Customer Reviews

Reef Fish Hawaii: Waterproof Pocket Guide

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John P. Hoover is THE MAN when it comes to identifying Hawaiian sea creatures. The serious diver and snorkeler really need to have his other reference books, Hawaii's Fishes and Hawaii's Sea Creatures, and his book on Hanauma Bay is a great resource for those visiting that famed location.

This small booklet is not meant to replace any of these. It is meant to replace those maddening plastic "fish ID" cards that you can pick up everywhere, that either are limited to 20 or so "common" fish (disputable), or, quite frankly, aren't that good at depicting the key identification characteristics of some fish with the illustrations used.

This booklet has Hoover's characteristic terrific photos. How does he have the patience to wait for most fish to slowly turn toward him so that he can capture both a lateral and anterior view? With room for about 150 species, Hoover couldn't include photos of the various juvenile or sex-specific forms or color patterns, so you won't see, say, a photo of a juvenile rockmover wrasse. And apparently I need to be looking more closely for the Indo-Pacific sergeant, instead of assuming that they are all the Hawaiian variety.

My one complaint is the nature of this book, which is meant to be used in the water. How do you hold onto it? I needed to punch a hole through the book, then attach a wrist lanyard. Divers need to keep everything attached to their BCD, and snorkelers can't/won't keep this in their hand while swimming. I do understand that a lanyard, or rubber band, or whatever you want to use to attach this booklet to your BCD or wrist may be awkward in a bookstore setting, but I would guess that Joe and Jane Snorkeler do not have access to a nice hole punch that would allow them to jury-rig some attachment device. And a hole is needed to keep this booklet from floating off.

Even with this "holey" comment, I'd recommend this booklet over every one of the similarly-priced plastic ID guides. Make your visit to Hawaiian waters a memorable one, and learn the fishes!

This handy, LITTLE book is indeed handy, has great authentic photos and yet it is smaller than I had envisioned. As it turns out, it suits my purposes very well. When at the beach, it does not take up any room in the bag and yet provides great reference photos for my snorkeling sessions. It will be a must-take on every trip where I will get to see these amazing and wonderfilled creatures again.

I was surprised when I got this book to see how small and flimsy it was. I was expecting something a bit sturdier. It is more of a pamphlet than a book. But it is made of waterproof paper, and has good information on the fish of Hawaii.

This waterproof guide completely fulfilled my expectations. It was easy to use while snorkeling, and dried out easily. I easily identified fish in the Oahu reefs.

Easy to carry in the water as you are looking for the many different fish in Hawaii.

If you want to know about Hawaii's reef fish, buy a book by Hoover! This little Pocket Guide is a handy reference that you can take to the beach with you. The waterproof pages are nice, so your book doesn't get ruined when you can't wait to dry off before looking up that fish you saw snorkeling or diving. Hoover's books always include great color photos. His books are also great for academic research projects (I always use his books as references for my projects!) I also like his other booksThe Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes: Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and SealsHawaii's Sea Creatures, a Guide to Hawaii's Marine InvertebratesHawaii's Fishes : A Guide for Snorkelers, Divers, and Aquarists

I bought this book on my first time in Hawaii. It is great for a snorkeler. I was able to identify most all the fish I saw while snorkeling in the Kona area of the Big Island. I did not take it in the water as the books says you can.

A convenient guide, waterproof and small enough to take with you snorkeling. The pictures are clear and detailed and closely approximate what you would likely see when snorkeling or scuba diving. Being a pocket guide, the range of fish that are included is somewhat limited, and that was the only reason I didn't give it five stars.