social distancing.
Meet ko‘a, the versatile, colorful antler coral
Nothing on a Hawaiian coral reef is more impressive than a three-foot-tall antler coral.
Meet ulapapa, the regal slipper lobster
As a marine biologist, I have been studying lobsters worldwide for over 30 years, and have seen species that only grow to three inches long and others that grow to three feet long.
Meet the marine poly-clad flatworm
Meet one of Hawai‘i’s most ancient creatures: The free-living, marine poly-clad flatworm.
Meet kumu the whitesaddle goatfish
Kumu is Hawai‘i’s only endemic, shallow-water goat fish.
Meet puhi la au the saddled snake eel
There are no sea snakes in Hawai‘i as a general rule, but one eel often gets mistaken for a sea snake. Meet puhi la au the snake eel.
Meet the very shy, red volcano sponge
Do you know that we have bright-red, underwater volcano’s here in Hawai‘i, and they are very common?
Meet kikakapu the reticulated butterfly fish
Hawai‘i is famous for its clouds of butterfly fish snorkelers and divers can see here on our coral reefs.
Puhi the tiger moray eel doesn’t have stripes
This is a really rare and secretive, three-foot-long moray eel that lives throughout the tropical Pacific Ocean, but Hawai‘i is where it is most commonly seen.
Sea star or starfish, this one is the cushion star
These sea stars, commonly called starfish, are really bizarre creatures.
Meet ‘ulua aukea the giant trevally
This big fish in the jack family is very famous here in Hawai‘i because you see stickers of the fish on the back window of the fishermen’s trucks or on their T-shirts.
Meet ‘u‘u, the big-scale soldier fish
This bright-red, foot-long reef fish is one of the most common fish in Hawai‘i, but most snorkelers never see them.
Meet the orange cup coral
You may not have seen one of these beautiful, bright-orange Hawai‘i cup corals, but if you have ever been on a boat along the coastline here in Hawai‘i, you have been right above thousands of them.
Meet the Hawaiian long-nose hawk-≠≠fish
Scuba diving near the island of Ni‘ihau off the coast of Kaua‘i is quite an adventure, as there are areas of crystal-clear water and underwater, 300-foot-tall cliffs just teaming with marine life.
Meet the queen nenue
Nenue are a large, gray, schooling fish that are generally known as chubs.
Meet manini the Convict Tang
While diving or snorkeling in Hawaii you will more then likely see manini the Convict Tang! Sometimes you can see this fish all by itself feeding on algae that grows on the lava rocks or you may be surrounded by a school of over 200 Convict Tangs. This fish is the most common surgeonfish in Hawaii and a “tang” is a type of surgeonfish because it has a sharp spike at the base of the tail that will give a diver or predator a deep cut if they get to close.
Meet the Hawaiian Cauliflower Coral
Stony rock hard corals are living animals and here in Hawaii are known as koa. The coral animal is called a polyp and it is a very tiny creature that looks like an upside down jellyfish.
Meet the Bandit Angelfish
When diving in Hawaiian waters one may come across a pair of 10 inch long fish that just will bring a smile to your face! When I see the Bandit Angelfish I laugh as they look like they should be in a Bugs Bunny cartoon! They just do not look real at first and are one of the most special Hawaiian fish to observe while diving.
Meet the Hawaiian dwarf moray eel
Most divers think moray eels are large, snake-like creatures with giant, sharp teeth. And they are usually correct.