Hard to believe, but I spent over an hour in the deep side and found NO octopuses. Nada. Rien. Arggh. But since you can see the pix below, I should add that I did eventually see 5 octopuses! Oh yeah. Oui! Si. Whee. (Sorry..got carried away..) I saw them on the Kiddie, shallower, side. An Andrea Bocelli aside: his new album SI is great. Check it out.
I have discovered a way to keep track of which octopus is which....I will post all of #1 and then move on to #2, etc. Sound good?
He'e 1 above was the "regular" color. Below, the octopus has darkened, to me indicating that it was getting mad at me.
I like it when they have an identifying rock or something so you can figure out which octopus you're seeing. None of them got out of the den and danced, but I'm happy with the sightings. I tell God that even one octopus is a great day, but of course more is better. LOL
Octopus #2
You're right, it IS hard to tell that they are in there...
This one, #3, had an identifying urchin..And isn't it incredible how different they look with the color change? Also, note that the darker #3's skin is smooth. They can do that, too.
Same octopus a second later.
Note the little siphon...it makes it easier to tell the size of the octopus. This was a young one.
He'e #4
This was a small one on top of a rock. It has learned how to hide...see above..
My pal has suggested that I draw a line around the octopus in the photo, so as to make them easier to spot. Where's the fun in that? The one below is the same as the two photos above. This one is just left of center in the photo. Look for the slight white suckers..
Octopus #5
I think this is the same octopus I saw the other day...showed a lot of siphon and suckers. It was in a den that I remembered. With God's help. (I asked Him to help me find it again. I'm constantly surprised how tough it is to locate the same den on different days. Especially since there's usually at least one non-swim day between. Rocks and all move with waves and tides, too, so a rock on top of an octo-den on one day might not be in the same location on the following swim day. )
The octopus is to the right of the red rock.
These suckers are rather like headlights. Note the pretty aqua color in the one above....I am guessing and could easily be wrong, that this octopus could be either guarding eggs or about to have them...I don't think it has moved. They don't eat once they lay eggs on the surface of a den or cave and then after the young hatch, they die. The female blows water over the eggs to keep them clean. A sad sea story. Of course, I can't get in there to see if there are eggs. It would be great to be there when they hatch. Whoopee that would make my day.
I call this one below is "He'e Who Knows?" because I think it's one I already saw....visited it again. It is incredible how they will put a rock or two in the entry to the den, to disguise the den from possible predators.
And that ends the octo-snooping results. I did see other things, though. Astonishing isn't it?!
For example, a nice Hebrew Cone and Saddle Wrasse.
Can you see the Honu? This little one swam past me in the deeper side, in the first half of the day.
Rock Mover Wrasse juvenile with a crab in its mouth. The fish bashed the crab against the rocks nearby, in an apparent attempt to open it. Until this photo, I wasn't aware what they eat. I should have known, though, as they dart under rocks to get to their food. And that is where crabs hide sometimes.
Trunk or Box fish. The first is the little cute one.
Two different males...note the pattern: they are usually going AWAY from the big snorkeler. I don't know of humans eating them, and they do have a toxin I'm told, but they are skittish in any case. With that box of bone inside, I don't know how comfortable it would be to eat one, if a moray eel were the predator.
Needle Fish, lower in the water than usual.
I see quite a few orange rocks. And no, I don't have a geology book, so I don't know what makes it orange. Anyway, you know I am not the best person to i.d. things, anyway. ha.
Pencil urchins hiding better than usual between two rocks.
Pinktail Durgon...the first semi-decent snap in a while. You can usually see them out in the deeper part near the surf break. I guess they like the chop. But the water, tending into the winter season now, had less surf, so I was able to go further out without getting smashed.
Snap of seal sleeping on the island, taken from the water.
This one was taken from the water too. They look so peaceful.
Snowflake Moray eel, hiding.
Spotfin Scorpion Fish. The eye looks like an olive, near the center of the photo.
Here's the eye closer up. This fish was really trying to hide under a coral overhang. Now that you know what it looks like, you can look again at the photo above to spot the eye more easily.
Some of the clouds and palms. I think it's really pretty with the big clouds and then the smaller ones just above the water, all in a line.
No one was picknicking this early. Did you know that in Hawaiian culture, it's not cool to sit on top of a picnic table? It's the contrast between the okole (butt) and a place where one eats. Just not done. Same is true of shoes on top of the table.
The stuff I brought home. Yes, I pick up glass and empty shells, fishing lead and operculum, as well as paper trash. It is surprising how much junk is in the water. Not sure if people are just lazy to throw things in the trash receptacles, or if stuff comes off boats or blows into the water. Somehow, a bottle neck had been tossed into the water. One of the reasons I wear gloves. The other reason is that I wear a silver Cross ring...barracuda are attracted to shiny stuff, I'm told. I haven't seen any barracuda for quite a while, but I'm conscious that I'm usually focused on the bottom, and not the mid-water where I have seen them. In any case, I don't want a barracuda to take any interest in me.
Eels plentiful, as usual. Just another reason not to put your hand into holes. I have heard, and seen it on a few eels, that they have teeth that lean back, i.e., are pointed back, in their mouths. So when you get bitten and try to pull your hand away, the skin rips. Have I cautioned you enough yet?!
whitemouth moray
These wrasses are quite prevalent and pretty.
Not a great photo of the Devil Scorpion Fish, but you can see the yellow and orange of the fin on its right side. It went under a rock, as it is an ambush predator, so I didn't get a better shot.
It was quite unusual to see a crab carcass near the surface...perhaps air was left inside the body.
The cone shell below was what I saw at first. Above is after I carefully turned it over..original owner inside! I think and please don't quote me, that it's a Zoned Cone.
And this is a Flea Bite cone.
If you ever see a shell like this, beware! The thick end is the ONLY area to pick them up by, as the smaller end has the mouth that has venom.
What started out as a slow-octo-day turned out great. I'm thankful for all the sightings and the safe dive.
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