July 8, 2025: “Hey, give us a couple minutes,” the free diving instructor called over from his yellow kayak. “We just shot the fish you guys like.” And by “like” he didn’t mean the-kind-of-fish-you-like-to-eat. He was referring to a particular individual fish – a longfin batfish – that the Maui dive community had ‘liked’ for over two decades. We knew …
In Hawai‘i we have a funny name for one of our largest crabs – it’s called a Seven-Eleven crab. Unrelated to the eponymus convenience store, the name comes instead from the number of spots – and their location – on the crab’s carapace (shell). If you look at the crab from the top-front (as in the photo above) it appears …
During a few days in summer Maui is abuzz with people near the ocean asking “Can you smell that? What is it?” or asking on social media “Does anyone know what that smell is in the air?” Many people assume it is just the normal scent of the ocean. Others think there has been some kind of chemical sprayed nearby. …
During WWII 200,000 soldiers, marines and sailors participated in various training exercises on Maui before heading into combat in the Pacific. At the time they outnumbered Maui residents 4:1 and were an impactful presence on the island. One of the main exercises was rehearsing amphibious assaults. In this photo from that era the Wailea and Makena coastline can be seen …
Divers have so many questions about the other-worldly things we see underwater, but “How long can a Triton’s trumpet live without eating?” was a question that I had never asked myself. A few days ago, however, we were given an “at least this long” answer without even asking. The Triton’s trumpet (Charonia tritonis) is one of the largest sea snails …
Last August we reported the first verified sighting of Red-footed boobies at Molokini. During the 20 years prior to that the only large seabirds that we had seen roosting on Molokini were Great frigatebirds, so it was very exciting to see the Redfoots. They stayed for about two weeks and then were gone. The frigatebirds too left for the winter. …
Molokini Marine Life Conservation District has been a protected sanctuary for marine life for over 43 years. It is open to anyone lucky enough to have a boat or kayak or outrigger canoe. No anchoring is allowed. A permit is required to operate a commercial vessel there. And all visitors, snorkelers, and divers must read and sign a 300-word acknowledgment …
If not for automobiles, a popular artificial reef in waters off of Kihei, Maui would not exist. If you’ve been to the Keawakapu artificial reef, you know that this site is made up of about 2,000 automobile tire modules. These modules were constructed by putting 8 tires next to each other on edge and setting them in a concrete base. …
With only TWO sightings of a Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) ever previously recorded in Hawai‘i, last week’s sighting off of Makena, Maui makes it one of the rarest fish a diver could see here. Experienced Maui dive guide Dave Fuller was diving on a WWII amphibious tank in 60 feet of water on Dec. 7, 2019 when something he’d never …
The beautiful coral-red feet and legs were tricky to see from the boat, but through the camera lens we could make them out. Our captain, Andy Schwanke, had spotted a group of large white birds perched on a shrub on the inner slope of Molokini about a hundred feet above sea level. They were Red-footed boobies (Sula sula) and they …
