Check out these photos from Kahe this past Sunday! I wish I could SCUBA, but my ears won’t let me! These are from my boyfriend:
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Peculiar Looking Organism
October 20, 2011 
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While snorkeling on the Ewa side of the MLCD, in the waters inside the groin (not the outer reef) I spotted this odd looking organism living/growing in a Cauliflower coral. I have never seen anything like this before, so if you have any ideas, please comment! 🙂
Continue reading Sea Cucumber Poop
October 13, 2011 0 Comments
Recently, I was lucky to encounter a rare occurrence in the MLCD. While I have encountered sea cucumber “poop” before, until yesterday I had never actually caught one in the act! Here is a rare photo of a sea cucumber (Actinopyga mauritiana) excreting. Sea cucumbers have an amazing ability to make beaded sand jewelry! Sea cucumbers are detritus […]
Continue readingContortion Artist
September 2, 2011 1 Comment
Can you imagine an octopus crawling inside of a beer bottle? How do they get their bodies to fit into such a tiny opening? Check out this video of an octopus doing just that!
Continue readingInvertebrate of the Week: Helmet Urchin
August 30, 2011 0 Comments
Also known as shingle urchins, or hāʻukeʻuke in Hawaiian, helmet urchins have evolved to resist strong wave action and drying out (which is why they can tolerate being exposed to air). This huge south swell would be no problem for a helmet urchin! Its unique design allows it to stay firmly in place on rocks […]
Continue readingInvert of the Week: Blue Octocoral
August 13, 2011 0 Comments
Blue Octocoral (Sarcothelia edmondsoni) is only found in Hawai’i! It is a type of soft coral, and if you look real closely it resembles snowflakes. Octocoral polyps have eight rays, hence the name. It can be a radiant blue or a dull purple-brown. A great place to see lots of blue octocoral is in the […]
Continue readingLook What the Wind Blew In
June 1, 2011 0 Comments
These wind-blown siphonophores, Portuguese Man-of-War or Physalia physalis, were blown ashore during a recent visit to the North Shore. I collected them and some of their predators in an empty water bottle to observe (and to keep them from stinging beach goers!). Aren’t they beautiful?
Continue readingSea Urchin Breeding
May 2, 2011 0 Comments
Sea urchins are probably some of the most under-appreciated residents of the reef. After all, we are taught to stay away from their sharp, sometimes poisonous, needle-like spines right? Yet, sea urchins are important to the well-being of reef communities. They are herbivores and eat algae and seaweed. On reefs, they keep the amount of algae […]
Continue readingMarine Invertebrate of the Week: Sea Cucumber Crab
April 27, 2011 0 Comments
Lately, Cassidy and I have been finding cool marine invertebrates near the aquarium. During the REEF survey last week, I was surprised to find a little crab sitting on top of a sea cucumber. After doing some research, I discovered this crab is called a Sea Cucumber crab for its symbiotic relationship with sea cucumbers. […]
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Reef Watch Waikīkī 