What would you do if someone said there was treasure buried in your backyard? You’d look into it, wouldn’t you? You’d at least be curious, right? Well I’m telling you there is a gem lying hidden in our backyard. It’s Hanauma Bay. A lot of us remember what it was like decades ago—some things were good, some things not so good. I have heard people say that they gave up on Hanauma Bay as a place for tourists, not locals. The bottom line is this--if you haven’t been to Hanauma Bay in the last ten years, you need to go. Forget what you’ve heard. See it for yourself. Don’t have time? Take a look at the pictures in here to see what you’ve been missing…

 

 

So much has changed at Hanauma Bay—and for the better. Up top there is an educational facility with computer kiosks and tons of information on the history of the bay. A theater provides a mandatory short video that you have to see before going to the beach. The same theater serves as the location for the education department’s free Thursday night lecture/movie series in which we, the public, get to enjoy watching movies or listening to local researchers talk about their fields of study and expertise. Not only is the lecture free and open to all, but the parking is free as well. Unless you get to the bay REALLY early, and then you will just have to fork over the huge sum of ONE DOLLAR for all-day parking. Also, if you show up early and the ticket booth is open you can simply show your Hawaii state ID to get free admission. Where else can you go for the whole day and only pay a single dollar? Not very many places nowadays…

 

The rubble area near the cable channel in zone I has plenty of pukas in which these small bullethead blennies live and play.		The dragon wrasses also can be found in the nearshore environment. This is a juvenile dragon wrasse. I spent three days in a row shooting these little critters, trying to get the right angle and proper lighting.		Some of the coolest things are below your feet in Zone I. When you step into the water, take a look around in the shallows. Sometimes you will see a pair of eyes poking up out of the dirt. This is a peacock flounder, waiting for a snack.

 

 

When you get down to the base of the hill at the bay, you’ll notice that there are “new” shower facilities and changing rooms/bathrooms and a beach kiosk where helpful volunteers take pride in helping guests identify critters they have seen. When you get into the water you will notice a big change as well—you won’t be assaulted by fish trying to steal peas from your shorts pockets. This is because fish feeding is no longer allowed at the bay. You won’t be rushed by tons of fish when you enter the water…and the larger apex predators(read: sharks) won’t be coming in as close to feast on the over-abundant and abnormally fat fish. That’s a good thing.

 

The night time on the reef can be spectacular. I shot this little bubble shell in the nearshore area on some rocks.		Send in the clowns. The hermit crabs perform nightly at the bay, the most interesting being the jeweled and pale anemone crabs, which attach anemones to their shells for protection.		Another favorite is the night octopus, which can be found hunting on the shallow rubble fields during the night. Another favorite is the night octopus, which can be found hunting on the shallow rubble fields during the night.

 

The Bay itself can be viewed in terms of three zones. The inner reef (Zone 1), the outer reef (Zone 2), and the deeper reef (Zone 3). There’s plenty to see in each area, but always consider conditions and weigh your abilities when deciding where to go. Always swim with a buddy—someone needs to rescue your camera equipment should you not make it back.

 

			To the untrained eye, the inner reef looks like it wouldn’t have much. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It holds a world of wonder. I have seen ALL KINDS of marine life inside—peacock flounders, flying gurnards, octopus(day and night variety), whitetip sharks, hammerhead sharks, honu, blennies, nudibranches, huge schools of aholehole, and eels and ulua galore. I could go on and on, but you get the picture (make that pictures—I have included several on this page!).
			A Whitemouth moray eel hangs out in the rocks. These eels are some of the most prevalent in the bay and can be seen most often during the day. Occasionally they will gain an ‘omilu escort when they go out hunting during the day. The eel hunts small fish and crustaceans that live in the reef and often flush out small prey which the ‘omilu quickly snap up.

 

 

 

This is one of MANY species of butterflyfish you will see at the bay. This is the fourspot butterflyfish, so named because it has two spots on either side of the body. A Bluefin trevally, or ‘omilu in Hawaiian, terrorizes a school of aholehole just beyond the reef.

Mantas are uncommon, but do come around from time to time. This one swims across the width of the way in Zone II.

 

The zone beyond the reef, although generally entered at the cable channel or backdoor where the currents can be strong, is equally amazing. Honu graze on limu and occasionally you run into schools of weke, ‘omilu, or manini. Squid and tako are not unheard of, either. At night you can see nudibranches and tiger cowries.

 

A curious honu peers into my lens right outside the cable channel in Zone II.		Another seasonal favorite is the squid that can sometimes be found in Zone II and III. This pair of squid were swimming outside the backdoor channel on the left side of the bay.

 

A school of bigeye jacks breaks to the left and right in the deep blue waters of Zone III. This was taken in 49 feet of water.		Beautiful tiger cowries can sometimes be seen at night in Zone III.		Turtles also can be found in their deeper hangouts in the quiet waters of Zone III.

 

The deep water reef holds its own world of wonders and parts of it can be considered only for advanced swimmers. You can find a lot of the previous fish in the deeper waters, but also may find the occasional ‘awa, ulua schools, eagle rays, manta rays, pyramid butterflyfish, penantfish, as well as hawksbill turtles.

Over the years I have taken pictures of over a hundred different species in the bay, and I’m only hitting a fraction of what is actually there. That’s the beauty of it all. Swimming at the bay is like a big Easter egg hunt every time--you can find new things in old places. Some of the critters you see are seasonal. Some only come out at night. Some of the critters you will never actually see, but will hear all the time(like the popping sound of the reef shrimp or the not-so-distant calls of the humpback whales in winter).

 

A Moorish idol swims along a ridge in Zone III.		Small papio practice their hunting skills in the deeper water of Zone III.		The day octopus can be found actively hunting all over the bay. This tako was hunting along a ridge in Zone III.

 

So if you haven’t gone to the bay recently, get out there. Pick a nice day when the winds are light and variable and come early to find good parking. Enjoy the movie, but sign the list so you don’t have to watch it again for a year. While you’re at it, bring the whole family down and explore the bay together. You’ll be glad you did!

 

 

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