Waikiki Aquarium

  Today the winds were up and the surf was down so I decided to get some underwater shots while staying completely dry...at the Waikiki Aquarium! This little aquarium is one of the oldest in the United States, built in 1904.

  I had never really tried to take pictures in an aquarium before and it proved to be very difficult. The low light and moving subjects are a photographers worst nightmare, although the fish themselves can get quite close to you. Once I strapped on the wide angle lens I was able to snap a few low light shots. My favorite tank to photograph turned out to be the shark tank which also housed some truly gigantic groupers.

  Outside the main hall the Hawaiian monk seals steal the show. One has very bad cataracts so it has been here in captivity for nearly all of its life. The two monk seals are usually in separate pools but were brought together to see if they can coexist peacefully. They were trained to kiss every time they first see each other. I managed to catch that photograph as well as one of the seals opening wide to catch some hand tossed fish.

Leafy Sea Dragon...one day I will photograph these in the wild