Sand Chutes and Kaloko Canyons 10/20/19

Some days your photography skills are going to abandon you, and that happened on this day at Kona dive sites.  It may be impatience or preoccupation with other things, it may be that you are thinking about not being left behind by your group, it may be just bad luck or surge.  I accept that some days I'll just not be on my game and leave it at that.

But I did miss a great opportunity with a Wire Coral Gobie, and a Spotted Coral Blennie.  Those pics are not here because I don't have any good ones.  OK.  There were a few that I managed to salvage into the "interesting enough" bin and here they are.

The first thing I noticed about this Leaf Scopionfish was how far down into the antler coral it was. I was about to bail on it as not worth the work, but the I saw the foot.  Leaf scorpions have feet?!  Well, yest they do I later found out by consulting the Hoover book.  Anyway, here is a good shot of a leaf scorpion foot.

 

This may be the same Whitley's Boxfish female  I got a few days ago at Kaloko.  So she's famous now. looked for the male that's supposed to be there but he was not available.

Meanwhile we are still in the middle of the 2019 bleaching event with water temps still in the 84 degree range at depth on Hawai'i Island west side.

Antler coral tips bleaching: Sand Chutes

Antler coral bleaching: Sand Chutes

Lace Coral bleaching: Sand Chutes