A surprise day in the water

For those of you who read my posts regularly (and thank you!), you may wonder why a Saturday swim is a surprise. Well, it's because yesterday we had flood warnings until 9 pm last night. Eek. That can mean flooding in the water, brown water, funky waves, etc. But thank God all was well. I saw 5 octopuses and 2 scorpion fish (or as my husband calls them Scorple Dorple....ha)

 #1 refused to show its face. But it did darken when I dove down to peek inside its den, so I was sure it was there.

 Again, now a great visual, but isn't it cute how #2 puts rocks outside its den?

 #3 showing eye and siphon

 #4 next to wana. Try to delete the sand in the water when you look at it....

#5 showing the eye

 If it hadn't moved, I would probably never have spotted this Devil Scorpion Fish! See the orange and yellow on its fin. The body is above.

Great camouflage right? You can spot the scalloped fins first. In the one above, the eye is above the lower fin.

 I'm surprised more people don't step on these guys.

Just in time for Hallowe'en, the orange and yellow of the fins.

 In the one below, you can see a slightly agape mouth and eye.

 Without that yellow and orange, they totally disappear.

Brighteye Chromis twins...maybe

 Big Eye Emperor! I'll bet this one was maybe a foot long, including the tail. This is the 2nd day I have seen it. I'm more accustomed to seeing the smaller ones.

 Male Trunk or Box fish tried to escape my lens. HA!

I think it's the juvenile of the Lei Trigger. 

 Morning Clouds

Palm tree for Alex!

 Big old red parrot fish getting a cleaning.

Pencil Urchins

 Rock Mover Wrasse

 Snoozing seal

 Snowflake Moray.  I wonder if it thinks we can't see it, since the head is hidden?

Road trip for two tobies.

 A bit of an urchin (purple) and the sand. So filled with lots of stuff!

 Wana. Anal sac is in the middle.

A seal wiggling up on the beach.

Yellow Tail Coris. All the colors and patterns still amaze me. (This is the adult of the red juvenile that has white spots.)
So happy I was able to get wet today. 

Deep side extravaganza

3 octopuses in the deep side again. And none in the shallow Keiki Pond. What's up with that?!

Octopus #1 was at first hiding really well, but I swam off and came back later and it was out:

Nice to see this one again. 

Don't tell anyone that hunts/eats octopuses, but they put rocks outside their dens.

Octopus #2:

 The Rock Mover wrasse was hassling this octopus and it fled. 

 And then landed on a rock just down from some weed.

 And then went underneath a rock.  It was the deep side, so I wasn't able to get down close. But the octopus turned dark anyway. Probably a comment on the wrasse, not me. (Hoping)

Octopus #3:

 It's to the right of the red rock. Small one and well hidden, clinging to the rock. You can see the white around its eyes.

Nice visuals of the he'e. I always appreciate seeing even one.

 3 Honu were clumped together on the beach. Another one was away from the group; apparently more standoffish than the others.

Abudefduf cruising around.

 And an Ambon Puffer! I see them all the time, but usually can't catch the pretty blue fin below, on its underside.

Blue spined Unicorn fish in a group...

 And a Rock Mover Wrasse hunting for breakfast with 2 goat fish.

 Christmas Wrasse male. I just love their colors and patterns.

Clouds were wispy.

 Cone shell as I first saw it....

and when I carefully turned it over by the fat end. This one had its animal still in it.

 The juvenile Barred Filefish again! Love the dots, although they at first reminded me of measles...

The sock monkey eyes are the same as the adult's.

Indo Pacific Damsel

 Lined wrasse. Note how the eye is concealed in the bottom line of color. Look on the left.

 Needlefish

Peacock Grouper showing my favorite blue.

 And again. I love how it appears as though the fish is balancing on its nose. Which of course it wasn't.

 Pencil Urchins

 Pinktail and Indo-Pacific Damsel

 Pinktail and Saddle wrasse. Look at those teeth.

 This Snowflake Moray wound itself around a rock, near that big Cone shell.

 I always laugh in my snorkel when I see these tiny Humu. They always watch me and dive into a nearby hole if I get too close.

 Note its raised spike on its head.

And a little extra light on its eye.

 Trevally cruising for breakfast.

And that's the haps from today. I wonder what I'll be seeing when we move to Oahu? Hanauma Bay, that's what! Thanks for reading. (I do miss that frogfish!)