Whale Watching

All Photos Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

This past weekend, Betty and I decided to play tourist and go on a whale-watching cruise out of Kawaihai. We've been seeing whales from shore all winter long (even while driving) but we wanted a more up-close experience.

We sailed with Ocean Sports on their big catamaran and had a super time. We saw a bunch of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) at close range including mothers with their calves.

We had a wonderful time and felt fortunate to see so many whales this late in the season. They will soon be migrating to their feeding grounds in Alaska.

Scrawled and Scribbled

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

The scrawled or scribbled filefish (Aluterus scriptus) is another fish with intricate markings. It can color-phase from a light blue cast to the brownish-yellow hue shown here,

Leaf Fish

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

leaf scorpionfish            (Taenianotus triacanthus)

Sleepy Puffer

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

spotted puffer             Arothron meleagris

Dark Reef

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

green sea turtle                 Chelonia mydas

Netted Pattern

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

reticulated butterflyfish             Chaetodon reticulatus

Golden Trumpet

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

Pacific Trumpetfish          Aulostomus chinensis

Eyestripe Surgeonfish

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

Acanthurus dussumieri

Also known by the Hawaiian name palani. This photo was taken at about 70' depth and early in the morning. This and a couple other palani were following me in hopes I would stir up some organic detritus for them to feed on.

One of the Regulars

As big as the ocean is, there are some creatures that stay in a very small area for their entire lives. Moray eels spend most of the daytime cloistered in holes in the reef. Occasionally, you see one out free swimming in the day but they usually come out to hunt at night. When daylight comes, they return to the safety of another hole in the reef.

Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler

This particular undulated moray eel ( Gymnothorax undulatus) is an exception. It lives in a coral head around 80' down and has been there every time I looked for the past several years.

Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler

No doubt it roams about at night searching for prey. But it seems that it always returns to it's specific, special place on the reef when the sun comes up. Truly a creature of habit,

Varicose Phyllidia

Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler

Hawai'i is not blessed with many nudibranchs like some of the more temperate dive spots in the world. What nudis we do have aren't often seen. I photographed this varicose phyllidia (Phyllidia varicosa) this past Sunday in shallow water at Honounau.

Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler

This is commonly referred to as the fried egg nudibranch owing to its unique yellow and white markings.

Beautiful Shell

I found this beautiful Triton's Trumpet shell (Charonia tritonis) while diving this Saturday at Honaunau. It was close to a foot long and still occupied by its builder. The Triton's Trumpet is a snail just like the ones you would find in your garden except it is specially adapted for its marine habitat.

Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler

The top of the shell has a coating of marine growth and sand as such things tend to settle on slow moving surfaces.

Photo Copyright 2013 by Barry Fackler

The underside is generally clean and glossy, particularly the aperature which is the "hole" the creature protrudes out of. The yellow and tan matter is the creature's muscular foot. The brownish oval is the operculum, a toenail-like structure that seals the aperature securely shut when the snail retracts into its shell. the operculum is the final wall that, along with the shell, completely protects the snail's soft body from would-be predators.

Life is full of beautiful things. Take time to enjoy them!

Mystery Crab

I saw this tiny crab on a recent twilight dive at Honaunau and have been unable to identify it. It seems like the distinctive heart-shaped white area on the carapace would make ID simple, but I haven't seen anything like it in my reference books or on the web. Any help in making the identification would be greatly appreciated!

Photos Copyright 2012 by Barry Fackler

Day Tube Anemone

The Day Tube Anemone (Cerianthus sp.) is a creature that looks plant-like but is, in fact, an animal. It lives within a long slimy tube that it forms from adhesive threads that it secretes. The tube is a very tough, durable structure that is open at both ends and is situated vertically in the substrate. The tentacles of the creature protrude from the upper end of the tube while the rest of the creature lives in and under the tube.

Photo Copyright 2011 by Barry Fackler

This particular species lives in deep water. This individual is at 117' depth in Honaunau Bay. Some types of tube anemones have survived in aquariums for over a hundred years. This one has been around ever since I started diving Honaunau around 12 years ago.

Photo Copyright 2011 by Barry Fackler

Among anemones, the tube anemones are unique in having two sets of tentacles. Short, oral tentacles surround the mouth while longer food-gathering tentacles are along the periphery. There may be several hundred tentacles in all. The two tentacle varieties can be distinguished in the photo above.