Oops! I surprised an eel!

I normally start my blog with an octo-report, but while it's fresh in my mind, I thought I'd mention that I made a snowflake eel mad today! I put my hand down to grab an operculum and I guess the eel was hiding and didn't appreciate my attention. So it swam off, after rearing back to try to intimidate me. By the fact that there's no picture of this rearing, you might know that it did! Intimidate me, that is.

This is the eel swimming away. Sorry, buddy!

So while I'm on the eel topic, here is the other eel photo from today:

 I think it might be a Dragon Moray, but I didn't see its head, so not positive.

Too bad, too, because those are very cool eels.

So 5 octopuses today, I think. Why the confusion? I saw what I think was #5, but have to check the surrounding rocks, as it could have been one I already saw. 

 There's no confusion about octopus #1, though. I remember the little bluish rock near its den. And that it was in the deep side, so harder to get really close.

He'e 2:

It was peeking at me... 

And then it retreated into its den. You can see one eye and the siphon with its aqua color. I am intrigued about whether they can also put camouflage color on the siphon. When I see them, they are usually brown or white....not camouflaged, i.e., brown and white like the camouflaged skin.

He'e #3...can you just see its eye? between the rocks just a bit left of center in the shot.

 And it wanted to hide. Drat. They all do that. But come to think of it, that's a good thing: if they don't hide, someone without my sensibilities might hunt it!

 And here's the brown/white siphon and the eye. It's hiding in its den.

He'e #4 in a new place! This is a rock with a hole in its middle and the octopus is hiding inside. 

You can just see its white siphon.

I am leaning toward thinking this was octopus #5....

Very happy to see so many. Nice water, too, pretty flat and clear. Yay.

 4 little Humu. Very cute, as they darted around.

Finally, another Ambon Puffer picture with the pretty blue anal fin!

I don't know why these Blue-Spined Unicorns have different coloration. I shall look it up. But not right now. Please be patient (because someone has to be....won't be me, probably. Ha.)

 Christmas Wrasse sped through.

Cornet Fish

 It occurred to me today that when the 4 spot butterfly are swimming together and then peel off in different directions that perhaps they are performing a defensive maneuver, so both won't be eaten/caught at the same time. Let me know if they tell you.

Possible nudibranch eggs, attached to a rock. It's like a small white flower, blowing in the breeze.

 God's rays shining through the clouds.

Small Hawaiian Hogfish

 Sideways and leftways Trunk fish males

 Minnows. I can't tell what they will grow into.

 This big Honu surprised me! This was the 2nd one.

This was the first turtle that swam by me. I can tell it's a different one, because the first one had white on its eyes...I hope that isn't a parasite! I don't get close, so I couldn't really examine it. But #2 didn't have that white, so that's my rationale for thinking it's a different honu.

The operculum that I found near a real octopus...this is on my desk as a reminder...with my pottery octopus. 

Lizard fish. I saw it flex its side fins, so I recorded a video to catch it possible burying itself in the sand. Of course, because I was ready, it didn't do that. Oy vey.

 Peacock Grouper

 Find the peeking he'e:

 Pencil Urchins

Young Pinktail Durgon

 Juvenile Yellow Tail coris

A mess of Rock Mover wrasses! I do not know what they found so interesting beneath that rock, but it kept them occupied until I moved on.

 Snoozing seal

 A momma with 4 chicks. They stopped near the showers for a drink.

OK, now for the Urchin parade. I thought it was interesting how diverse the things are that they put on their backs. Some of them look really heavy, but good armor.

The stuff on the back definitely outweighed the urchin!

This urchin was hiding in a rock. Burrowing Urchins.

 And this is the kind you definitely don't want to be pushed into by a wave! They are usually out on the deep side.

Yup, there's an urchin under all that!

 This one apparently liked only smallish bits.

All in all, a wonderful snorkel. No scary animals, no smacking waves and plenty of octopuses. Also, not too many people in the water. Perhaps because it was cold...well, cold for Hawaii anyway.

Thanks for reading. And thanks to God for creating it all.

Apparently, I can be very kind! Who knew?

If you knew me, you would rarely think: "Oh, she's so kind!" But today, I helped a young lady by showing her where to get in the water (so as not to go over the rocks) and also how to de-fog her mask. And she said "You are so kind!!!" I walked away thinking "Not how I usually think of myself!"

Which was a lesson: I could be kind, I would just have to work at it! (Sweetheart said he would normally think of me as outspoken...lol Yeah, I knew that.)

So 4 octopuses today. Happy with that. And one, in the deeper side, actually got chased by a Rock Mover wrasse...if you want to see the short video, here's the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYU1Z7jOghA
 Hope that works! 

But here are the still photos:

 The octopus is just below the fishes head...brown and white patterns

Here is the same octopus, but now it's mad! Turned that angry maroon color as it sped to hide underneath a rock. Smart, octopus! The wrasse was able to zoom under the rock a bit, but I think the octopus escaped by hiding. (That's what they do!!!)

 The brown after it saw me and the original colors below. Both photos have the eye you can see.

He'e 3, showing its eye

 and turning dark

The female Christmas wrasse sped by the octopus when it had popped up again a little bit.

 It's hard to keep them all straight. The rocks help.

You can see both eyes in the one below.

 And in this one.

In the one below, it turned that dark brown...You can see that if a visitor walked around in this area, they would never see the octopus! It would simply slide down into its den until it was safe to venture out again.

 Back to the cool brown and white and bumpy octopus. I wonder if it uses the orange rock to locate its home?

Rock Mover trying to rub against the octopus #1...the octopus is just above the wrasse's head, adhering to the coral.

 Nice Ambon Puffer fish, showing cool patterns.

 A very small female Trunk Fish. You can see both its eyes. At this size, they are quite desirous of not being near people.

This was in the area where I saw an octopus a few days ago. I think it probably pulled the white and red rocks to cover its den. Since I could not tell if it was in there, I couldn't count it as a sighting.

 Christmas Wrasse male

 This crab did a great job of hiding in a hole. If you look carefully, you can see the body and an eye.

 A Drupe shell with light accent.

Male Trunk Fish

 Needle fish near the in between part of the two ponds.

White Mouth Moray Eel

 Another nice shell

 Pencils

Pinktail Durgon

 The rainbow colors of the light entering the water made this octopus have a slight purple color around its eye.

As it did with the octopus in the middle of the photo below.

 Christmas Wrasse hassling an eel.

I think it's a Spanish Dancer...I am accustomed to seeing them be more red, but this is the same shape. (Nudibranch)

This is the junk I brought home today from the swim: glass, a lead fishing weight, one lens of a dive mask and string and of course the ubiquitous scrunchie! As well as the operculum (little white things: I now have over 10,000 of them! Yeah, no one calls me smart.)

 And two small urchins: the one immediately below was so small, I was really surprised it could hold up under all that weight!

Another nice swim! The water was mostly clear and calm. I was able to swim farther out without waves smacking me, so most enjoyable.

All props to God for creating the wonderful ocean and its creatures.