What are you going to see on one of our snorkeling safaris? Short answer, a ton! Long answer, the specific things you can expect to see can be region and location-dependent. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect to see in some of our most popular snorkeling safari destinations. Please note that this is a very small list featuring some of the most popular species, there is so much more to see for each location!
Coral Triangle Staples
*This list of creatures can be expected for just about all of our snorkeling safaris taking place in the Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Philippines, Palau).
- Many different types of anemones and anemonefish
- Pristine hard and soft coral reefs
- Many species of lionfish and scorpionfish
- Many different species of angelfish
- Tons of different species of colorful reef fish
- Porcupinefish and many different species of pufferfish
- Blue-spotted stingrays
- Nudibranchs
- Many different types of sea stars
- Moray eels
Raja Ampat and Komodo- Indonesia
- Manta rays
- Big schools of big fish
- Mangroves
- Green and hawksbill sea turtles
- Cuttlefish, octopus, squid
- Reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Bumphead parrotfish
Alor- Indonesia
- Some larger schools of big fish
- Mandarine fish
- Hawksbill sea turtles
- Cuttlefish, octopus, squid
- Mola mola (depends on tide, current, and moon phase)
- Friendly local fishermen freediving with homemade wood goggles as they spearfish with handmade spears
North Sulawesi and Wakatobi- Indonesia
- Hawksbill and green sea turtles
- Sea snakes
- Crocodile fish
- Some schooling fish
- Cuttlefish, octopus, squid
Philippines
- Some smaller schools of big fish
- Sea snakes
- Hawksbill and green sea turtles
- Whale shark (not to be expected but it’s possible)
- Mandarine fish
- Cuttlefish, octopus, squid
- Frogfish
Palau
- Manta rays
- Reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Bumphead parrotfish
- Some bigger schools of fish
- Cuttlefish, octopus, squid
- Hawksbill and green sea turtles
Caribbean
- Some smaller schools of big fish
- Tons of beautiful sea fans and brightly colored sponges
- Lobsters
- Whale sharks (around Roatan and Utila)
- Eagle rays
- Large southern stingrays
- Reef sharks
- Trunkfish, pufferfish, and porcupine fish
- Squid and octopus
- Several species of angelfish
- Crocodiles (in a controlled but completely natural environment in Cuba)
Sea of Cortez-Mexico
- Blue sharks
- Mako Sharks
- Smooth hammerhead sharks
- Humpback, killer, grey, and blue whales
- Sea lions
- Olive ridley sea turtles
Tonga, Fiji, French Polynesia- South Pacific
- Humpback whales (Tonga)
- Many reef sharks
- Some bigger schools of fish
- Beautiful hard coral reefs
- Many species of reef fish
- Stingrays and eagle rays
- Mantas
- Green and hawksbill sea turtles
- Moray eels
Egypt
- Long stretches of beautiful hard coral reef
- Dugongs
- Dolphins
- Stingrays
- Reef sharks
- Several species of lionfish and scorpionfish
- Large schools of smaller reef fish, and some schools of larger fish
- Lots of colorful reef fish
- Moray eels
