Pennant Butterflyfish: (Heniochus diphrentes) This beautiful butterflyfish has a body which is very high, very compressed and bears a long, arched filament trailing from the fourth dorsal sprine.

Color: Basically white with two, wide vertical, black stripes and small black areas above the eyes and snout, the dorsal and caudal fins are yellow.
Size: Four to seven inches in length, here in Hawaii.
Habitat: Shoreline water on the outer side of the reefs, near drop offs.
Distribution: Hawaii, Japan, entire tropical Pacific, northern Australia, East Indies, Indian Ocean to the coast of Africa and the Red Sea.
The Pennant Butterflyfish is a schooling fish, along the drop off here in Kona specially at Pine Trees Point, where it feeds on plankton.
(Shot taken by Jim Robinson with a Nikon RS with a 50mm macro lens, using Fuji 100 Provia film an SB 104 strobe. Camera setting: F5.6 at 125/TTL, at a depth of 75 feet)
Twin Lava Tubes
Massive cliffs tower above the water's surface about a mile north of 1950 Pahoehoe Flow near Káohe (Pebble Beach) and 200 yards northeast of Káu Loa Point. There you will find a rock column which rises out of the water; just behind this column marks the entrance to the Twin Lava Tubes dive site.

The Twin Lava Tubes parallel each other, the lower tube is off to right and the entrance is 10 feet lower then the larger tube which is partially out of the water. The two are joined in the middle with an entrance that allows a diver to swim through.
As you enter the lower tube, the floor is a jumble of small boulders, rocks and broken coral from the wave's action over eons of time. (When there is a moderate surge or wave action against the west and northwest facing off these cliffs, we do not recommend this dive location). Farther into the lava tube the floor becomes very fine sand which end in about 25 yards. The floor is covered with small shrimp and the walls are scored with cracks and crevices cover with yellow-white and red sponges, if the diver looks very carefully he could find Regal Slipper Lobster (arctides regalis), Western Lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis) and other crustaceans. See photos.

As you make your way from the lower tube, to the connecting entrance of the upper tube, the view (turning off your underwater flash light) as you look forward. Be prepared for a breathtaking sight, the natural light filtering through the tubes from the outside light is a sight you will never forget. Sparkling, iridescent, multicolored of blue lights bathe your senses in the unique beauty of nature. The only way to put it: This must be experienced in person. WOW!

The area just outside the Twin Lava Tube is also one of the finest diving sites in the state. The diving area is covered with a multitude of coral (in the Hawaiian Islands there is over 150 species of coral and about 40 species are reef builders).
The Twin Lava Tube is not one of our regular dive sites, because of the distance. There are many other dive sites in that general area (Three Room Cave and Auau Crater).
Please do not misunderstand us. We do make these trips available for anyone or groups, who would like his or her dive adventure be a full day... We call these trips, full day exclusive charters that are normally a 3 tank dive with lunch provided.
Please check our rates section for EXCLUSIVE CHARTERS.
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