An Underwater Guide To Hawaii

Hawaii's isolation has produced a large number of species found nowhere else in the world. This combination of unusual species and volcanic formations gives the Hawaiian marine environment its distinct appearance.

The world's greatest migration of animal life occurs every evening when uncountable numbers of mostly small marine organisms rise up from the dark, chilly depths of the open ocean to its surface waters. The people who witness this nighttime migration are blackwater divers"€"brave divers who throw themselves off a boat in the dark of night in open ocean waters that are, for all practical purposes, bottomless. The animals that we encounter range in size from baby squids smaller than a pinky nail to forty-foot long jellyfish called siphonophores. Kona is the birthplace and world headquarters for blackwater diving. Its proximity to deep water and favorable ocean conditions make Hawai'i the perfect place for blackwater diving, but divers can also visit places such as Florida, the Philippines, Indonesia, and even Papua New Guinea to see many similar animals. Blackwater Diving in Hawai'i is designed to satisfy the curious ocean aficionado by presenting beautiful photos and information on over 300 strange pelagic animals, most of which you won't find in a standard field guide to reef animals. This book is intended to present an overview of life in the open ocean at night. Each epipelagic creature is given five minutes in the spotlight to explore a little of what we know about them.

Features hundreds of clear underwater photographs and detailed easy-to-read descriptions of 386 fish species, as well as the whales, dolphins, and turtles most often seen in Hawaii. This is the most complete Hawaii field underwater guide.

Photographs and text introduce the animal and plant life found on beaches, in tide pools, on reefs, and in shallow and deep ocean waters of Hawaii.

Hawaii is an amazing US state with so many opportunities to photograph sea creatures great and small. And after the diving, the ever-evolving geography never fails to bring even more eye-popping photo ops. Authors David Fleetham, a Maui resident, and Guam resident Tim Rock have spent hours photographing marine mammals and unique endemics in the island's clear waters. In it's isolation, Hawaii offers some special adventures on the coral reefs, in the submerged lava tubes and at an offshore crater. In this guide they suggest some great dives and wonderful spots for underwater photography around the reefs of the Aloha State. 72 diving and snorkeling sites, over 120 color images, handy travel size, 96 pages.