Kona, Hawaii
- lydiawalton
- Nov 5
- 2 min read
2022/24
The Big Island of Hawaii is home to remarkable marine life—from iconic megafauna like sea turtles, manta rays, tiger sharks, and dolphins to often-overlooked reef dwellers such as the bullethead blenny, hidden hermit crab, cushion sea star, and my personal favourite, the swallowtail headshield slug. The galleries below feature some of my favourite underwater photos from recent trips to the island, with a few burrowing birds and napping monk seals tucked in between.
I always enjoy diving among the reef and looking for tiny critters hidden among the corals. But every so often, a manta ray glides past or a pod of dolphins appears out of the blue—moments that remind me just how vast and surprising the ocean truly is.
Kona's wildlife and stunning views are not restricted to the coral reefs or open ocean; monk seals (‘īlio holo i ka uaua) can be found snoring on beaches while wedge-tailed shearwaters (ʻuaʻu kani) soar overhead. Hiking through streams can lead to towering waterfalls and walks through the pouring rain can suddenly open onto volcanic clearings bursting with vibrant, colorful vegetation.
You don't need to dive deep to experience the marine realm; plopping a camera in a tidepool can give you a great view of a munching sea turtle or an up close encounter with a beautiful sea slug.
The following gallery depicts the intertidal and surface waters accessed by a little free diving. Pay close attention to the helmet urchins (Hāʻukeʻuke) which may soon replace the ochre sea star as my favourite echinoderm.
Closing out this post are some sunlit photos of reef mantas and an amazing encounter with Kona's famous tiger shark (niuhi), Laverne. It's true that Laverne will always see you before you see her; she circled us from a distance as we ended our dive and finally came for her close up right before we planned to surface. While we never felt threatened by Laverne, coming face to face with a 14-foot tiger shark is something I won't be quick to forget.
