Tunnels Beach, one of the best snorkeling spots in Hawai'i, had so far proven elusive on our trip. On our first couple days of snorkeling, we stayed close to home, and by the time we were ready to travel a relatively inconvenient 20 minutes to Tunnels, the weather had changed, and the beach was closed. Finally, the stars aligned, and we were able to get there earlier this week. Not only did we see practically every species of fish we'd seen at all the other beaches combined, but the water was cleaner and clearer, and the sun was shining brightly making for fantastic visibility. That, combined with friendly fish, allowed Tunnels to live up to its reputation.
Panorama of Tunnels beach (click to enlarge). There's an inner reef, visible in the foreground, and an outer reef, where the waves are breaking in the distance. It only take a few minutes to swim between the two. The only difference is that the bigger fish tend to hang out in the outer reef, though they occasionally make the trip in to visit friends and family. The Na'Pali Coast, a national park, starts on the left of the picture, and offers some wild hiking (see entry below).
Hawai'ian Monkseal basking in the morning light. They are remarkably unafraid of humans.
Betsy floats over a reef full of curious fish.
Finally! A good shot of these "rainbow fish" (I'm not sure what they're called) had been eluding me all week. They're fast and a bit shy. But at Tunnels, they were more photogenic. This one even seems to be smiling for the camera.
The humuhumunukunuku apu a'a, Hawai'i's former state fish, was a common sight at almost every beach.
But this variegated version was unique to Tunnels, at least in our experience.
Butterfly fish
I love the striations around the eye of the top fish.
Parts of the coral reef looked like miniature cities, complete with sky-scrapers and distant hills.
These tiny fish managed to find refuge in some of the coral.
"Hey, come here, I got something to tell you."
An Orangeband Surgeonfish and Eye-Stripe Surgeonfish talk about what it's like to be a surgeonfish.
Yellow wrasse, I'm guessing
Blue wrasse
The shore from a momentary snorkeling respite
The Threadfin Butterfly Fish Trilogy, Part I
The Threadfin Butterfly Fish Trilogy, Part II
The Threadfin Butterfly Fish Trilogy, Part III
Blue-striped Snapper
Farewell, Tunnels. We'll miss you.
No comments:
Post a Comment