Tinker's Butterflyfish

 A friend of mine asked me to send her some photos I had of a Tinker's Butterflyfish (Chaetodon tinkeri) and I figured that, while I had them out, I should post them. They're not of the greatest quality because they were taken on slide film years ago, made into prints, and then scanned into the computer.

Photo Copyright 2011 by Barry Fackler

These were taken during a boat dive off of Old Airport Beach. The fish guide books say these occur mostly at depths of 150' or more but this pair was at around 70'. They are considered a rare sight due to over-collection for the aquarium trade as well as their preference for deep water.

Photo Copyright 2011 by Barry Fackler"

This was the only instance where Betty and I have seen this particular species. Other divers at Honaunau have reported seeing them there, but at crazy depths beyond recreational SCUBA range. I don't want to see them that bad.

Photo Copyright 2011 by Barry Fackler

They are pretty little fish with an unusual and bold black/white diagonal and bright gold accents. I hope to see more of them again one day!

A Recent Favorite

I've been blogging recently about the regular sightings of rays and sharks in Honaunau Bay over the last few months and sharing some of my photos with you. A couple of weekends ago, I had the privilege to swim alongside one of the Spotted Eagle Rays (Aetobatus narinari) for around two minutes, taking pictures the whole time. It was an exhilarating experience and I got a bunch of photos I liked. One really stood out and rather than show you a bunch of the photos, I thought I'd just post my favorite:

Photo Copyright 2011 by Barry Fackler

I know it's just an amateur photo taken with a point-and-shoot but it's special to me to have the sunlight streaming down on this great creature with its "wings" spread wide. I hope you enjoy it.