Scarface Blenny

The SCARFACE BLENNY (called pao‘o) is dark overall with red scar-like marks on the head.  These fish can normally be found in water less than 30’, hiding in crevices or resting in the open on rocky substrate, but when approached, they quickly hide.  See if you’re able to approach them slowly enough to get a photo – book a dive withHonu Hawaiian Diving! #scuba #diving #scubadiving #honuhawaiiandiving #oahu #hawaii #itsahonuworld #blenny #scarfaceblenny

Dive Site: The Corsair Wreck

The Corsair airplane wreck, sitting 115’ at the bottom of the ocean off of Hawaii Kai, sank in 1948 on a routine mission from Pearl Harbor.  The captain of the plane realized his fuel gauge was rapidly falling but assumed it was a faulty gauge and continued flying.  

He executed a perfect emergency water landing, but the plane still sank, with virtually no damage, and the captain was rescued and taken to safety.  

The plane sits upright, but is in a location with strong currents and is meant for more advanced divers.  The left wing of the plane is submerged under the sand, acting as an anchor to keep the plane from drifting, and the right wing is home to many octopus and eels.  Surrounding the plane is mostly sand, and thousands of sand eels can be spotted.  Many people attempt to squeeze into the cockpit for a photo, but beware, large yellowmargin eels make their home in there, and they don’t like intruders!  Although not common, divers have seen manta rays, Galapagos sharks, tiger sharks, and humpbacks around the Corsair.  

Galapagos Shark

Garden Eels

Humpback Whale

Manta Rays

You never know…you might get lucky and see one of those rare creatures on your dive!

Polynesian Halfbeak

The POLYNESIAN HALFBEAK (called iheihe) has a stubby triangular upper jaw and long needle-like lower jaw.  They can be seen just below the surface, with a silvery body, sometimes appearing with blue-green iridescence on their sides, and their lower jaws are tipped with red.  They grow to be about 15” long, and can be seen from Hawaii to French Polynesia.  Come dive with us and see if you see these fish while you’re descending/ascending on your dive!  

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Common Longnose Butterflyfish

The COMMON LONGNOSE BUTTERFLYFISH (called lauwiliwili nukunuku ‘oi ‘oi) has a long probing snout, bristly dorsal spines, and a bright yellow color to the majority of its body.  This species is frequently found along walls, ledges and overhangs, often swimming upside down, feeding on various invertebrates using its long jaws to grasp and tear.  Its Hawaiian name is the longest of all fish names, meaning “leaf of the wiliwili tree” and “sharp beak”, and its scientific name (forcipiger flavissimus) translates to “extreme yellow”.  

Dorsal fins down & relaxed.

Dorsal fins up.

Schedule a dive with Honu Hawaiian Diving!

Whale Shark

The infamous WHALE SHARK is the largest fish in the world, and is on most divers’ bucket lists of “must sees”, growing on average 49-60’, living an estimated 100 years or more.  They’re typically docile and pose no threat to divers and are unmistakable in the water with their size, dark backs and patterned light spots and stripes.  Their large cavern-like mouth stretching the width of their bodies is used to scoop up plankton, squid and small pelagic fish.  Around the Hawaiian Islands, these gentle giants are typically seen on leeward sides of islands and typically swim near the surface, often times relatively close to shore.  This species is now considered threatened due to commercial fishing in some parts of the world.  Much like humpback whales, the whale shark can be identified by their unique pattern of stripes and spots.  The program used to help identify these sharks based on photos taken uses the same algorithm used on the Hubble Space Telescope to identify star patterns.  As of recently, there were over 1,000 whale sharks identified and catalogued in the world.  Schedule a dive with www.honuhawaiiandiving.com in hopes of seeing this beautiful creature and crossing it off your bucket list! #scuba #diving #scubadiving #honuhawaiiandiving #oahu #hawaii #itsahonuworld #whaleshark #whale #shark #gentlegiant