Mike in the Wild

One common fish on Hawaii's coral reefs is the surgeonfish, a member of a large and varied family of fish.  And one specific species you're guaranteed to encounter is the orangespine unicornfish.  Most members of the surgeonfish family sport sharp, scalpel-like spines at the base of their tails, giving them the ability to inflict deep cuts as a defense against predators.  Often brightly colored and displayed, they're more often than not used as an effective warning than as a weapon. True-to-name, the orangespine unicornfish's spines are indeed orange, and impossible to miss when you first see him.  Usually solitary, he's been a fun subject to photograph on my frequent snorkels off of Maui.  And on a 4th of July visit to Kapalua Bay, I was surprised to meet a large school of maybe one hundred individuals swimming at the south end of the bay, close to the  breakwater.  For a minute or so - only as long as they allowed me - I swam above and beh...

I've written before that nothing is more exciting for a snorkeler than an encounter with a sea turtle.  After my third consecutive July trip to Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, my opinion hasn't changed.  On this recent visit it seemed like I saw several of these gentle giants every time I entered the reefs that surround the Valley Isle.  The largest fish joining the turtle on these reefs could be the trumpetfish, a uniquely elongated and tubular-shaped ocean dweller that grows close to three feet in length.   There are three species in this family of animals related to the sea horse and the similarly shaped coronetfish, with the one living off Hawaii and elsewhere in the Pacific being the Chinese trumpetfish.   Kapalua Bay is one area of Maui where you can almost guarantee seeing a green sea turtle, Hawaii's resident species in this family.  On one of my visits to this beautiful cove's emerald waters I was able to photograph a trumpetfish joinin...