Diving the Kona Coast: September 2010

Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Silent Call

I just wanted to quickly share this amusing shot I got at Keauhou Bay yesterday. I caught this Blackside Hawkfish in mid-yawn, looking as if he's calling out from his perch. Hope you like it!

Today I'm posting some photos I took recently of a hermit crab that let me take some extreme close-ups. This particular species is called a Bloody Hermit Crab, owing to the red markings on its claw-bearing extremities. This one appears to be inhabiting the shell of a Textile Cone, but the shell is so heavily encrusted that it's difficult to be certain.

The last photo is my favorite. It's kind of a profile portrait and the crab looks a little wistful, a quality seldom associated with crustaceans!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Spotted Burrfish

This goofy-looking fish is a Spotted Burrfish and, according to the field guides, it is not commonly seen in Hawai'i. I hate to say that any fish is actually rare as it is probably found in numbers somewhere or another.

This is a very close relative of the porcupinefishes, the difference being the burrfish has spines that are erect all the time, whereas the spines of the porcupinefish are erect only when the fish "inflates" with water.

This particular individual resides in a small cave in Honaunau Bay. Only once have I seen it outside the cave, as shown in the last two photos of this post.

This is a substantial fish, reaching about a foot and a half in length. Its mouth is a sort of beak and has been known to actually sever fingers from careless divers who have harassed them!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Thursday Morning at Keauhou Bay

Last Thursday, I went to Keauhou Bay for a couple of dives. With winter swells not far off, I thought I'd take advantage of the low surf while I could. Getting in & out is a bit more difficult here than at Honaunau.

The payoff was to spend time with this medium-sized manta on both dives. She was a little stand-offish at first but eventually started doing some nice close passes. I mostly took photos of her by ambient light as there was a lot of particulate matter in the water column. Still a great time!