Tag: reef

Scarface

Not where I expected it, a tiny cavity in an otherwise sheer rock wall covered with sponge. It was red… A flash bright red in the dive light had my attention quickly. I could not see the fish well enough to ID it, red is uncommon enough that I set up and fired anyway, just taking a photo was hard enough in the surge.

Only after downloading the photo I realized it was a scarface blennie…

Scarface Blennie
Scarface blennie (Cirripectes vanderbilti), in a small crevice, depth 15ft.

Teardrop

The little teardrop butterfly was playing peek-a-boo with me. It would peek out, the strobe would fire, it would dart back into the coral. Repeat cycle…

This little fish had good reason to be shy, it is a favorite of the aquarium collectors.

Teardrop Butterflyfish
Teardrop butterflyfish (Chaetodon unimaculatus) peeks out from under cover

Red Dendrodoris

It is not red.

Apparent the species can range in color from a pale gold, to a dark, almost black, red. I have seen this species a couple times now. The previous specimens I had found were the characteristic red, seeing this gold nudi I thought I had found something new to me.

But it is a red dendrodoris. This is a well known, but undescribed species that is found on island reefs. This fellow was in a cave at Horseshoe, depth about 35ft.

Red Dendrodoris
An undescribed species of Dendrodoris, depth 35ft on the Kohala Coast

Yellow-Spotted Guard Crab

It was a good day for photographing guard crabs. I was not finding much else worth photographing anyway. Numerous large antler coral colonies spotted the slope, each home to a small community of animals sheltering amongst the branches. Hawkfish, coral crouchers, various hermit crabs, and guard crabs. I came up with half a dozen decent photos of different guard crabs. I will not bore you with all of them, at least not all at once…

Yellow-Spotted Guard Crab
A yellow-spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) shelters in the arms of an antler coral (Pocillopora eydouxi)

Sailboat Update

When we saw the sailboat on the reef Sunday morning we wondered what the story was. Just how did the vessel end up in the surf in front of Kaloko?

Sailboat on the Reef
A large sailboat sitting on the reef in front of Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
You would think that the local paper would have some mention of the story, just a blurb about the wreck? It was not until Thursday that there was any mention of the story. In the meantime rumors reached me about the story, rumors that turned out to be true.

The boat was stolen, taken out of its slip by someone who did not know how to sail. They made it less than a mile from the harbor before foundering on the reef. The man was arrested by rescuers, they became suspicious when it became apparent that the man did not know anything about the boat or about sailing. The local newspaper writeup was fairly good, if a bit late. Will they tow the boat out and sink it? It would be a great dive.