LILLEY: 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.
LILLEY: 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.
Meet the crown-of-thorns starfish
Meet the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish. But don’t ever touch one!! This huge 18 inch wide starfish comes covered in sharp venomous spines that can land you in the hospital if you tried to pick one up off of the reef.
Meet the Hawaiian white-spotted toby
This fish is a true Hawaiian local endemic species, as it lives nowhere else in the world but the Hawaiian Islands. They are very common on almost all Hawaiian reefs, from silty bays, coral reefs and even in caves under the reef.
Meet haulau the Teardrop Butterflyfish
This beautiful six inch long butterfly fish is just one of about 25 species of butterflyfish that live in Hawaii but it also lives all through out the tropical Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean!
Meet pu’oni’oni’o the Hawaiian Partridge Tun Shell
This beautiful marine snail has a shell that is six inches long but the body of the snail can be a foot wide! Its body is so big that it cannot fit it entirely into its protective shell. This is very odd for marine snails like the cowry or cone shell that can retract its body fully into its hard shell for protection.
Green sea turtle car wash
Do you know that honu, our Hawaiian green sea turtle goes on a regular basis to a “turtle cleaning station” just like we may go to a car wash!
Meet the Lion’s paw sea cucumber
Sometimes when I scuba dive or snorkel in Hawaii I see things that just do not look real! Weli the lion’s paw, or conspicuous sea cucumber, is one of them!
Meet the Giant Samoan Crab
From time to time while scuba diving in Kauai I come across a true monster that looks like it should be in a Star Wars movie! This huge crab was introduced into Hawaiian waters in the 1920s and can grow to an amazing 15-inches wide from the tip of one massive claw to the other.
Meet roi the Peacock Grouper
If you have dove anywhere in warm tropical waters you more then likely have seen the large grouper species that are quite common in French Polynesia, Micronesia, Indonesia and the Caribbean.
Meet Rhincodon typus the giant Whale Shark!
Scuba diving with these huge 50 foot long sharks is a one of a kind experience as the Whale Shark is the largest fish in the world! We dove with five of these “gentile giants” all at the same time and it felt as if we had gone back into the dinosaur age.
Meet the Raccoon Butterflyfish
This is one of the beat know of the Hawaiian reef fish as divers can often see them in large schools up to 100 individuals. This eight inch long colorful fish that has facial markings that look like a raccoon have a very important Hawaiian name, kikakapu. This means strongly forbidden!
Meet the Red Velvet Sea Star
Starfish are quite rare in Hawaiian water compared to other arts of the pacific. Hawaii is thousands of miles away from the mainland and some creatures just had a hard time making the long journey all the way to Hawaii back in time. Starfish (sea stars) are one of those creatures and only a few species live in Hawaii and it is a treat to see one.
Hihimanu the Spotted Eagle Ray
Meet hihimanu the Spotted Eagle Ray. Its Hawaiian name means “magnificent” and if you have ever seen one fly by you underwater like a giant butterfly, you will know how it got its name!
Meet ‘alo’ilo’i our Hawaiian dascyllus fish
A healthy Hawaiian coral reef has lots of these very cute fish that do a dance in the sea water right above the live branching corals.