Yellowmargin moray (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus), being attended by a Scarlet cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)

This is a rare find and a very shy animal: a Tiger snake moray (Gymnothorax enigmaticus) This species is almost exclusively nocturnal, feeding primarily on smaller eels.

I initially thought this was a juvenile Undulated moray, but further research shows it's actually a rare find-a Slendertail moray (Gymnothorax gracilicaudus). First and only specimen I've seen! Credit to John Hoover's "Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes" for the ID help!

Another undulated moray, caught in the middle of his beauty appointment with a scarlet cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)

"No, really dear, it's not what you think!"

A member of the same genus as the Barred moray (see photos this gallery) but quite a bit more common, here's a Snowflake moray (Echidna nebulosa) looking a bit doubtful about me...

An absolutely stunning adult Banded moray (Gymnothorax rueppellii)

A zebra moray (Gymnomuraena zebra). Guess where it got it's common name?

Yet another gorgeous member of family Muraenidae, here's a large, healthy Zebra moray (Gymnomuraena zebra), coiled and looped around a hole in the reef.

Whitemouth moray (Gymnothorax meleagris)

Gymnothorax eurostus (light phase)

Every now and then, a single find can make your dive. This is a Barred conger eel (Ariosoma fasciatus). Hard to explain how exciting this is...this is an EXTREMELY rare eel. According to John Hoover, only 5 museum specimens exist, and there are very few divers that have seen one. I'm still in shock, and can't believe I got a photo of this animal!

Another view of the resident Hawaiian conger eel (Conger marginatus) on the St Anthony...you can get a better look at his face and a better look at his home in this shot!

During the day, the Hawaiian conger eel (Conger marginatus) is sort of a nondescript silver-grey...but when out hunting at night, this eel reveals an amazing banded pattern...

C. marginatus having a look at me...

Another fun sighting--I've seen a juvenile of this species before, but never an adult and never more than one at a time! This is a pair of rare Barred morays (Echidna polyzona), tucked into a hole together. The smaller of the two is showing the juvenile/adolecent coloration of this species, the larger the adult coloration.

Another look at a young Barred moray (Echidna polyzona)

A very tiny but very brave Stout moray (Gymnothorax eurostus), defending his 4 square inches of reef...

The absolute prize of the dives today, this is the result of my very first encounter with a Dragon moray (Enchelycore paradalis). As you can see, this amazing eel was well tucked into the reef, it was all I could do to get a photograph...and I must tell you, neither this photo nor the ones you'll see in books do justice to this incredibly beautiful animal. See one in person if ever you can, they're astonishing.

Although this strongly resembles a Tiger moray (Scuticaria tigrina), it's actually something even less-frequently seen...this is a Large-spotted snake moray (Uropterygius polyspilus), which can be differentiated from S. tigrina by the large, bulbous nares present just above the eyes. First-time sighting for me...and thanks to my student Kerry Lyons for spotting this one! (A side note--I was so excited to see this eel, I didn't even notice the Goldlace nudibranch visible in this shot top-left center!)

This is a photo I've been trying to get for a long time...the absurdly shy and very tiny Dwarf moray (Gymnothorax melatremus)