In the days of old Hawaii opihi were known to grow as large as a grapefruit! They grew to such a large size beacause Hawaiians were careful to pick only what was needed from the rocks. These opihi lived longer and grew bigger. Today most opihi that are picked are about the size of a ping-pong ball or smaller.

Opihi grow on rocks along the splash zone of the rocky shoreline. They cling to the rocks with their muscular like suction cup mouth. Opihi are very strong survivors. During low tides, they must survive dry, hot periods. At high tides they have to deal with the heavy surge of water and pounding waves.

The anciant Hawaiians ate opihi right out of the shell. The best opihi have yellow meat and are found on the rocks where the waves are the roughest. Hawaiians used a stick to pry the opihi off the rocks .Remember,the ocean is dangerous, so when picking opihi never face your back to the ocean. Many opihi risked their lives to gather this delicacy.

Ancient Hawaiians were always careful not to take more than was needed. After eating the opihi meat, the shells would be saved to use as a tool. Opihi shells are round or oval shape with sharp edge and the shells were used for scraping, peeling and scooping. For example, after soaking strips of wauke bark (when making kapa), women woulduse an opihi shellto scrape off the unwanted side of the bark before pounding it.