Hawaiian Fantail Filefish

The HAWAIIAN FANTAIL FILEFISH (called o'ili 'uwi 'uwi) is a yellowish white fish covered in dark spots. The fanlike tail is bright orange with a black margin. Their mouth, throat and underside have blue markings, and their dorsal spine is bright yellow. These fish are normally seen in pairs, but they become territorial when other fish come close, and raise their dorsal fins and flutter their bright tail. 

This species varies in abundance from year to year, and are most commonly found near the bottom feeding on algae and small invertebrates when abundance is low. During abundant years, they're often found in open water feeding on plankton, but their coloring becomes pale, and that has shown to be indicative that there will be a mass death imminent, where thousands wash up on shore. In ancient Hawaii, this was said to predict an upcoming death of a chief. 

Their dried bodies were used for boat fuel, however fisherman hated these mass deaths because game fish hunt on the easy meal and become disinterested in the fishermen's bait. When removed from the water, these fish instantly make a small noise, hence the Hawaiian name, which translates to "squeal".

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Black Trevally

The BLACK TREVALLY (called ulua la'uli) has strengthened scales that reinforce its tail.  Also called the Black Jack, this fish is easy to identify because of these scales that make a dark lined pattern leading to the tail.  They're typically almost black to dark gray, and they have a dark spot on the upper gill cover.  They're found alone or in pairs, but rarely ever in groups and can be seen near drop-offs adjacent to deep water.  They can grow to be 3 feet long.  

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Greater Amberjack

The GREATER AMBERJACK (called kahala) is a silvery gray predator with a dark diagonal stripe through the eye and a yellow stripe from its eye to tail (although not always visible). Juveniles have 5 prominent dark bars and a dark stripe above the eye. 

These are curious fish and will often approach or circle divers or their bubbles for a closer look. They're considered "hot", or ciguatoxic, therefore making them dangerous to eat. 

They can reach lengths of 6 feet and feed mostly on Mackeral Scad and Bigeye Scad, which form bait balls to attempt to not be attacked by these greater amberjacks.  However, when hungry, the amberjacks will just poke their heads into the tightly packed bait ball and eat what they can grab. 

They also swim with mouths open to filter tiny organisms from the water with their gill takers. To date, they're the only fish known to prey on large fish as well as plankton.  

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Chocolate Chip Chromis

The CHOCOLATE CHIP CHROMIS is called so because of its chocolate brown body and bright white tail.  It is most commonly seen along ledges and coral heads, and rarely ventures far away from them.  During courtship between February and March, males develop bright white eyes and their bodies become pale.  Chromis in general make up one of the largest groups of reef fish in Hawaii.   

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Pinktail Triggerfish

The PINKTAIL TRIGGERFISH (called humuhumu hi'u kole), also called the Pinktail Durgon, is dark brown with a white tail, often with a pink tinge.  The dorsal and anal fins are cleanish-white and lined in black, and the pectoral fins are yellow.  They primarily feed on algae or plankton, but occasionally eat octopus, crustaceans and other fish.  Although typically skittish and quick to hide female pinktails will become bold when guarding their eggs, with their dorsal spine erect.  Females protecting their eggs will even attempt to bite a diver that gets too close.

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Gray Reef Shark

The GRAY REEF SHARK (called mano) is a gray shark on its back and sides, and lighter below.  The dusky margin on the tail helps to distinguish them from the Galapagos Shark.  They are territorial sharks and act aggressively toward intruders, although they rarely bother divers. However, they show signs of upcoming attack if they hump their back, raise their head and drop their pectoral fins.  So fight the urge to take photos of these sharks if you see those signs, especially if your camera has a flash.  Instead, slowly and calmly withdraw, never taking your eyes off the shark.  

Although these sharks are common in the Indo-Pacific, they're not commonly seen in the Hawaiian Islands except around Molokini, off Mauai, and around Niihau.  Around Hawaii, most mating and pupping occurs between March and July, and the gestation is 12 months.  

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