Camouflaged Tide Pool Nudibranch

  I can't believe I spotted this guy. If he hadn't of been all by himself he would blend in perfectly with the surrounding algae. This is a Marionia hawaiiensis, a seldom seen nudibranch found in very shallow Hawaiian waters. I found this guy in about 3 inches of water, in a tidepool at night.
  We only have a two foot tidal change here in Hawaii but all of the lava rocks form perfect tide pools if you catch it right. What a lot of people don't realize is the volume of incredible creatures you can see in the pools, especially if you go out at night with a flashlight.
Last night we had a -0.27 tide due to the nearly new moon. The trickiest part of getting these pictures was trying to get my huge underwater DSLR housing in the water but far enough away to be in focus. Those lava rocks are pretty sharp when you lay down on them. I just hoped the dedication and bruises would pay off.

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