In addition to shorefishing, tide-pooling and reef walking have been one of my favorite outdoor recreational activities. Tide-pooling can either be done during the day or at night, as some fish and invertebrates are active at different times of the day. However, I find it easier to wrangle the day-time critters at night… since their vision is not adapted to being blinded by high-intensity headlamps while sleeping… and they can’t shut their eyes either. lol.

With the “super” full moon, comes extreme high and low tides throughout the day. For those of you who do not know, tides are natural movements of ocean level, as a combined result of the gravitational forces of the sun, moon and earth’s rotation. Hawaii, unlike other regions in the world which exhibit one high/low tide per day (diurnal tide), has two high and two low tides (semi-diurnal tide). And… a day after the “super” full moon, the tides were still significantly lower than a typical Hawaiian evening for us (Jennifer Liu, Justin Ugalino, Trish Ang and I)…

Several “Convex Crabs” were scurrying about the tidepools and reef flat. This was one of the larger ones we found.

Justin spots a large, Thin-shelled Rock Crab (Aama).

Squirrelfish (Alaihi) are commonly found here, closer to where the waves break on the reef. Several of the fins and gills have spines; be careful if handling!

Juvenile false-mullet (Uouoa), chubs/rudderfish (Nenue) and Hawaiian flagtail (Aholehole) are also common here. The “Sheriff’s Badge” Starfish is not so common…

A White Eel (Puhi uha) and a Banded Moray (Puhi) were both easily netted as they were scouring the reef for food. Both of these eels have small teeth, and are not as aggressive as other eels (e.g., stout and green morays).

Zebra blennies (Paoo), Sergeant Majors (Kupipi) and Convict Tangs (Manini), are the most abundant fishes in the tidepools here.

One of the above is not like the others, but which one? If you’ve unified all the animals together with spiny skin and tube feet, you’ll realize the large Cowrie in the back is a mollusk. Sea cucumbers, brittle Stars, starfish and sea urchins belong to the Phylum Echinodermata (meaning spiny skin). Unifying characteristics of mollusks are a muscular foot and a shell.

Cracking open the “banded urchin” or wana, we knocked one of Trish’s items off of her bucket list… “eat uni fresh from the ocean.” A little graphic, but it tastes similar to what you’d find in the sushi restaurants. Perfect way to end the tide-pooling/reef-walking adventure!!

Afterwards, we relaxed on the beach…had a few beers while “talking story” around a hibachi-fire.

There were many more animals we caught, but I didn’t intend to post a comprehensive “marine-life guide” here. With the exception of the one wana, all animals were released, after being photographed, to their capture locations… except one, large banded urchin (Wana). :X

Some Basic Preparation:

-Verify tide schedule
-If you don’t know what it is, DON’T TOUCH IT!!!
-Don’t face your back towards the ocean when there is surf
-Use felt-bottomed footwear (e.g. Tabis) when walking on slick, algae-covered surfaces
-Bring a high intensity headlamp, if at night
-If turning over any rocks, make sure to return them to their original position

QUESTIONS??? Just ask!!!

To view this location on a Google Map also known as my “Adventure Map“, Click Here. For more adventures of the Lost Trailblazers, either look at my other blogposts and “Adventures with the Lost Trailblazers” photo gallery. Thanks for visiting and come back again soon!