Maui Snorkeling Trips

Map Courtesy Fishbase.org/Photo Courtesy Diver.net

In ancient Hawaii, these fish were called ono, not to be confused with the word ‘ono, a word meaning delicious, tasty, savory, to relish or crave, etc.  These words are NOT the same, but are used so in Hawaii.  Just another confusion, which is understandable knowing all the many cultures that now make up the Hawaiian Islands population.  These fish were very important as a food source and were eaten raw, salted and dried, cooked over an open fire, or wrapped in leaves and steamed.  The above map shows their global territory.

Known as a hard fighting gamefish, they became named ‘wahoo’ in Mexico waters because they were considered to be the most fun to bring in.  They grow to an amazing 250 cm (8.2 feet) and can weigh up to 83 kilograms (183 pounds) - published weight, although I have talked with local fishermen who swear to larger and heavier fish.  This fish of the mackerel/tuna/bonito family has an iridescent bluish-green back and silvery sides with 24 to 30 dark blue vertical bars.  The flesh of this fish is of very good quality ~ or used to be.  Sadly, there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning, which now makes this fish dangerous to consume.

Ono are swift predators who prefer to live solitary or in small schools and are known to be oceanodromous.  Their prey of choice are other fish and squid.  We are all aware of how speedy and maneuverable squid are, placing the speedy ono on the ‘wow’ list.

Snorkeling and diving in Hawaiian waters is always a fabulous choice for residents or visitors alike.  Make sure to put marine life discovery trips on your list of plans!

Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall

The bluestripe herring is an introduced fish, although this author could not find the time line as to when, but apparently this was an accident.  This herring is seen in many areas; (widespread) Indo-West Pacific, Madagascar, Mauritius east to Japan, eastern Australia and Samoa.  No word for herring in the Hawaiian language could be found, but since this fish was not here in those times that is understandable.

According to researchers the herring is very plentiful in Hawaii, which brings a very interesting thought.  For many years humpback whale researchers insist that these whales are not eating when here.  In the North Pacific herring is one of their favorite foods.  Certainly if they came across a large school of these fish, wouldn’t they snack?  You will not ever read in this blog site that humpbacks NEVER eat while in Hawaii.  We understand with wild animals you never say never!

Looking at the above photo and seeing how beautiful and silvery these fish are helps us to understand how their highly reflective bodies can attract the eyes of larger predators like sharks and barracuda.  The herring form schools in mangroves, lagoons, and shallow bays during the day, according to researchers, and at night venture out to deeper pelagic waters where, as a juvenile, they dine on zooplankton and copepods, and adults prefer larger prey like small fish and shrimp.  They grow to 25 centimeters (9.8 inches).

These fish have minor commercial use, except for bait, and are usually seen dried, smoked, or marketed fresh or fresh frozen.  Unfortunately for this species they are very slow to recover from heavy fishing.

Will you see bluestripe herring while snorkeling in Hawaii?  It is possible as they rest in shallows during the daytime.  What an exciting photo opportunity!  Let’s go!

Photo Courtesy Advocacy.britannica.com

A new report just out on tuna states that all populations worldwide are in great danger of extinction.  A new effort to slow down the fishing of this great fish in the Atlantic has just been blocked.  Quite simply put, these fish are worth more on the plate than they are in the oceans with laws to protect them for future generations.  In Japan a bluefin tuna, which can grow to a whopping 14 feet and 1800 pounds can command up to $60,000 each!

Another sad fact is that tuna now is full of mercury making it unsafe to have in large quantities or with any frequency.  Pregnant women are strongly advised to stay away from this fish.  It is also well known that the methods of catching tuna are also diminishing the populations of other sea wildlife such as dolphins and sea birds.  As critically endangered fish, we will probably see their extinction in our lifetime.

The best way to fight this downward spiral is to boycott tuna altogether.  Stop buying canned, fresh, or frozen tuna - all types.  According to the list bluefin, albacore, skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye are all in danger.  I believe that about covers all we eat in this family.  Please do your homework.  Read:  http://www.advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/bluefin-tuna-mam

Also, please read: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthcomment/charlesclover/3531575/Bluefin-tuna—magnificent-fish-too-valuable-to-save.html

Tuna are predators that eat small schooling fish, crabs, and squid.  Snorkeling in Hawaii is something that can become very addicting, but also very educational.  You may see small tuna in the reefs doing a fair share of people watching.  I’m ready when you are!

Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall

In ancient Hawaii, and even now, these fish were an important food source.  In Hawaiian the achilles tang, a surgeon fish, is called pâku’i'ku’i.  As a reef fish who eats mostly algae, these fish were caught in nets, which were laid and the surface of the water was beaten to drive the fish in the right direction.

If you look closely to the above photo, you can see the horizontal blade at the tip of the orange spot where the tail begins.  These blades are ’scalpel’ sharp, hence the family name of surgeon fish.  With this particular species the spine may be venomous.  One way to remember the name of achilles tang is to imagine stepping into orange paint, and using your achilles tendon, place your heel on the base of the fish leaving the round spot.  When these fish are juveniles they do not have this spot, says Dr. Randall.  This species is seen from Baja California to the Mariana Islands.  They prefer the meaty algae, according to researchers, and are also seen in lagoons.

When snorkeling in Hawaiian waters you are sure to see these fish as they are quite plentiful.  Their eyes are truly beautiful.  They have also been observed doing people watching, so make sure to bring your camera!  See you soon.

Photo Courtesy fishbase.org/MPais

Ancient Hawaiian folklore has many stories on the manô, a very powerful god.  There are stories of a manô kanaka, man born from a woman villager who fell in love and had an affair with a shark god.  Many stories tell of sharks leading paddling canoes to and from the Hawaiian Islands to Tahiti, Samoa, and others.  This shark is told sometimes to be the great white, tiger, and the oceanic whitetip.  Another tells of a shark, which would place its head on the canoe side to be fed.  The Hawaiian stories are fabulous, fun, and also historic.  The chants were the only way the Hawaiian people had to keep their history intact.

The oceanic whitetip is a fabulous animal to see in the wild.  Although this author has worked on the water for over 13 years, I have yet to see one in Hawaiian waters, but would welcome the visit.  According to Dr. Randall, this specie grows to 396 centimeters (12.5 feet) and can weigh in at 167.4 kilograms (369 pounds).  They are a robust shark with a huge, rounded 1st dorsal fin and long, wide-tipped pectoral fins, all with a white tip.  Their backs are usually bronze tinted dark gray, sometimes bluish or brown, and their bellies showing the lighter countershading that many marine animals are known for.  As this picture shows, they are usually accompanied by pilot fish or remoras.  One amazing little fact is this specie of shark has been witnessed ’sniffing’ the air above the ocean’s surface seeking out rotting carcasses.  WOW! 

This animal is suspect of many attacks on man and is considered fearless, making it very dangerous.  Jacques Cousteau once said that when filming in the water, if this shark became present all were to leave the water for the safety of the boat.  During the war when downed planes and sinking ships were in the waters of the Pacific, it is believed that this shark was the one most responsible for attacking the men at sea.  The tiger shark was also blamed.  The oceanic is a cosmopolitan shark and is considered to be highly migratory.  This puts this specie in great danger and susceptible to the shark finning industry.  They have very low resilience, says Dr. Randall, and it takes 14 years before sexual maturity.  After being pregnant for over 1 year the mother shark delivers 1 to 15 pups.  There is no way of knowing how many survive.  They are believed to live to about 22 years old.  So, what’s for lunch, if you’re a oceanic?  Quite a variety, says research.  They eat bony fish, stingrays, seabirds, tuna, mahi mahi, squid, sea turtles, mammalian carrion, and garbage.  Unfortunately, there is plenty of garbage dumped into our oceans.

Will we ever get to see one while snorkeling or diving in Maui waters?  Highly unlikely, which saddens me.  A true marine life lover, I welcome any of our unusual marine life, including one of the most important animals in the ecosystem.  So, let’s go out and see what we can find.  I’m always ready for a marine adventure!     

Photo Courtesy fishpix.kahuku.go.jp/Dr. Jack Randall, fishbase.org

Dr. Randall’s site says these cute blunthead pufferfish are endangered.  They are also listed on IUCN list.  Why?  According to the research this could be due to commercial fisheries.  In the Hawaiian Islands pufferfish are rarely, if ever, seen in the market but are commonly seen dead or dying on the beaches where fishermen have been.  I have spoken with fishermen who consider this fish family ‘junk fish’ and when these fish take the bait the fishermen toss them on the beach.  This is very upsetting, to say the least, but if we just calmly use education maybe this atrocity can be turned around.

Ancient Hawaiians were fully aware that eating this fish species could be fatal.  They called them ‘o’opu hue, which means gourd.  Some considered this fish to be ‘aumâkua, or family god.

Snorkeling in Hawaii holds many surprises.  Although one may not be able to find this particular species of puffer there are several other types that are commonly seen.  I love the pufferfish.  They can be very curious and often will tolerate human curiosity very well.  Bring your camera!

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 about 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 fishbase.org, Archambault, C.

The bigeye tuna called ‘ahi, by the Hawaiians, was a very important food source then, and is still.  On the IUCN list, several species are on the brink or being endangered or vulnerable.  The bigeye tuna is on the vulnerable list as of this year.  If you are interested, keep checking back on their website for updates. IUCN CLICK HERE

One of the amazing tidbits about tuna is its speed.  Researchers believe this fish is capable of going up to 60 mph!  Eaten by many ocean going animals gives researchers new meaning to the word ‘awe’ when realizing that the mako, barracuda, jacks and others have to be capable of great bursts of speed if they wish a meal of tuna.

When referring to this fish, one must be careful to not mix the words tuna, and ahi, the Hawaiian word for tuna.  It is either one or the other.  Snorkeling in Hawaiian waters, one could see juvenile tuna nearshore.  The young tuna were called kananâ, (the defiant one).  Getting into the subtropical waters of Hawaii is always an amazing experience and one not to be missed!

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!