Hawksbill Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Hawksbills only grow to about three feet in length. They will grow to 180 pounds on average. This month our gallery theme is “Turtles”! Ben and I are fortunate to have had many turtle encounters over the years. They are magical moments. When I was 13, I went snorkeling for the […]
Green Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered In Hawaii, green turtles are called “honu” As I glided my way over top the finger of a fringe reef off the coast of Oahu, I came across half a dozen green turtles. I knew that there are many green sea turtles in the water of Hawaii, but […]
Blue Neon Goby – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This species of coral looks alien, with the orange, red, and green coloration and texture. This species of coral looks alien, with the orange, red, and green coloration and texture. I’ve always enjoyed this species coral, which can grow to be quite large and live hundreds of […]
Saddled Blenny – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern A sea rod is a soft coral that is affixed to the seafloor like a tree, with a central trunk. Corals can be separated into two categories, hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals generate a calcium carbonate skeleton and tend to be known as reef building corals. Soft […]
Rough Cactus Coral – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Although we are too zoomed-in to tell, the rough cactus coral colony is roundish in shape. Stony coral, like this rough cactus coral, have a limestone skeleton with a fleshy, colorful, textured, outer skin. As a scuba diver, if you spend time looking closely at coral, you […]
Cauliflower Coral – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This was my first scuba dive in the Pacific Ocean, and I was overwhelmed by the beauty In 2022 I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the north shore of Oahu. While I was there I took a day trip down to the south shore […]
Hump Coral – IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened The tides and surf tend to be calm at Keawakapu Beach which makes for great snorkeling! This photo comes from a snorkeling adventure off the coast of Maui’s Keawakapu Beach in 2019. Keawakapu beach is great for snorkeling. You quickly find yourself in water that is ten […]
Finger Coral – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The scientific name of this species of finger coral is Porites compressa. This photo was taken while I was diving off the coast of Oahu. I was on my second dive at a site called the Nautilus. At this point I was probably in 40 feet of […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Their bodies have horizontal blue and yellow stripes This is the head of a snakefish, otherwise known as a blunt-nose lizardfish. This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean, and more specifically this photo was taken off of West Palm Beach, Florida. These fish live on the bottom (benthic) and tend to […]
IUCN Conservation Status: Data Deficient Sea cucumbers are echinoderms in the class Holothuroidea. This photo is of a Pacific white-spotted sea cucumber, which is also known as the Hawaiian sea cucumber. I saw this wild looking animal while snorkeling in only a few feet of water with my wife at Anini Beach on the north […]