Hawaii 2.0

A scenic reef in Hawaii.

Judy G

Dwarf Moray Eel aka Pencil Moray — Quite Tiny!

This is the first time I have seen this variety of eel. The head is not more than a half-inch across.

Judy G

Leaf Scorpionfish

This was an exciting find by some buddies — they actually found a pair of them — unfortunately they were in a tough location to shoot — and the other was head into the reef under some coral, so not possible to get a good shot of it. This little fish was less than two inches in length.

Judy G

Mr. G over a school of Bluestripe Snappers

At one site we dived, there was a beautiful large aggregation of these bright yellow fish, which orbited the reef at about 70 feet.

Judy G

Ready for his Close Up

This is a Wire Coral Goby — a very small fish (less than 1 inch in length) that, as its name suggests, lives on wire corals. When I am diving, I have a look at every wire coral I see — hoping to spot one or two of these, a wire coral shrimp or a wire coral crab, which also inhabit these long, thin corals.

Judy G

Reef Octopus

Judy G

Squirrelfish, Head On

These are funny fish, often found lurking in small groups under dark overhangs on the reef. They tend to be wary, but don’t scoot off like many other reef fish when approached. These fish are less than a foot in length.

Judy G

Amazing Walls

This site off the southwest coast of the Big Island was really quite beautiful, with steep reef walls, canyons, and several swim-throughs.

Judy G

Whitemouth Moray Eel

We saw quite a few of these beautiful Whitemouth moray eels in Hawaii.

Judy G

Hawaii the Beautiful

Another wide-angle scenic from a beautiful dive site.

Judy G

Attack of the Triton Trumpet

This was a crazy scene — a huge Triton Trumpet (a very large snail-like critter) was attacking a large Crown of Thorns sea star, which is its favorite meal. There are a lot of Triton Trumpets in Hawaii, and a lot of destructive Crown of Thorns sea stars. Let the games begin!

Judy G

Moorish Idols

Moorish Idols over corals.

Judy G

Arc Eye Hawkfish

We saw a lot of these hawkfish on this trip, which can change color to adapt to the material on which they perch. These fish dart around, close to the reef, and then come to rest on top of a coral head or sponge. Getting a shot like this required some patience, as they are skittish when approached. This fish was about 3 inches in length.

Judy G

Photo bombed by a wrasse!

I was taking this picture of Mr. G and a Crown of Thorns sea star to illustrate how large they are (they are hefty things!), when this colorful little fish swam into the frame.

Judy G

Blackside Hawkfish

This fish is about 6 inches in length.

Judy G

Antler Coral in Sun Rays

We did not see a lot of this variety of corals — in fact the corals in Hawaii are generally not super diverse nor colorful. We did see some corals that have been recently affected by the much higher than normal water temperatures in Hawaii this year. Where the water would have normally been in the 80 degrees F range in September, we experienced water temperatures up to 85 degrees F. This warm water is causing coral bleaching in some varieties of corals. If you go back and look closely at some of the images I have included in this gallery, you will see some examples of bleached (very white) corals.

Judy G

Peacock Flounder

I can’t resist trying to photograph this weird looking fish, which has both of its eyes on the top of its head. I followed this one for a while before I was able to get the shot I was hoping for — with its dorsal fin erect. Most often, the dorsal fin lays flat along its body. This fish was about a foot in length.

Judy G

Gorgeous Coral

More scenic reef in Hawaii.

Judy G

Giant Moray Eel and Crown of Thorns Sea Star

Judy G

Diver over Turtle Pinnacle

Judy G