Galapagos Islands News

One of the highlights when visiting Galapagos is the chance to strap on a mask and snorkel and jump in with the fish. Galapagos is a world-class snorkeling and diving destination and every year thousands of visitors enjoy spending some quality time with local marine life. There are a variety of snorkeling sites in the islands: from easy trips from the beach to the strong currents of the Devil's Crown, there is something for every skill level.

Many visitors want to know what sort of fish they may see while snorkeling. It's impossible to say for certain, as types of fish vary from site to site and come and go during different times of the year. There are, however, some very common fish that tend to be found in the relatively shallow, calm waters favored by Galapagos snorkelers. Here are just a few:

Yellow-tailed Surgeon Fish (Prionurus punctatus): Yellow-tailed Surgeon fish are rounded, silver-and-yellow colored fish that often swim together in large and impressive schools. They can also be identified by the three dark dots on their sides near their tail and the two nearly vertical stripes on the sides of their "face." They get their name from the sharp spine in their tail, which is meant to discourage predators. Even hungry sea lions have learned to only eat them head-first to avoid hurting themselves on these spines. They're seen just about everywhere and tend to ignore snorkelers.

King Angelfish (holacanthus passer): The King Angelfish, the only variety of angelfish found in the islands, is a dazzling blue with orange/red fins and tail. It is also easily identified by a long white vertical stripe on its side. It's a medium-sized, squarish fish, about the size of a man's hand with the fingers spread out. They're commonly seen at most snorkeling sites, although they're a little shy and may swim away from snorkelers.

Sergeant-major (Abudefduf saxatilis): A very common tropical fish, the ubiquitous Sergeant-major is found at just about every snorkeling site in Galapagos. They're smallish, rounded fish easily identified by the black stripes on their backs. They're colored a deep blue and are very pretty fish to look at. They're not particularly shy and won't swim off until you get fairly close. They occasionally school, but as often or not you'll see only one or two at a time.

Parrot Fish (Scaridae family): Parrot fish are long, colorful fish that feed on organisms that live on and in coral. They have to crush the coral with their "beak" of a mouth, which gives them their name. Often, you'll hear parrot fish underwater before you see them. They are brightly colored, blue, green and orange and tend to prefer shallow, rocky waters with lots of coral for them to gnaw on. They're shy unless you approach slowly.