Marine Life Photography

Another great resource in identifying animals, is marinelifephotography.com. Keoki Stender  is the author of this incredible website, and takes almost all of the photographs here in Hawaii. Keoki is also one of the contributing photographers to several of the John P. Hoover books that I use every day to help my identify the animals I photograph (highly recommended!) Keoki has also been a great help to me by assisting me in identifying some of the harder animals I have found. He  has posted one of my photos on his website, which is a HUGE honor for Mark and I! He  teaches several classes here in Hawaii in diving and photography, so check out his website for more information! http://marinelifephotography.com/default.htm.

         

Reef Saftey

Hello! Welcome to our blog! I have lived in Hawaii for over a year now, and have decided to make it my goal to try and find and identify every sea creature that calls the Hawaiian Islands home. This isn't and easy feat, but my boyfriend has joined me on this exciting quest. Together with our trusty bucket, a simple net, and the knowledge of several books; we set out to various places around the island to see what we can find!

Before doing this though, It is important to make note of several very important reef safety guidelines. Our beautiful reefs are disappearing rapidly world-wide, and when exploring the reefs one needs to use extreme caution to help protect them. When we are exploring the reefs, we always make sure to not damage anything, and to put everything back exactly where we got it, including the animals. We never remove anything from the reefs! Its also important to note that many things in the water can be harmful to humans if not handled correctly. Never touch anything in the water that your not sure of, and always wear protective reef shoes. Use extreme caution when looking under ledges, and never put your fingers in holes or under places you cant see.

There is a multitude of books and websites out there to read on marine life and coral reefs. Two of our favorites are:

Hawaii's sea creatures: A guide to Hawaii's marine invertebrates.  By: John P. Hoover

and

Hawaii's fishes: A guide for snorkelers and divers. By John P. Hoover