Award Winning Blog

The Maui batfish – A remembrance

Pauline Fiene — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:00:00 +0000

July 8, 2025: “Hey, give us a couple minutes,” the free diving instructor called over from his yellow kayak. “We just shot the fish you guys like.” And by “like” he didn’t mean the-kind-of-fish-you-like-to-eat. He was referring to a particular individual fish – a longfin batfish – that the Maui dive community had ‘liked’ for over two decades. We knew ...

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The Seven-Eleven Crab that Got Away

Pauline Fiene — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:18:00 +0000

In Hawai‘i we have a funny name for one of our largest crabs – it’s called a Seven-Eleven crab. Unrelated to the eponymus convenience store, the name comes instead from the number of spots – and their location – on the crab’s carapace (shell). If you look at the crab from the top-front (as in the photo above) it appears ...

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Rice coral spawning – what is that scent in the air?

Pauline Fiene — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:42:36 +0000

During a few days in summer Maui is abuzz with people near the ocean asking “Can you smell that? What is it?” or asking on social media “Does anyone know what that smell is in the air?” Many people assume it is just the normal scent of the ocean. Others think there has been some kind of chemical sprayed nearby. ...

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A Memorial Day remembrance of the servicemen who trained on Maui during WWII

Pauline Fiene — Mon, 31 May 2021 19:35:56 +0000

During WWII 200,000 soldiers, marines and sailors participated in various training exercises on Maui before heading into combat in the Pacific. At the time they outnumbered Maui residents 4:1 and were an impactful presence on the island. One of the main exercises was rehearsing amphibious assaults. In this photo from that era the Wailea and Makena coastline can be seen ...

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Triton’s trumpet rescue – how long can a Triton’s trumpet live without eating?

Pauline Fiene — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 05:11:50 +0000

Divers have so many questions about the other-worldly things we see underwater, but “How long can a Triton’s trumpet live without eating?” was a question that I had never asked myself. A few days ago, however, we were given an “at least this long” answer without even asking. The Triton’s trumpet (Charonia tritonis) is one of the largest sea snails ...

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Masked Boobies at Molokini – First Verified Sighting

Pauline Fiene — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 20:00:05 +0000

Last August we reported the first verified sighting of Red-footed boobies at Molokini. During the 20 years prior to that the only large seabirds that we had seen roosting on Molokini were Great frigatebirds, so it was very exciting to see the Redfoots. They stayed for about two weeks and then were gone. The frigatebirds too left for the winter. ...

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Is it true that the Navy is planning to detonate old ordnance in the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District in July 2020? The record shows how devastating this was after detonations at Molokini in the 1970s and 1980s.

Pauline Fiene — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 14:55:52 +0000

Molokini Marine Life Conservation District has been a protected sanctuary for marine life for over 43 years. It is open to anyone lucky enough to have a boat or kayak or outrigger canoe. No anchoring is allowed. A permit is required to operate a commercial vessel there. And all visitors, snorkelers, and divers must read and sign a 300-word acknowledgment ...

The post Is it true that the Navy is planning to detonate old ordnance in the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District in July 2020? The record shows how devastating this was after detonations at Molokini in the 1970s and 1980s. appeared first on Maui Scuba Diving - Mike Severns Diving.

Keawakapu Artificial Reef Was Begun With Junked Cars, Parts Of Which Can Still Be Seen by Divers

Pauline Fiene — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 18:59:05 +0000

If not for automobiles, a popular artificial reef in waters off of Kihei, Maui would not exist. If you’ve been to the Keawakapu artificial reef, you know that this site is made up of about 2,000 automobile tire modules. These modules were constructed by putting 8 tires next to each other on edge and setting them in a concrete base. ...

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Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) Sighted off of Maui, Hawai‘i

Pauline Fiene — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 17:02:40 +0000

With only TWO sightings of a Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) ever previously recorded in Hawai‘i, last week’s sighting off of Makena, Maui makes it one of the rarest fish a diver could see here. Experienced Maui dive guide Dave Fuller was diving on a WWII amphibious tank in 60 feet of water on Dec. 7, 2019 when something he’d never ...

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Red-footed Boobies at Molokini Islet – First Verified Sighting

Pauline Fiene — Fri, 06 Sep 2019 19:47:41 +0000

The beautiful coral-red feet and legs were tricky to see from the boat, but through the camera lens we could make them out. Our captain, Andy Schwanke, had spotted a group of large white birds perched on a shrub on the inner slope of Molokini about a hundred feet above sea level. They were Red-footed boobies (Sula sula) and they ...

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