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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Smooth Seahorse

The SMOOTH SEAHORSE lacks spines, most are black or brownish, but white ones are occasionally seen, and females tend to be yellow.  They're most common in shallow protected environments, such as Kaneohe Bay.  They're often covered in algae and silt and are easily overlooked while diving.  They're a rare species, but they occasionally have population booms, most recently in 2005.  They grow to be up to 8" in length with tail outstretched.  

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Blue-Eye Damselfish

The BLUE-EYE DAMSELFISH is a yellowish gray damsel with bright blue eyes and blue markings on the dorsal and anal fins.  They are found living among the branches of living coral, feeding on coral polyps.  They tend to spawn most frequently between September and October, and again between February through May.  The male damsel creates a nest by killing a small section of coral.  They become very territorial against multiband butterflyfish, but do not become territorial against other butterflyfish.  

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Multiband Butterflyfish

The MULTIBAND BUTTERFLYFISH (called kikakapu) is a small butterflyfish that's light tan covered in brown spots that form 4-5 vertical bars.  They tend to swim in pairs and are very common around the Hawaiian Islands, seen feeding on the coral.  Despite eating coral, they do minimal damage because they take a few nibbles on a coral head and move onto another one.  They've been noted to spawn around dusk during the week before a full moon in February and March. 

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