Welcome! Enjoy my underwater photographs and information

Where am I? Landing on island of Maui... in the Hawaiian islands ... renting a car. Then an easy drive around NE coastal road to community of Napili.

From Napili Surf Resort Maui

Arriving at our comfortable and beautiful accommodations at Napili Surf Resort where rainbows quickly come and go before your very eyes:)

From Napili Surf Resort Maui

Here is a panoramic view of Napili Bay spreading out in front of us with the island of Molokai across the way

From Napili Surf Resort Maui

Looking across Napili Bay from the lava pools to the other side ... this is where I go to snorkel and photograph in clear water

From Napili Surf Resort Maui

Here is that north edge of the bay with a lava wall and clearer water for good snorkeling .

From Napili Surf Resort Maui

I always swim with my husband, Chuck... Important for safety and for noticing different fish.

From Napili Maui Hawaii

The bottom of the bay has old lava and coral that makes a great sea-life habitat

From Napili Maui Hawaii

Like this cozy spot for a resting turtle

From Napili Maui Hawaii

This is a shallow old lava rock bed and is very sharp so I must swim carefully to keep my body from touching... it attracts lots of fish as its pockets hold things fish love to eat

From Napili Maui Hawaii

Corals also grown on the lava and attract the fish ... the fish begin to blend in with where they swim, nest and eat. This fish is a Sailfin Tang

From Napili Maui Hawaii

It can raise its top or dorsal fin ... and extend its anal or bottom fin and look much bigger

From Napili Maui Hawaii

Camouflage: Look at this close up to see the pattern on his nose that matches the coral.

From Napili Maui Hawaii

The pretty pockets of coral that glow on the lava rock are home and a safe haven to many small fish

Shielding them from predator fish

Fish like this Saddle Wrasse will also lay its eggs in these pretty clumps of coral

From Napili Maui Hawaii

Here another Saddle Wrasse is guarding its nesting site

From Napili Maui Hawaii

Meet the "Orangespine Unicorn Tang”

They are plentiful and always on the move here in Napili Bay

These fish are about the size of a large dinner plate

Waving their flag-tipped tail as they make an exit

This is one of my best shots. I captured this fish with its dorsal fin raised. It almost looks like there is a person inside this fish... with its almost human-like face, eyes and distinctive mouth that looks like it has applied lipstick... and some people call it the LIPSTICK fish.

This is the beautiful Hawaiian State Fish... The Humuhumunukunukuapua .... I call it the “Humu “ for short.

It is in the Trigger Fish family with its geometric markings

They grow to a max length of 22”

And I was very happy to see a proliferation of little Humus on the reefs

Now here is another Trigger Fish called the Picasso Fish.

It looks very similar to the Humu and many people mix them up but this fish’s markings look like a paint brush was used to apply .

It looks like the artist, Picasso painted them.

Here is the first of my “Butterfly Fish” examples.

this one is the Ornate Butterfly. They are like jewels darting over the reef.

and the Threadfin Butterfly

These fish often swim in pairs and grow to 5-6 in. There is a market for them in the large salt-water fish tanks business

This pretty fish is called The Fourspot Butterfly

And I was able to photograph a pair of them

From Napili Maui Hawaii

This is the Longnose Butterfly .... aptly named

With its deep yellow orange color it really stands out.

Here is the Raccoon Butterfly

Named for their similar distinctive black eyeband

And lastly the Teardrop Butterfly

From Napili Maui Hawaii

Ops... this pretty fish is a human example!

Fun to capture her air bubbles

Now, SEE this EYE slowly floated close up to my mask and camera lens. This needle fish is very curious about me

... and soon I found myself floating in an amazing soup of striking needle fish darting all around.

They were everywhere with the sun playing off their slender shining bodies

In the same category of long and skinny swims the Trumpet Fish with its funny looking head.

It changes color to blend in with its background... this one was almost 3 ft long.

Here is a very long variety of needle fish that I snapped on the sands below me.

From Napili Maui Hawaii