Cicopo
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There is a huge difference between land based photography & underwater photography. The deeper you go the less light you have, plus by 80 feet all color is gone too. Add to that the bulk of your housing & strobes, and limited view of the viewfinder because you have a mask on (you can buy viewfinder aids but they add to the package cost) and finally the big difference, no way to plant your feet into the perfect stance to reduce camera shake. Underwater photography in general is a macro based game because of all the silt in the water which can ruin an otherwise good scene so close ups reduce the effect, and increase the lighting of the strobe(s) used because that light doesn't go very far in the underwater world.
The real challenge however is buoyancy, because you can't frame & focus while floating as easily as you can while standing or kneeling. Wave surge, currents, and any other thing that can move you will because you can't use your hands while using your camera. Trying to plant yourself on the bottom normally disturbs the silt & sand so that's a bad idea, and if it's coral it's a very bad idea since coral is a living thing. It takes a lot of practice plus a good understanding of the limitations one faces before jumping in with both feet because good underwater gear is very expensive vs land based gear.
Now I know that your particular use sounds like a snorkeling situation which reduces the need for strobes (the water in Hawaii is relatively clear in most areas) so you should have plenty of light, but you really need to swim down to get the best photos. Fish don't look very pretty from above when compared to a side view. This of course adds to the work load because without a tank of air you have limited time to get the shot, and need to kick most of that time.
One more consideration you may want to know about is that it's best to have your camera (and strobes) very close to a neutral buoyancy, which means that it just barely floats. You don't want it to sink, nor pull you back to the surface. This can be done with weights sold to match the housing used, or a home made system. The small waterproof cameras won't need this done but housings do. Also add a lanyard so that it's attached to you. You'd be surprised to hear just how many cameras are lost by divers.
These were shot while snorkeling in Cozumel, in about 15 feet of water under ideal conditions, and were my first use of my G9, which replaced an S1 IS used on previous trips. I've only been to Kauai but in general I'd rate the visibility in Cozumel as way better than what I had in Kauai.
If you look at the nice white areas of the ocean floor that's not sand it's silt & any fin kicking would have made the scene look like a snowstorm when photographed. Strobes amplify that problem big time, unless they are well away from the lens.
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), ensuring close encounters. Stay away from the mantas, so many these days have been scraped by overzealous or incompetent snorkelers or divers. The scrapes get infected by bacteria, and as a result you see lots of red stripes along the manta's bottom sides. To me, this injury is reminiscent of the bent dorsal fins of captive orcas.