1 Back in the water again at Koloa Landing where the conditions were the clearest vis I can remember and the turtle activity was intense. Air temps however were on the cool side, it was downright chilly during the surface interval! 🐢🐢🤿
2 Back in the water again at Koloa Landing where the conditions were the clearest vis I can remember and the turtle activity was intense. Air temps however were on the cool side, it was downright chilly during the surface interval! 🐢🐢🤿
3 Back in the water again at Koloa Landing where the conditions were the clearest vis I can remember and the turtle activity was intense. Air temps however were on the cool side, it was downright chilly during the surface interval! 🐢🐢🤿
4 Surgeonfish are frequent sea turtle companions, cleaning the turtle by feeding off its accumulated algae. 🐢🐢
5 A school of Yellowfin Goatfish, with a few Bluestripe Snapper that snuck into the herd at the bottom right.
6 The Triton's Trumpet is one of the largest species of sea snail, this guy was about 18" long 🐌🐚
7 As my eyes have gotten older 🔍👀 I have a harder time getting my macro shots in frame and in focus, so I was pretty happy to snag this close-up of a Blue Dragon nudibranch who was more purple than actually blue. They are so-called because of their resemblance to long frilly Chinese dragons 🐉 The next step for me is to start using an angled viewfinder for my underwater photography instead of relying on my camera's rear LCD screen.
8 Leaf Scorpionfish usually tuck themselves pretty well inside coral heads, but this one was right out in the open for its beauty shot 🍃🦂🐟
9 Leaf Scorpionfish usually tuck themselves pretty well inside coral heads, but this one was right out in the open for its beauty shot 🍃🦂🐟
10 The Banded Sea Urchin is definitely look but don't touch 🪡🤕 Even a wetsuit provides no protection against their spines which will pierce it like a hot knife through butter, speaking from experience!
11 Devil Scorpionfish doing his best to look like a rock 👿🦂🐟
12 The Spanish Dancer nudibranch lays millions of eggs in a wide spiral ribbon that it affixes to a solid surface, looking like an underwater rose 🌹 The eggs are laced with toxins to deter any predators who might consider them to be a tasty treat before they have a chance to hatch.
13 I was 1:1 with Jeanette Auber, the owner of Fathom Five Divers, who I hadn't had the pleasure of diving with in probably 6-7 years. As we were suiting up she asked me what I wanted to find. I said that in all my dives last year, I had curiously not seen a single Frogfish. Well, half-way through our first dive, we found this large well-disguised Commerson's Frogfish propped under a head of coral. Mission accomplished! 🐸🐟
14 Schools of Bluestripe Snapper, or Ta'ape in Hawaiian, abound in Hawaii, here at Koloa Landing. Now considered an invasive species and a pest because they outcompete local fishes and fetch low market prices, they were originally introduced in the 1950's by Hawaii's Division of Fish and Game to fill a perceived vacant niche in the commercial food chain. Although they are tasty, the demand remains virtually non-existent because of the invasive stigma attached to them.
15 Koloa Landing has been swarming with schools of Akule, the Hawaiian name for Bigeye Scad and a relative of the mackerel family. Relatively small at less than 2 ft., it's a popular fish that the locals catch with throw nets and deep fry. 🐟🐟🐟
16 This Trumpetfish likes to toot its own horn 🎺🐟
17 Trumpetfish 🎺🐟 are frequently seen hovering vertically almost motionless in the water column as a way to fool their prey into thinking they're a piece of branching coral or a gorgonian. It doesn't fool me, but then again I was once told that I have a slightly higher IQ than the average crustacean 🦐🧠
18 Second day of diving at Koloa Landing and there are even more sea turtles 🐢🐢🐢 No matter which way I pointed the camera, I was bound to get at least 1 or 2 in the frame.
19 Resting on the bottom 🐢
20 Second day of diving at Koloa Landing and there are even more sea turtles 🐢🐢🐢 No matter which way I pointed the camera, I was bound to get at least 1 or 2 in the frame.
