Islands, reefs and coastal feeding habitat
Hawaiʻi includes reefs and coastal bays across several islands. Green turtles use coastal feeding habitat, while reef fish occupy different parts of the underwater landscape. The Kona Coast and Maui guides below focus on smaller areas within the island chain.
A turtle’s meal and a fish’s shelter
Watch the surface an animal uses. A turtle grazing vegetation and a fish sheltering beside reef structure can occupy the same broad area for different reasons. Green turtles eat mainly algae and seagrass, with diet varying by life stage and region.
Visiting managed waters
Marine managed areas have location-specific boundaries and guidance. Check Hawaiʻi’s Division of Aquatic Resources information for the island and area you plan to visit, and give wildlife space to continue its behavior.
Species recorded around Hawaiʻi
Bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatusA short, thick beak and gray body are useful starting clues. The back is generally darker than the underside, but size and color vary between coastal and offshore animals; a distant fin alone is insufficient.
View Bottlenose dolphin records on the map →Common minke whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrataCoastal bays and offshore ocean waters, particularly in temperate and cooler seas
View Common minke whale records on the map →Convict Surgeonfish
Acanthurus triostegusOuter reef habitat
View Convict Surgeonfish records on the map →Dusky Surgeonfish
Acanthurus nigrofuscusRock and boulder habitat
View Dusky Surgeonfish records on the map →Fin whale
Balaenoptera physalusOpen ocean waters across the world’s oceans
View Fin whale records on the map →Goldring Surgeonfish
Ctenochaetus strigosusRock and boulder habitat; Outer reef habitat
View Goldring Surgeonfish records on the map →Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydasLook for four pairs of large scutes along the sides of the shell and a single pair of large scales between the eyes. The shell can look brown, gray or olive; the name does not mean the shell is green. Juveniles can resemble hawksbills, so compare several features.
View Green sea turtle records on the map →Hawaiian Spotted Toby
Canthigaster jactatorOuter reef habitat; Reef rubble
View Hawaiian Spotted Toby records on the map →Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliaeOpen ocean, coastal feeding waters, and warm, shallow breeding areas
View Humpback whale records on the map →Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish
Naso lituratusOuter reef habitat
View Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish records on the map →Reef manta ray
Mobula alfrediThe Manta Trust guide describes a diffuse V-shaped boundary in the dark markings on the upper surface. When underside spots are present, they can occur between the gill slits as well as on the abdomen. Compare multiple features with the guide rather than using size alone.
View Reef manta ray records on the map →Reef triggerfish
Rhinecanthus rectangulusShallow reef flats, rubble, and wave-exposed reef edges
View Reef triggerfish records on the map →Saddle Wrasse
Thalassoma duperreyRock and boulder habitat; Outer reef habitat; Reef rubble
View Saddle Wrasse records on the map →Thin-shelled rock crab
Grapsus tenuicrustatusA shore crab also known as ʻaʻama in Hawaiʻi; the field account gives a shell width of about 2 inches.
View Thin-shelled rock crab records on the map →Yellow Tang
Zebrasoma flavescensOuter reef habitat
View Yellow Tang records on the map →
OBIS records since 2016-01-01; checked 2026-09-19. The search covers the published regional rectangle. This is a selection matched to our species guide, not a complete local checklist. Past presence does not predict an encounter. Source checklist · How we check records.