Wildlife · Destination Guide

Hawaii Island Big Island Usa

Year-round mantas, lava-formed reefs, and easy access to deep blue water

Updated Oct 30, 2025 • 20 sources

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Wildlife In Hawaii Island Big Island Usa

Browse the full species list linked to approved dive spots in Hawaii Island Big Island Usa.

Green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), Moorea, French Polynesia

Turtles

Green Turtle

Chelonia mydas

4 linked spots

Saltwater Fishes

Eel

2 linked spots

Rays

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Mobula birostris

2 linked spots

Molluscs

Octopus

2 linked spots

Saltwater Fishes

Wrasse

2 linked spots

Gestreifter Adlerrochen ( Pteromylaeus bovinus )

Rays

Eagle Ray

1 linked spot

Scientific name: Dermochelys coriacea Common name Spanish: Tinglar Photo by Claudia Lombard, USFWS Location, Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, US Virgin Islands More information: [1]

Turtles

Leatherback Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea

1 linked spot

Saltwater Fishes

Lionfish

1 linked spot

Saltwater Fishes

Porcupinefish

1 linked spot

a large group of fish swimming around a coral reef

Saltwater Fishes

Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae

1 linked spot

Saltwater Fishes

Scorpionfish

Scorpaenidae

1 linked spot

Jellyfish

Sea Nettle

Chrysaora

1 linked spot

Jellyfish

Sea Wasp

1 linked spot

Sharks

Silvertip Shark

Carcharhinus albimarginatus

1 linked spot

Saltwater Fishes

Snake Eel

Ophichthidae

1 linked spot

Sharks

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

1 linked spot

Freshwater Fishes

Walleye

Sander vitreus

1 linked spot

Seahorses and Pipefishes

Weedy Seadragon

Phyllopteryx taeniolatus

1 linked spot

Sharks

Whitetip Reef Shark

Triaenodon obesus

1 linked spot