Swimming Nudibranch

Nudibranchs are the marine equivalent of a garden slug. However, unlike terrestrial slugs, nudibranchs can often be quite colorful and attractive. The largest of the Hawaiian nudibranchs is the Spanish dancer (Hexabranchus sanguineus) which can sometimes achieve a length of over one foot.

While most nudibranchs crawl across the substrate, the Spanish dancer, when alarmed, can swim through the water column by flexing and extending its body in an undulating fashion. In doing so, its extended mantle waves rhythmically much like a flamenco dancer's skirt!

Commerson's frogfish seen at Honaunau

A few months back I encountered this medium-sized Commerson's frogfish (Antennarius commerson) at the north end of Honaunau Bay. I was able to get some decent photos including this one of it swimming.

Frogfish aren't built for swimming but are wondrously well adapted for sitting still, so to see this one swim for a short distance was interesting. While sorely lacking in either speed or endurance, the frogfish has an ingenious form of propulsion wherein it forces jets of water from ducts under its "arms" (pectoral fins) to give it an extra boost.

Also kind of cool (to me) is this final shot where you can see the thin spine sprouting from the forehead with a bushy "lure" at the end. The lure is called an esca and is jiggled by the frogfish to lure unsuspecting prey close to its generously-sized mouth. And thus, the Circle of Life remains unbroken.  Hakuna Matata!

Fresh Manta Ray Pics from Keauhou Bay

I haven't posted for a while over concerns that my photos were showing up on the internet in places I never intended them to be. As a result, I am now putting the copyright directly on the photo instead of putting it in the caption. I hate to be so petty but, even with my relatively unsophisticated equipment, it takes a lot of time, preparation and effort to obtain these photos and I don't enjoy others taking them as their own work. 'Nuff said.

The winter swells are subsiding and I recently made a sojourn to lovely, if somewhat busy, Keauhou Bay to commune with the manta rays. Fortune favored me as I saw three different mantas over the course of two dives. I also saw a sandbar shark but only briefly and from a distance.

As usual, the mantas were present to be cleaned by the various wrasses but they seemed to take longer to "settle down" to be cleaned. Perhaps they haven't had many daytime divers around during the winter and they weren't used to having company.

Nevertheless, it was a good time and I returned with some satisfying photos to share. Conditions were fair with a higher than average amount of marine "snow" making photography a bigger challenge.

Betty and I witnessed some huge surf roll into Keauhou Bay this past winter but the reef seems in good shape compared to Honaunau which took a huge beating.

Well, that's all folks! Mahalo for stopping by.

Octopus' Garden

Photos Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

day octopus                          Octopus cyanea

Creeping in the Coral

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

spotted coral blenny                              Exalis brevis

Sea Spirit

Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

green sea turtle            Chelonia mydas

C. ornatissimus

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

ornate butterflyfish                      Chaetodon ornatissimus

Blue-eyed Crab

Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

rainbow swimming crab                      Charbdis erythrodactyla

Christmas Tree Worm

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

Christmas tree worm                         Spirobranchus giganteus

Tiny Toby

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

Hawaiian whitespotted toby                        Canthigaster jactator

Bright Butterfly

Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

raccoon butterflyfish                    Chaetodon lunula

The raccoon butterflyfish is one of the more common species found on Hawaiian reefs.

G. meleagris

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

whitemouth moray        Gymnothorax meleagris

Toothy Wrasse

Photos Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

ringtail wrasse                    Oxycheilinus unifasciatus

The Octopus Companion

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

manybar goatfish                 Parupeneus multifasciatus

Sometimes a manybar will follow an octopus around, hoping to catch any small creatures the octopus may alarm as it slides through the coral.

Big Cow Eyes

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

giant porcupinefish                   Diodon hystrix

Shy Guy

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

zebra moray eel               Gymnomuraena zebra

I don't see zebra morays very often and when I do find one, it's face is usually buried in the reef and only a little bit of its body is visible. This individual graced me with a chance to photograph its lovely countenance. This photo is among my first taken using a video strobe as a light source.

The Reliable Model

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

whitetip reef shark                Triaenodon obesus


This young shark is a very reliable model for me. For several months now, she can always be found at the same resting spot in the early morning. I know it's always the same individual by the distinctive scar behind the mouth on her right side - a memento from an encounter with a fisherman's hook. Sometimes she shares her resting spot with a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

No Cavities!

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

whitemouth moray eel                Gymnothorax meleagris

Swiggles and Dots

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

The eyestripe surgeonfish (Acanthurus dussumieri) have been making much closer approaches during the early dives. If I don't over-expose the shot, an intricate patterning is visible on the body and tail.

Surprised

Photo Copyright 2014 by Barry Fackler

ornate butterflyfish               Chaetodon ornatissimus