Turtles, moray eels, massive schools of fish, and nudibranchs galore describe this Maui dive site but unfortunately I have to keep the name and location secret because of another creature I have found here....harlequin shrimp. These flower-like pint size shrimp are so prized in private salt water aquariums that if their location leaks out to the wrong ears they will be collected and shipped around the world to most likely die in some aquarium.
Now don't get me wrong, aquariums can be an incredible window into the underwater world. They can inspire people to want to learn more about the ocean and even to become ocean stewards themselves. I know many a marine biologist that began their love affair with the ocean at aquariums or sea world during their youth. But when people pay any amount of money to get the rarest and most endangered animals and we stop seeing them out in the wild is when it gets a little depressing. Animals like harlequin shrimp, dragon moray eels, and flame angelfish are becoming so hard to find out here in Maui. It does make it very exciting to see one but then their location must be a closely guarded secret.
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| Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle |
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| Leaf Scorpion Fish |
I have found that dives here in Maui offer something new every time, even for the most experienced of divers. If you go slow, stop and really look, you will find animals that are blending in, using camouflage, or just so small that otherwise you may have passed right by.
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| Pustulose Phyllidia |
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| Yellow Noumea |
Before this dive I went through all my nudibranch photos and realized that alot of nudibranchs I have only seen once. Others like the Fellow's nudibranch and Gold Lace nudibranch I hadn't seen in many months. Go figure that I would find both of those on this dive!
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| Fellow's Nudibranch |
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| Gold Lace Nudibranch |
Now don't get me wrong, aquariums can be an incredible window into the underwater world. They can inspire people to want to learn more about the ocean and even to become ocean stewards themselves. I know many a marine biologist that began their love affair with the ocean at aquariums or sea world during their youth. But when people pay any amount of money to get the rarest and most endangered animals and we stop seeing them out in the wild is when it gets a little depressing. Animals like harlequin shrimp, dragon moray eels, and flame angelfish are becoming so hard to find out here in Maui. It does make it very exciting to see one but then their location must be a closely guarded secret. 
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