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.
Meet the Hawaiian red reef lobster
This extremely beautiful eight-inch long dwarf lobster is fairly common in Hawaiian waters, but rarely ever seen. As far as we know it does not even have a Hawaii name as it lives on the deeper water coral reefs way back in cracks and only comes out at night time!
Meet ‘api the white-spotted surgeonfish
This common, foot-long Hawaiian reef fish is often missed by people who snorkel and scuba dive because they live right in the surf, where it is not safe to dive! In order to see them you have to go out beyond the waves and safely look back to shore where they will flow in and out of the reef with the surge from the surf.
Meet palani the Eyestripe Surgeonfish
This large beautiful Hawaiian reef fish grows up to 20-inches long and is often confused with several other large surgeonfish like the Yellowfin and Ringtail. The best way to tell them apart is by their bright white scalpel at the base of their tail of which you do not want to get near!
Meet mano lala kea the whitetip reef shark
This very special six-to-eight foot long shark is very important to Hawaiian coral reefs and also to the Hawaiian culture! For over 1,000 years the people here in Hawaii protected these sharks as they are part of their spiritual connection to the sea.
Meet paku’iku’i the Achilles Tang
This beautiful shallow water reef fish is wonderful to watch as it zooms around in the surf, but you do not want to touch one! Tangs are in the Surgeonfish family and they have a razor sharp spine near their tail that can cause a deep cut on your hand if you get too close.
Meet the Hawaiian Spanish Dancer!
She is eight inches long and so beautiful that seeing her in action is a very special treat for divers visiting our Hawaiian coral reefs.
Meet kihikihi the Moorish Idol
This beautiful Hawaiian reef fish is a one of a kind as it is the only member of the Zanclidae family on our coral reefs! It is often mistaken for the common butterfly fish but it is actually one of the oldest known Hawaiian fish with fossil records dating back over 50 million years.
Great Whites
Had an amazing Great White Shark Research trip 180 miles offshore of Baja Mexico with professional underwater photographer Pamela Whitman and a whole team of world class shark experts on the large Nautilus
Meet hilu the Blackstripe Coris
This cool looking Hawaiian reef fish get up to 20 inches long and divers are use to seeing the females that are white with black stripes.
Meet humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua’a the Wedgetail Triggerfish!
Meet humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua’a the Wedgetail Triggerfish! This iconic Hawaiian reef fish is also known at the Picasso Triggerfish and its Hawaiian name has a fascinating meaning of which is still not completely understood.
Meet the strange-looking Commerson’s frogfish
Meet the Commerson’s Frogfish, one of Hawaii’s most unusual sea creatures! This very strange looking fish uses it fins as hands and walks across the reef in slow motion. Most of the time it does not move at all except to open its mouth slowly to breath.
Meet nunu the trumpetfish, one bizarre-looking creature
This 30-inch-long, common Hawaiian reef fish can come in many different colors, and they often hide in large schools of fish so their colors match the species of fish they hide in!
Meet honu, the Hawaiian green sea turtle
Hawaii is one of the only places on earth that divers and swimmers can spend time close up to these amazing creatures. Sea turtles have been swimming our oceans for a very long time but in much of the worlds tropic waters humans still eat them!
Meet nohu pinao the Hawaiian Red Lionfish
In Hawaii we have two species of poisonous lionfish. The red lionfish grows to about eight inches long and the green lionfish grows to about six inches long. Both are native to Hawaii and are quite common in certain areas but rarely seen by divers. The Hawaiian name for this fish means dragonfly!
Meet humuhumu lei
The Lei Triggerfish is related to our Wedge-Tailed Triggerfish of which is the Hawaiian state fish.
Meet moa, The Hawaiian boxfish
The Hawaiian Boxfish is truly a bizarre creature! Part fish and part underwater helicopter! The males are bright blue, white and gold and this fish can hoover off of the bottom, go backwards, forwards, up, down and do a complete spin just like a helicopter. They are truly amazing to watch as they look like a remote controlled underwater drone!
Meet he’e the octopus
Here in Hawaii we have several species of octopus but usually people only see two of the most common, larger species.