As the year has been moving along, we have been compiling our new list, which began on January 1st.  We have seen at least one new species this year, the Longtail Dragonet.  Just this week I added the

Shortnose Wrasse, April 28, 2014, Kailua Bay

 Shortnose Wrasse to the list for 2014.  I don't know how many shorties I have seen now, but I hadn't seen any until just a couple years ago.  Hence, I am always overjoyed to see this little fish and I never really expect it. 

     This isn't the case for a few fish that have gone missing in the last few years.  The Milletseed Butterflyfish has so far eluded us in 2014.  The Reticulated, Citron and Pyramid have yet to make the list, but they have always been a little difficult.  Every day that I don't see a Milletseed, my heart breaks just a little.

   Of course, there are a few other difficult fish that we have not been lucky enough to see these past four months, a couple unicornfish and a couple parrots.  But there are a few fish that we used to see routinely that just aren't here anymore.  I can't remember the last time I saw Diodon holocanthus in Hawaii.  

Great Barracuda, Paul Allen's Reef, February 2014

But of all the fish not to make the list, the Great Barracuda affects me most deeply.  I know exactly the last time I saw one of these magnificent fish, February 20, 2012 out on Paul Allen's Reef.  Little did I know on that day that this might be the last time I would see a Great Barracuda in Hawaii.   I can find no information that the Great Barracuda is threatened in Hawaii, so perhaps a 'cuda is out there with my name on it.  I certainly hope so.

      As I swam in a couple days ago, I needed to make my way through the Kai Opua canoe regatta.  This regatta features adult teams, men, women and mixed crews, from around the island.  How lucky I was to see

 I 

the enthusiasm and camaraderie of these adult paddlers at their premier event. The high school regatta is lots of fun, but the enthusiasm of the Kai Opua regatta can't be beat.

jeff