Do whale sharks come to Hawaii?

Though extremely rare, they do. Not only are the winter months in Hawaii considered Humpback Whale season, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the biggest fish in the sea, the Whale Shark (don't forget that whales are mammals). These bad boys can get up to 40 feet long.



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Also, with the exception of white tip and black tip reef sharks, seeing a shark is so exceptionally rare that most locals have never seen one. If you do see a shark when visiting Hawaii—especially in clear, blue water—consider yourself lucky to have had the chance at such a rare encounter.

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The reality, however, is that they do exist in Hawaii, but they aren't a part of a resident population that is regularly spotted in the islands. There have been a handful of orca sightings off the Big Island of Hawaii as well as Maui and Lana'i, and a dead orca once washed ashore along the southern coastline of Lana'i.

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About eight species are somewhat common in nearshore waters. The most frequently encountered are the whitetip reef, sandbar, scalloped hammerhead, and occasionally tiger. These inshore species are top-level carnivores, feeding primariy on fishes.

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It is well known in Hawaii that October through the end of the calendar year is a time of increased shark activity. Historically, it's been the month with the most recorded unprovoked shark bites.

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Beneath the ocean's beautiful blue surface, conditions can be unpredictable and even dangerous. Ocean safety experts recommend checking in with lifeguards before you enter the water - they'll be happy to tell you about potential hazards like rip currents, hidden rocks and shorebreaks.

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Maui generally enjoys some of the best water quality on earth. Sometimes during winter storms on Maui, Molokai and Lanai water quality can be compromised temporarily by water runoff that carries excessive sediment, nutrients, and pollution called Brown Water Events, characterized by brown-looking water.

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Although tiger sharks may be the most dangerous of Hawaiian sharks, other species have been known to bite people, usually with much less serious results. But as mentioned above, sharks have very sharp teeth, and even small sharks can cause significant tissue damage to a person.

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The easy answer is no. Alligators are not native to Hawaii, and the only way you'll see a gator in the Aloha State is in the zoo, such as the Honolulu Zoo. However, of the two alligators the Honolulu Zoo had, their oldest alligator, Goliath, died in 2015 after living six decades in the zoo.

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