Beautiful
Hawaiian
Marine life
brought to you by
LET'S GO
SHORE DIVE'N'
on the
Kona Coast

Thanks to the photo skills of Bob Owens we can see just what we have beneath the sea off the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. Major changes are occurring to our fish and marine life here in Hawaii, as tropical fish collectors decimate our fish populations, so I wanted to show you what we see now - because we may not be seeing them much longer. Certainly not in the numbers we have seen in the past. Come soon and dive with us or you may miss these specimens entirely.

The Pig-Nosed Trigger Fish, Reef Trigger Fish or Rectangular Reef Trigger Fish... also known as the famous Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apua'a (Rhinecanthus rectangulus)

Yes, Virginia, there is a real Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apua'a and this picture proves it, right? You would not believe the people who think this fish was just dreamed up by some song-writer of long ago. It does exist and is Hawaii's 'unofficial' State Fish. I say 'unofficial' because the legislators have yet to officially name it our State Fish. Can you believe this Island State doesn't have an 'official' State Fish? It is found all along our Kona Coast, in shallow water. One rumored reason for the name is when it is caught and brought out of the water it snorts like a pig. One of its defensive characteristics is its ability to puff up somewhat, wedging itself between rocks or in coral indentations. When it is brought to the surface, this puffing is released, making the snorting noise. The word "pua'a" in Hawaiian means "pig". One Hawaiian told me the name, Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apu'a , literally, means "Fish who comes out of the water and sounds like a pig" - so who knows? The forward spine of its dorsel fin, above and slightly behind the eye, is very strong and rigid (also a defensive adaption) and when raised can help lock it in its protective position (and that is where the name 'trigger' comes from). There is another related triggerfish carrying the same long moniker, the Aculeate Trigger Fish or Picasso Trigger Fish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) - which has a beautiful light blue swath of color just behind the center, lower body. It is quite beautiful. Both these fishes will reach 8 or 9 inches in length. Its habitat is not only Hawaiian waters, but extends southward to Polynesia and Australia, westward through Micronesia and Melanesia, through the East Indies including the Philippines, clear across the Indian Ocean to the coast of Africa and the Red Sea.