This past weekend I went snorkeling on the east side and found a peculiar creature that I’ve never seen before. Turns out it’s actually a type of zoanthid, Palythoa caesia. Zoanthids are cnidarians and consist of colonies of individual polyps. The polyps in this picture were closed, which they usually are in areas of high […]
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Archive | February, 2011
Spotlight on Sea Chubs a.k.a. Rudderfish
February 23, 2011 
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During a REEF fish survey last weekend, I encountered a school of large chubs next to the jetty. The chubs were fascinating to watch as a few of the individuals would flash spots and others would brush against the sand with one side of their body. In the pictures below, I believe several of the […]
Continue reading2 more benthic surveys left!
February 22, 2011 0 Comments
Time has flown by and we only need to complete 2 more benthic habitat surveys. Tomorrow, Cassidy and I are going to head down to Queen’s beach at 9am. We hope to finish both surveys, meaning we will most likely be out of the water by 12. If you want to come join us, please […]
Continue readingMarine Invertebrate of the Week: Crust Coral
February 16, 2011 0 Comments
Crust coral, Leptastrea purpurea, are cnidarians in the family Faviidae. We are lucky to have seen this coral in Waikiki because it is actually very rare in the main Hawaiian Islands. In the picture, you can see the large corallites connected together by smooth, white tissue. A corallite is comprised of the coral polyp and […]
Continue readingeel and goby and puffer, oh my!
February 12, 2011 1 Comment
These were taken today on the Ewa side of the MLCD. The stout moray had interesting red blotches in its mouth. Wonder if it was just pau lunch? Anyone know what the goby is? And the puffer … Whitespotted puffer? No. Green Blotched puffer? No. Big-dark-circles-at-pectoral-fins puffer? No. Stripebelly puffer? Who da thunk?
Continue readingMarine Invertebrate of the Week: Mantis Shrimp
February 11, 2011 4 Comments
During the survey on Wednesday morning, I noticed a Mantis shrimp hanging out right next to the transect line. I quickly snapped a picture before the shrimp darted into a hole. Mantis shrimp, also know as stomatopods, are crustaceans. They have modified forearms that are shaped like stout clubs or serrated swords, which they keep […]
Continue readingThree More Educational Slideshows
February 10, 2011 1 Comment
We’ve posted three more slideshows about fishes in the Fish Watch page! You can find them there, or click on an image below. If you want to learn more about how to identify the common fish families that you may see in Waikīkī, click on the Intro to Hawaiian Fish Families slideshow. The Swimming […]
Continue readingBenthic Survey and Beach Table
February 9, 2011 0 Comments
Today we unloaded our gear at the beach near Queen’s Beach and set up our beach table. We had 25 visitors today! It’s exciting to be able to educate people right on the beach! Heather and I also conducted a benthic survey on the Diamond Head side of the MLCD. The random point that we […]
Continue readingFeb. 8th Benthic Survey Cancelled
February 8, 2011 0 Comments
Aloha all – we only had one person signed-up to help and have decided to cancel today’s benthic habitat survey. If you are interested to assist with future surveys, be sure to RSVP in advance. Mahalo!
Continue readingSurvey Today at 1:00pm
February 8, 2011 0 Comments
We just wanted to clarify some confusion about the timing for today’s benthic habitat survey. If you are planning to join us, it’s scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (not this morning). Mahalo!
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Reef Watch Waikīkī 