Maui offers an abundance of marine sealife! Hawaiian sea turtles are definately a star (take the afternoon snorkel tour to Coral Gardens for the best opportunity to encounter sea turtles).
Maui’s pristine water is the perfect habitat for common reef fishes, like Hawaii’s state fish Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, brilliant tangs, the smoothly shy trumpet fish, and crazy-looking unicornfish. Large reef fish like the parrotfish and surgeonfish are common. Don’t forget Maui’s little fish, pencil urchins, octopus, and eels swimming in and out of the coral reefs!
Maui’s snorkelers can be treated to bigger, life impactful encounters with the stars of the ocean, such as manta and spotted eagle rays, the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, and the harmless white-tip reef shark. Dolphins and whales (seasonal whale watching tours available from Dec. to March).
Like all carers of the world, we ask that our snorkeling guests respect our precious sealife. Take some time here to get to know Maui’s sea creatures so when you snorkel Maui, you’ll know what to look for!
The Friendly Shark of the Sea The white tip reef shark is a small shark, usually not exceeding 5.2 ft in length. This creature is easily recognizable by its slender body and short but broad head, oval eyes with vertical pupils, and white-tipped dorsal and…
The Unicorn, Blue-Lined Snapper & Box Fish The unicorn fish is in surgeonfin family. They are named after the spike that protrudes from its forehead; however some species have more of a protrusion rather than an actual spike, and some lack a spike…
The Yellowfin surgeonfish one of the species of salt water sea fish that change color as they get older. When still young it deserves its name since the color of its tail is a beautiful yellow. After metamorphosis the color changes and the…
The Spiny Lobster The Spiny Lobster is endemic to Hawaii. You can can determine this particular lobster by it's purple and white striped tail and black legs with a single white stripe. It is the most common species beyond the…
Moorish Idol: The Reef Fish The moorish idol is a favorite reef fish that is the sole representative of the Zanclidae family. You might recognize it from it's popular role, "Gill" in the move Finding Nemo. It is said the moorish idol got its…
Whale Shark: The Largest Fish in the Sea The afternoon snorkel trip got one heck of a show the other day, when a Whale Shark came right up to the boat to investigate! The whale shark is a slow moving,…
Octopuses are characterized by their eight arms (distinct from the tentacles found in squid and cuttlefish), usually bearing suction cups. The majority of octopuses, have almost entirely soft bodies with no internal skeloton. They have neither a protective outer shell, nor any…
What you might see at Molokini... Yellow Tang, also called "naughty tang", are in the surgeonfish family. Adult fish can grow to 7 to 8 inches in length, and roughly .5 to .75 inches in thickness. Adult males tend to…
The Zebra Moray Eel is really quite peaceful and moves quite slow... The Zebra Moray Eel is an eye catching and extremely docile species that derives its name from the bold pattern of bars on its body. You can see…