Another great snorkel!

In order to help reduce my carbon footprint, I am driving less. That means, to go to our "major" town, Lihue, I have to have at least 3 reasons to go.

So this week, that meant doctor's appointment, grocery shopping/Costco visit and of course, the most fun: snorkeling!

I was able to see 2 octopuses, 3 moray eels, 1 flounder and 1 Honu (turtle) swimming right past me! There were also 2 Monk Seals on the beach, including one little one. What a treat. I mention them all here, as some of the pix were not ideal.

You can just barely see the octopus: look for the white rock. Then look down to the brown line. That is the octopus, hiding under a rocky overhang! I had to laugh in my mask, too: when it saw me, it was about the ocean floor. Then it quickly hunkered down so it wouldn't be as visible. Had I been just that one second quicker, you would have been able to see the octopus' head.

I probably shouldn't give away my clues, but look for a little hole under a rock, with rocks gathered around the outside. The octopuses move the rocks in order to disguise where they are hiding.

You can see a bit of octo-body, below the white rock. But still hiding. I kept thinking if I moved a bit away and behind the hidey-hole, that it would think I was gone and re-emerge. But it didn't. Smart little guys.

The first moray eel

Brightly colored wrasse.

Another octopus hiding, but not easy to see.

Pink coral. (You probably already know this, but when snorkeling it's a bad idea to pick coral. It is hard to keep the reef protected.)

Eel #2

Beige coral

Snowflake moray

Finally, a decent shot of the Raccoon Butterfly fish.

A cute little Trunk fish.

Here's another Trunk Fish...the males are blue with orange dots. This is the female.

Another snowflake moray eel. 

Trevally (blue, on the right)

Threadfin Butterfly

Orange shoulder Tang

More pink coral

A Honu swam by, apparently not bothered by me.

The cutest Blenny, hiding in a hole in the rock.

Green coral

Another octopus hiding.

Flounder. Look closely, it is almost the same color as the bottom. It is in the middle of the photo.

It moved to the top of a rock. Look for the jutting round eyes at the top of the shot.

This is a somewhat better photo: the 2 eyes again near the top of the shot, but lite brown. (There's a short video on youtube...look for octopigirl7)

Saddle wrasse

Trunk fish again

The body of the Snowflake. (It was still alive, of course, just bendy.)

4 spot butterfly. The other 2 spots are on the other side. ha

Cornet fish. About 3 feet long, at a guess.

I like to watch the trevally, because if they are circling, there's something that is hiding from them.

Could have been an octopus in that hole, but didn't ever see one.

I always find these plastic things, but never have deduced what they are for. Always very glad to get in the water. Thanks, God! And the doctor appointment went well, too: 5 years cancer free!

One of the few times I didn't want to see another octopus!

Whenever there's a spear fisherman in the water, I am much more careful about what I look for!

I had prayed on the way to the pond that I would see octopuses, but also that I wouldn't see any killed. I would really hate that! So as always, God is good. I saw a place a few yards from the spearman that looked like it should have an octopus, but didn't see it.  And I kinda hoped I wouldn't because I didn't want them to find it too.

But I did see 3 octopuses before the fisherman got in the water:

He'e #1 was peeking up from the depths.

 He'e two and three were in holes near the beach. Again, a good reason not to walk around on the rocks. I would hate for them to get stomped on!

 Two snoozing seals...both photos taken while I was in the water. I love that one was sleeping on its back.

 Three Bluefin Trevally having a parade...

Five Rock Mover wrasse.  And before you tell me that the top one isn't a rock mover, I know that! There are five because the "one" at the bottom is actually "two."

Big ole eel hiding in the rocky depths.

 Nice Brighteye Chromis and below, the damsel fish that guards the coral.

Cornet Fish with a rainbow eye.

 Flea bite cone.

 This hawk fish came out of the hole where an octopus used to live. Not sure what happened to the octopus, but I've looked several times and it doesn't seem to be ever home....I'm working to remain optimistic here!

 Look hard for the leaf fish. This one isn't as easily seen.

Cute little female trunk fish above and a male below.

 Nice blue parrot fish.

 Couldn't catch a great shot of this nudibranch, but I thought it was cute that you can see the front and the behind, as it went into a little tunnel in the rocks.

My latest find: sunglasses! Sadly, I think they'd been about 15 feet below for a while, as the lenses were scratched up. You'll see I am ready for another trip to la belle France!

Pencil Urchin and saddle wrasse

 Head of a Snowflake Moray eel.

Different eel, curling around trying to find a place to hide..

 The wounded Rock Mover lived through another day.

 Yellow Phase Cigar Wrasse. 

The Zebra Moray eel below was hiding in the rocks too, not too far from the other eel pictured above.

Nice end to the weekend of snorkeling. I am off work tomorrow, too, but it's for medical reasons...visits with two docs. Please pray for me that all goes well. And thanks!