Marine life, planned like a local
Every guide answers the three questions that matter: where can I actually see one, which months, and what should I do when it happens. Sightings are labeled resident, seasonal, occasional or rare, never implied.
In the water now · October
In season this month
Oceanic Manta Ray
Raja Ampat
Oct–Apr
Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
Bali & Nusa Penida
Jul–Oct
Reef Manta Ray
Raja Ampat +1 more
Oct–Apr
Whale Shark
Galápagos Islands +2 more
Jun–Nov
Sperm Whale
The Azores
May–Oct
Silky Shark
Brothers, Daedalus & St John's
May–Oct
Blue Shark
The Azores
Jun–Oct
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Brothers, Daedalus & St John's +1 more
Oct–Jan
Humpback Whale
Ningaloo Reef +1 more
Aug–Oct
California Sea Lion
British Columbia
Oct–Mar
Bull Shark
Costa Rica Pacific Coast
May–Nov
Olive Ridley Turtle
Costa Rica Pacific Coast
Aug–Nov
Sand Tiger (Ragged-Tooth) Shark
Aliwal Shoal & Umkomaas
Jun–Nov
Size line-up
From the tiniest to the biggest
Largest recorded size of each animal, on a scale where every step is ten times the last.
Sharks 22
From reef sharks that patrol at arm's length to the whale shark, the biggest fish in the sea.
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Blacktip Reef Shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
-
Blue Shark
Prionace glauca
-
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
-
Caribbean Reef Shark
Carcharhinus perezi
-
Galápagos Shark
Carcharhinus galapagensis
-
Great Hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
-
Great White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
-
Grey Nurse Shark
Carcharias taurus
-
Grey Reef Shark
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
-
Lemon Shark
Negaprion brevirostris
-
Leopard (Zebra) Shark
Stegostoma tigrinum
-
Nurse Shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
-
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Carcharhinus longimanus
-
Pelagic Thresher Shark
Alopias pelagicus
-
Sand Tiger (Ragged-Tooth) Shark
Carcharias taurus
-
Scalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
-
Silky Shark
Carcharhinus falciformis
-
Silvertip Shark
Carcharhinus albimarginatus
-
Tasselled Wobbegong
Eucrossorhinus dasypogon
-
Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
-
Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
-
Whitetip Reef Shark
Triaenodon obesus
Rays 7
Mantas, eagle rays and stingrays: the fliers, gliders and sand-sleepers of the reef.
Turtles 5
Ancient mariners that mostly ignore divers while they graze, cruise and nap under ledges.
Marine Mammals 9
Dolphins, whales, sea lions, dugongs and manatees: the air-breathers who visit our world.
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Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
-
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
-
Dugong
Dugong dugon
-
Galápagos Sea Lion
Zalophus wollebaeki
-
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
-
Orca (Killer Whale)
Orcinus orca
-
Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
-
Spinner Dolphin
Stenella longirostris
-
West Indian Manatee
Trichechus manatus
Big Fish 9
Groupers, tuna, trevally, barracuda and the mola: the heavyweights of the blue.
-
Atlantic Goliath Grouper
Epinephelus itajara
-
Atlantic Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
-
Bumphead Parrotfish
Bolbometopon muricatum
-
Dogtooth Tuna
Gymnosarda unicolor
-
Giant Grouper
Epinephelus lanceolatus
-
Giant Trevally
Caranx ignobilis
-
Great Barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
-
Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
Mola mola
-
Napoleon (Humphead) Wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
Reef Fish 13
Frogfish, mandarinfish, eels and clownfish: the characters that turn every reef dive into a treasure hunt.
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Clownfish & Anemonefish
Amphiprioninae
-
Frogfish
Antennariidae
-
Garden Eel
Heterocongrinae
-
Giant Moray Eel
Gymnothorax javanicus
-
Lionfish
Pterois volitans
-
Mandarinfish
Synchiropus splendidus
-
Oriental Sweetlips
Plectorhinchus vittatus
-
Pinnate Batfish
Platax pinnatus
-
Porcupinefish
Diodon hystrix
-
Reef Stonefish
Synanceia verrucosa
-
Ribbon Eel
Rhinomuraena quaesita
-
Seahorses
Hippocampus
-
Titan Triggerfish
Balistoides viridescens
Cephalopods 6
Octopus, squid and cuttlefish: color-changing, problem-solving, gone in a puff of ink.
Macro 5
Pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish and nudibranchs: tiny animals that reward slow, patient diving.
Crustaceans 2
Harlequin shrimp and mantis shrimp: small, bright and surprisingly fierce.
Invertebrates 3
Giant clams, Christmas tree worms and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
Reptiles 1
The banded sea krait, a sea snake that hunts in reef crevices and returns to land to rest.
Cold Water 5
Seadragons, wolf eels and giant cuttlefish: proof that the best diving isn't always tropical.
