Hallelujah! this is the response i got from wet web media:
Let's see. It's a moray eel and no other type of eel. There are eight
small and brown morays known to science to far. Visible on your pics we
have a slightly darker rim around the eye and white pores on the jaw. This
leaves three species. I think we can rule out G. panamensis, which should
be larger after five years and has a slightly different head as well a
dorsal fin origin more in direction to the head of the eel. There remain G.
atolli (improbable, known only from Hawaii and Midway) and G. australicola
(of which also the shape seems to be a perfect fit to your eel). I'd say
you got yourself a Gymnothorax australicola (you are very lucky), a rather
small moray eel, although I cannot completely outrule G. atolli. They can
only be told apart by measuring their preanal length and counting their
vertebrae. Nothing you'd like to do on a living specimen.
WWM Crew= super awesome crew
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