Sorry, crab! MY BAD

I don't know if you know Angela Johnson, the comic. She's a hoot!

Anyway, she has a bit where her aunty accidentally runs over a dog. (Yes, I know it is hard to think of this as funny, but...) The aunty says "Soddy dog!" 

I say all this because I accidentally brought a tiny hermit crab home today. I only found it when I put the shells and operculum in bleach and it ran up the side of the little cup! EEK. I immediately put it into fresh water, thinking that was at least better than water. Then it went outside. MY BAD! And here's how one knows I'm a photographer: I thought: I should have taken a photo of it! I do try not to kill the wildlife.

I am currently listening to an album while I'm writing this post: Buffy Sainte-Marie!!! I listened to her (and sang along) when I was growing up. So powerful. Anyway, she's still singing and recording. Such an amazing artist. If you don't already know her music, check her out on youtube.

So the octopus was back today: YAY. 

Skybox view 

 Peeking at me

 It popped up when I went away; sneaked back and took this photo. The eye has small white lines radiating out from it....just below the red rock.

Very happy to spot this one. It is now a regular, but didn't appear to be home last time I looked.

And there was a snoozing seal on the beach.

I took the one to the right from the water; below, from the beach

This Cornet was about 3 feet long (guessing.) They are super impressive and move really fluidly through the water. Great hunters.

3 Moorish Idols

 Abudefduf bending.

Ambon Puffer showing its lovely colors and dots.

This urchin picked up a shell to put on its back (purple at bottom)

 I have been ignoring this fish, but noticed today how pretty it is. So many patterns and colors.

 This is a bluelined butterfly...NOT a stripey! I have been misrepresenting it. Hate it when that happens!

 Find the eel. Yes, there is one. It's with with spots. Well hidden.

 Female Trunk or box fish

 Male box fish

Years ago (30+), this was the most fabulous fish I would routinely see. Hawaiian name is Palani. The other name is surgeon fish. Really pretty; it has nice color patterns on its skin, which aren't evident here.

 Pencils. Long story short: urchin in the deep side. I wasn't going to go to the deep side, but my vertigo had gone away, so I did. Without any problems. Thank you, God!

Nice bubble shell. It's still there.

 Find the eel. Apparently, octopus are not the only ones that peek at swimmers.

 Another nice tang. And again, it has lovely patterns on its hide.

 I call this one Toupee Urchin. HA.

 The trash, glass, scrunchies, bracelets and shells I brought back home.

 Bluefin Trevally and Christmas Wrasse female. I always enjoy seeing this type of wrasse...it reminds me of the time I cut fishing line off of one. Hope it's still swimming.

 I see these all the time. My bad memory forgets what they are, but they look like a tan tube and the white fronds go out to find food. I think!

Very glad my brief foray into vertigo has gone away. Going without swimming would be bad.....

It happens

I was going to call the post SKUNKED, but trying to be nonchalant about not seeing any octopuses today. I am glad for nice water, 2 scorpion fish and many other of God's wonderful creatures. The octopuses were probably at a conference on Oahu. They never check with me before traveling. Go figure.

Anyway, here's the good stuff: 

2 Pinktail durgons in the same shot. Unusual. They are pretty solitary, at least on Kauai.

 At the bottom: one of those cute 3 spot chromis that hang out near coral heads.

 5 Humu in one picture. Also unusual. We don't get that many groups over here....

 Unless you're talking groups of goat fish.

 Blue spined Unicorn

 Cleaning station with parrot fish and convict tangs.

 Cone shell with the original animal hiding inside.

 And this hiding white mouth moray...that's why you don't put your hand in holes.

 Honu swam by.

 This lizard fish zoomed away shortly afterward.

 Needlefish

Pinktail showing its tail

 And a green plaid cornet fish. I rarely seem them this color

 And until today, I had not noted the Saddle wrasse's purple fin

 Scorp #1

I would have loved to take this shell home, but it had a tenant

 Nice tiny shell

 Spotfin Scorp hiding underneath a rocky overhang

 Stocky hawk fish looking for prey

 Trevally following a snowflake eel

 I don't know that I would put a Cone shell on my back for protection, as this urchin did.

This photo is called Why did I take this photo? Because there's a Scorpion fish just below that red rock. Same fish as in the photo earlier, with the orange fins.

Nice swim. Grateful for what I did see, even if it wasn't an octopus!

Trios

Today's swim was full of trios: 3 octopus and 3 scorpion fish. Yes!
I nearly put my hand down on the first scorpion fish:

I was picking up an operculum and this nice Scorpion Fish inched a little bit to move further away when I dove down. I thought that was quite nice and am thankful it didn't take offense at me! I know to be more careful, but still have a ways to go, apparently.

 This was octopus #1, out in the deeper water. I LOVE being out there, as there's more room to move and the likelihood of seeing bigger fish is greater. Of course, I do not want to see the really big fish, so I pray for protection. The octopus above turned brown when I dove down; the following picture is what I first saw, with regular coloration.

The octopus has 2 circles over its eyes. This one was slowly hunting, move its tentacles into the coral to see if there were any exciting things to eat.

 It also "peeked" at me. It's in the exact center of the photo...just the eye and the radiating white lines emanating from the eye.

 This one started off with "regular" colors, but changed to the dark brown in the previous photo when it realized I was getting closer.

 The man who swam by with his go-pro didn't even slow down to see what I was taking pix of...ah, the uninitiated!

Scorpion fish #2: the Spotfin Scorpion fish. Somehow, they are not as exciting as the Devil Scorps. Not sure why.

And octopus #3:

 This is the one who wasn't home earlier in the dive...glad it got back in time for a photo shoot.

Completing the trios is Devil Scorp #3. Maybe 10 inches long; I do have a horrible time trying to estimate the size of things underwater. Let's just say I'm glad it had no interest in biting me. Ambush predators, the lot of them. 

 3 Pinktail Durgon in one shot! woo-hoo! In the deep side. So the trio portion of the post is complete; here are the other treats I captured with my camera:

 I think these are crabs with anemone on the back.

 A very nice drupe shell, all alone.

 Sun shining on the clouds and palms. It almost makes one think part of the palm tree was missing.

 Hebrew Cone shell

 A nice Humu with his spike partially up.

 And a juvenile Yellow Tail Coris. I don't know of any other fish that differs so much in coloration from the adult.

 And the required male Trunk or Box fish

 The small bit of pink coral really stood out near the sand-colored rocks.

 Seal on the beach, snoozing. Haven't seen them for a few days, so it was good to know they were back. And that they weren't in the water. I was able to swim freely.

 Sergeant Major fish...in the minor size. 

 Snowflake moray. Probably looking for something to snack on.

 Spanish Dancer nudibranch hanging underneath a bit of rock.

 Trevally and Christmas Wrasse.

 This Trevally was circling an eel. 

As was this one. At Hanauma Bay, I would often see Trevally circling a hiding octopus. Guess which I'd prefer? But a nice swim anyway. The new wetsuit is working out well.