NudiMadness

NudiMadness is an aptly named beginner dive site on the western coast of Hawaii's Big Island — a shallow lava reef environment in the Kohala Coast area at a maximum depth of approximately 9 meters (about 30 feet) that has earned a devoted following among macro photography enthusiasts and nudibranch hunters for the remarkable diversity and density of nudibranchs and other colorful invertebrates found on its coral-encrusted lava substrate. Nudibranch — the hermaphroditic, shell-less marine mollusks whose extraordinary colors have made them among the most eagerly photographed subjects in diving worldwide — are present at Hawaiian reef sites in good diversity, but NudiMadness lives up to its name by concentrating species in a relatively compact, accessible area that rewards careful, slow inspection of the reef surface. Hawaiian nudibranch species include both endemic Pacific species and more cosmopolitan Indo-Pacific forms, with colors ranging from electric blue to vivid orange to spotted white — each species appearing more improbably colorful than the last. Beyond the nudibranchs, the shallow reef at NudiMadness hosts the typical Kohala Coast shallow reef community: Hawaiian green sea turtles rest on sandy patches and lava ledges throughout the dive, providing the large-animal encounters that bookend the macro experience. Small octopus hunt through the reef in their color-shifting camouflage. Moray eels occupy crevices throughout the lava structure. Various butterflyfish pairs maintain territories on the reef surface. The shallow depth allows extended bottom times for the patient, methodical searching that rewarding nudibranch hunting requires, and the calm conditions typical of the protected Kohala leeward coast make this a comfortable site for photographers who need stable, current-free conditions for close-up work. Access is by boat from Kawaihae-based operators on the Kohala Coast.