Maui Snorkeling Trips

Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall

The blue trevally is a beautiful animal usually seen in small schools.  In ancient Hawaii, as said in a previous posting, the ulua of many species in the family were substituted for human sacrifice when humans were not available, according to Mary Pukui, the author of the Hawaiian Dictionary.

These fish are predators, eating small fish, crustaceans and mollusks they find in lagoons, near shore, off sandy shallows, and in deeper waters as well.  They can grow to 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) and weigh up to 8,000 g (17.5 pounds approx.).  This fish is, and always has been, an important food fish, but recently there have been reports of ciguatera, making the meat questionable.  For local fishermen, including the ones this author has interviewed, many carry ciguatera testing kits to use just to be safe.

Just what is ciguatera?  Since we’ve been asked to add this information in a posting, I will take the time now.  It has an interesting origin.  According to Wikipedia the illness was named and identified in the early 1800s in Cuba.  According to local folklore, an Englishman on the Isla de Piños caught and consumed a barracuda, after which he became very ill.  When asked about it he claimed he had “eaten a fish from the seawater”.  The word ‘ciguatera’ came from the translation of the word ’seawater’ in Spanish.  Captain Cook also mentions the illness when in New Caledonia.  In northern Australia where this illness frequently pops up, it is said that if you were to place a contaminated piece of fish out and flies won’t land on it, then you know.  Although this is interesting, there is no scientific research to back this claim.  After eating a contaminated fish research shows the patient will have flu-like symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches, hallucinations, and in some, a burning sensation when coming in contact with cold.  This illness can be transferred through breast milk to an infant.  The symptoms can last from weeks to over 20 years.  Even after getting better, experts say the symptoms can reoccur triggered by consuming nuts, alcohol, chicken, fish, eggs, or even by coming into contact with bleach.  According to science, currently there is no effective treatment, or cure, for ciguatera.  All doctors can do is help with treating the symptoms, such as vitamins for fatigue, saline for dehydration, and steroids have also been used.  

Ciguatera is reported from eating of tropical fish only, the Caribbean and Pacific oceans having the most reported cases.  Some researchers believe this stems from smaller reef fish eating chemically laden algae, thereby transferring these toxins to larger fish who preyed on the reef animals.  There is much research being done and perhaps we will have more conclusive answers in the near future.  If you are worried about consuming a toxic fish, please go to www.http://fishbase.org and look up the type of fish you enjoy most.  This website is wonderful and has up to date information.

Snorkeling in Hawaiian waters is a very enjoyable experience, and the chance of seeing blue trevallys is very good.  The smaller schools travel reefs frequently, scoping out their next dinner plan.  Ready?  Let’s go!  The water temperature around Hawaii right now is abou 76 - 78 degrees.  It’s a bathtub.  The biggest one on the planet!

Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall

So the title of this posting probably grabbed your attention.  What?  Snakes in Hawaii?  We do not have sea snakes here, and there is a very small, blind ground snake that one rarely sees, but the beautiful snake eel does tend to get a visitor’s attention if seen by a snorkeler or diver.

The Hawaiians named this animal puhi pule, although many just say puhi, a name now used generically for eel.  Eels were considered ‘amaukua (family god) by many.

This little eel grows to a mere 101 centimeters (39.5 inches approx) and are bottom dwellers most of the time.  According to Dr. Randall, the teeth of this eel are conical and sharp, which means it is a fish, octopus, or other fleshy animal eater, but predators will take whatever presents itself available!

Will the average snorkeler see this cute eel that looks like a snake while out there?  Absolutely, if they are alert!  The experts say this eel is prevalent in Maui and O’ahu waters.  This author has seen them nearly completely buried with just a little head sticking up from the sandy or muddy sea floor.  They will quickly disappear if you approach too closely, though.  Remember, bring a camera, no sunscreen (tshirts/rashguards are better for the environment), try not to thrash around and put yourself into ’stealth’ mode.  Let’s go snorkel!

Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall

Although Hawaii does not have the deadly stonefish, we do have this little endemic cutie, the turkeyfish.  Ancient Hawaiians called this one nohu pinao.  The word pinao means blurred vision, and nohu is the Tahitian name for the deadly stonefish.  It is possible the ancient travelers, not finding the stonefish here, used the same name for the others in the scorpion family.  Blurred vision could possibly be what one experiences as one of the side effects after having contact with this interesting predator.

The turkeyfish is not to be confused with the lionfish.  Although both are in the scorpionfish family, they are two distinctly different species.  The venom is in the dorsal and pectoral spines.  Turkeyfish are late afternoon, or nighttime predators.  Their favorite foods are crustaceans and smaller fish, which they ambush and take in with lightening speed.  The maximum size for these beautiful animals is 22 centimeters (8.5 inches approx.).  There are animals who eat these venomous fish.  Other scorpionfish have been observed taking them in and eels have also be seen dragging a scorpionfish around.  Tiger sharks have also been witnessed eating members of the scorpionfish family.

Divers are fully aware to be extremely cautious of hand placement on the reefs or rocky ledges, but scorpionfish can also inhabit lagoons and are ingenious at hiding and camoflague.

Snorkeling in Hawaii is truly amazing.  Interesting fish await around each coral community, and they do people watch!  Come and join us!

Photo Courtesy B. Small/Birds.Cornell.edu

The ancient Hawaiians called this beautiful bird koa`e kea, (kea means white in Hawaiian).  The long tail tropicbird is breathtaking to watch in flight as it may plummet down to the ocean to retrieve a fish or squid at any time.

This bird was used for featherwork in ancient times, and the product of the featherwork was used to adorn the ali’i, or chiefs (chieftess) of the villages.

Watching this bird in flight is really amazing and this author has not heard the birds emit any sounds, but researchers say their call is a rasping scream.  They are usually seen as solitary travelers, but on Kaua’i there are many that live on the cliffs.  They are also seen off the Big Island soaring in Kilauea crater.  They lay a single egg in nests built in rock crevasses on cliff faces, which makes studying the mating habits there nearly impossible.  Breeding is from March to October.

Snorkeling in Hawaii allows marine life lovers to get out on the water and explore everything the Pacific has to offer, including sea birds.  When coming to Maui, please take time to get out there.  You won’t know what is awaiting you until you do!

Photo Courtesy R. Patzner, fishbase.org

With Halloween fast approaching today’s posting is on a most unusual fish, the half-naked hatchetfish.  In keeping with the theme of weirdness, this creepy little fish comes from the depths around the Hawaiian Islands, but the species is also seen elsewhere in the world.  According to Dr. Randall these fish are in all oceans of the world in the subtropics and tropic seas.  He also notes that the adults make marked vertical migrations, that is, rise from the depths and travel quite deep.  The hatchetfish feed primarily on copepods and small fish.  These fish are also sexually dimorphic, that is, females are slightly larger than the males.

The average snorkeler and diver probably will not get even a glimpse of this highly unusual half-naked hatchetfish who enjoy depths of 150 to 2400 meters (492 - 7874 feet)!   But isn’t it fun to know these wonderfully bizarre fish exist out there?  Bookmark, or subscribe to this blog site and check back for more postings this week on the weird, and wonderfully unusual marine life around the Hawaiian Islands.  Happy Halloween!

Photo Courtesy P. Asman, fishbase.org

The ancient Hawaiians called this fish kîkâkapu (kapu means forbidden).  In those times this fish was considered sacred and is mentioned in many chants.  No one was allowed to catch, eat, or have anything to do with this cute and special butterflyfish.

They are usually in pairs, says Dr. Randall, and they may mate for life.  Their beautiful yellow and black color patterns are quite vivid.  The largest they are known to grow to is about 7.8 inches.  They feed on hard and soft corals, but also eat worms, crustaceans, and algae.  The juveniles are identical to the adults.  The butterfly family is important to the aquarium and collector’s industries making them very vulnerable to being decimated from our oceans.  Most naturalists and biologists feel these and others should be protected from aquarium trade.

Will the average snorkeler and diver be able to find these adorable animals?  Absolutely!  Sometimes they are seen in huge schools while providing an excellent splash of color on the reefs.   Most butterflyfish can be found in quite shallow areas and as deep as 197 feet, according to Dr. Randall.  One of the great things about seeing these cute fish that I love is they will have you smiling!

Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall

Oh, my, isn’t this the cutest fish ever?  Growing to a mere 2.8 inches at the most, the little blenny is adorable!  There are over 300 species of these small and agile bottom-dwelling fishes.

The ancient Hawaiians called them pâo’o, and were fully aware of their ability to skip from rock to rock, and were discussed extensively in some legends.  They also were considered ‘aumâkua, or family god, by some.

Dr. Randall says there is one subspecies from Hawaii and Samoa to Nicobar Islands, and another from Australia.  They are also observed in brackish water and very shallow tidepools.  It is known by experts that these little ones do not have scales and many have cirri, or small tentacles, on their heads.  Most researchers call blennies rockskippers.  These fish like to take refuge by backing into holes in the reef.  The fangblennies (Plagiotremus) are known to make a quick attack on other fishes to remove skin tissue and mucus, which they do with small incisiform teeth.  Fangblennies have also been known to attack divers, but since they are so small they cannot cause any damage.  Two species have a pair of curved, enormous canine teeth, which are located at the front of their lower jaw.  Researchers tell us that not too many other types of fish eat blennies and they are still quite plentiful.  It is always nice to know of any species doing very well.

When they reproduce, they lay demersal eggs and the male is the one who guards.  How much cuteness can we stand?  Will the snorkeler in Hawaii see a blenny?  The chances are really good that an observant snorkeler, or diver, will see and maybe even photograph this cute, under 3 inch fish.  Bring your camera, and let’s go.  I’m ready when you are! 

Photo Courtesy, Dr. Jack Randall/unknown

Dr. Randall says he has not yet seen a giant grouper (Ephinephelus lanceolatus) in Hawaiian waters and determines them to be extremely rare.  The many conversations this author has had with local fishermen amounts to about the same information.  The giant grouper, or Lance, as they are lovingly known by naturalists and scientists, have been hunted and fished to greatly reduced numbers.

These fish commence life as females, later changing to males as is necessary, and they are predators.  Not a very fast animal, but a stealthy one who stalks and can take in a fish nearly as large as themselves.  They also have a taste for crustaceans.  Researchers tell us they can grow to a whopping 8 feet plus, and may weigh more than two hundred pounds.  Sexual maturity for the giant grouper is at 3.5 feet in length, which means these fish are usually caught before they have a chance to reproduce.  They are listed as an endangered species on the national IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/7858) 

Would the average snorkeler or diver see a giant grouper?  Probably not, but there is always the possibility of seeing something that amazes.  What are you waiting for?  Grab a towel, camera, and high expectations.  Let’s go snorkel!

Photo Courtesy P.Parks/seaway.org/fishbase.org

The ancient Hawaiians called them malolo.  Lolo translated means crazy.  These cute fish were collected and placed in seawater filled gourds and carried out on the water in canoes to be used for live bait.  The word malolo was also used for a fickle person who would leap from mate to mate.

Flying fish do not actually fly.  They get a fast swimming start and leave the water spreading their pectoral fins.  If there is a favorable breeze they can sail for quite a long way.  A new record was recently documented when a Japanese photographer caught on film a 45 second flight next to a ferry.  It can be found on Youtube.com.

Malolo are beautiful.  Their bodies are dark iridescent blue above and have silvery grey underbellies.  According to research, adults occur near, or at the surface and can be near, or far from shorelines.  They are known to form schools, but can be solitary.  In Hawaii, these fish seem to be close to shore in an almost seasonal pattern, but may travel constantly.  They are preyed upon by swordfish, tuna, jacks and other pelagic fish.  Flying fish eat crustaceans and other planktonic animals.

Will you see flying fish when visiting Maui?  Come out on the water and get your camera ready.  There are always surprises awaiting the boater and snorkeler.  A trip to Molokini can’t promise you flying fish, but it can promise you fun!

Photos Courtesy Fishbase.org/Dr. Jack Randall/Zimmermann

The ancient Hawaiians called this fish Nohu `Omakaha.  With a face that only a mother devil scorpionfish could love, this fish was considered edible, although this author has not been able to find any local people who catch and eat this fish today.  The Hawaiians also say ho’o nohu for scowl, or frown, and I couldn’t agree more!  This fish does look like they have a bad attitude!  But, they are a very formidable fish if you don’t know what you are doing!  They have a series of dorsal spines (11 to 14) that are packed with a wallop!  In studying one species (Plumerieri), scientists discovered that the venom causes a decrease in blood pressure, and respiratory and cardiac frequency.  Infections will follow and some wounds could take many months to heal.  (Science Direct - Elsevier)

The devil scorpionfish seen in Hawaiian waters does not have that intense of a venom, however it can inflict a very painful wound if stepped on or handled.  Hawaiian waters do not have the very deadly stonefish, which can be found in the South Pacific reefs.  It is said the venom of that species is similar to a cobra, and death could follow within one hour of  human  contact with that fish.  There are other relatives, which we will discuss in a future posting.

Does anything eat a scorpionfish?  The devil scorpionfish (called ‘false’ scorpionfish by scientists) feed mainly on small fish and crustaceans they ambush, usually at dusk, or night, and may be eaten by sharks, moray eels and stingrays.  Click HERE for a video!  The scorpionfish is an ambush predator and may been seen half buried in sandy bottoms.  This fish can grow to one foot long and, although not easy to spot, can be commonly seen in most reefs.

If you are planning on a snorkeling trip while in Hawaii, keep a watchful eye out for this predator.  If it becomes alarmed, the rainbow color pattern behind the pectoral fins is breathtaking!