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The MHI is still predator-dominated... By the 2-legged variety. Maybe if 90% of us volunteer to move off the island it'll revert back. Two of the the dominant algae in the NWHI are Microdictyon and Sargassum; both genera are preferred by large herbivores. Yet, with zero fishing pressure they...

You know, most of the NWHI is algae-dominated, despite the complete lack of nearshore fishing and coastal development.

Do I know you? As a fish collector who uses a hawaiian backpack (almost) exclusively, I completely agree. There are many advantages to it. For one, when diving with nets it's good to have as little crap as possible to get entangled. Inflator hoses and octopi are prime suspects. You can...

As a matter of fact, plastic lobster traps make very good artificial reef when they're lost. Coralline algae grows all over them, and they're the perfect shape & size for fish to hide once this happens. Traps that have been sitting for a while usually have a big school of anthias or pennant...

Shark finning is illegal in Hawaii, but if you catch a shark (and keep the whole thing) there's no law against eating the fins.

There is probably enough demand for it. The Haleiwa guys still make a plenty of runs each day with full boats, and Hawaii Kai is a lot more convenient for the tourist market.

You're thinking of the Masked Angelfish Genicanthus personatus, which is only found at 400' or so around the main islands. Bandit angels are not uncommon around Oahu, but they're usually found below 100' and aren't often seen by divers. Occasionally the larger ones will venture into shallow...

I really wasn't trying to be sarcastic - I'm really just interested in the fish :) Fish dispersal patterns can be really fascinating, especially where major currents like this are concerned.

What kind of fish was it? This is interesting.

There shouldn't be any disputing that the trash vortex exists - it's been well documented for decades. Probably the best example (locally) are the Japanese glass fishing floats that people used to find on the beach. Even though they stopped being made around WWII, they still could be found now...

The only places that use 63s and 50s regularly are the Japanese shops, which makes sense as many of their customers are small asian women with near-zero air consumption. If a big white guy shows up asking for a tank rental, they'll understand and will point you to the 80s. Never seen an...

Just bring a snorkel. The water doesn't get deep enough for you to need a tank, and there's not much to see within swimming distance of the beach. Lugging along your dive gear will probably just make you tired and frustrated.

Water temperature today (on Oahu) was 70 degrees.

IMO whitetips are pretty safe, since they're timid and don't bother fishermen much. Keep in mind that sharks do move around quite a bit, so sometimes they'll be in the cave and sometimes not. Stingrays seem to have been popping up a lot more often than usual, lately. I've seen several in...

Hey Tal, nice to see you over here. Breeze is your best shot if you're staying by the zoo. It's just a 5-minute drive up Kapahulu, and they've usually got plenty of rental stuff for cheap.

Although it's true that lost fishing tackle can be a nuisance and an eyesore, it's important to keep in mind that many people do enjoy fishing at a pastime and, to them, scuba divers can be a nuisance because we get in the way and scare away the fish. If I'm diving in an area with a lot of lost...

You can do Lanai Lookout to Hanauma Bay pretty well on a set of doubles - anything less might be difficult. Due to the "visitor center" improvements in the past few years the paths to the toilet bowl area are hard to access. It's good to make sure the currents are in your favor before...

I used to work for the project that investigated the Kihei algae blooms, and know several of the people involved. Some of the results are scary! But thousands of people do go swimming there every day and few of them get sick (knock on wood). It would seem that the Hellcat wreck is outside the...

Food for thought...

Once you figure out how to look for them, dragon eels don't seem as rare as they used to. That's some nice footage of it swimming! Usually, all you see is the nose.