What Fish Can You See Snorkeling in Tonga?

I love all things ocean! I grew up on an island in Washington, I’ve lived on a boat, my degree is in marine science and I’ve worked in outdoor education on Catalina Island.

I have been snorkeling hundreds of times… it’s one of my favorite activities! So believe me when I say that there is AMAZING snorkeling in Tonga! 

I spent over 2 weeks in Tonga and I snorkeled every. single. day. You are in for a treat when you snorkel in Tonga. It’s a South Pacific paradise! Because of how spread out the island chains are, the biodiversity changes greatly between the islands. I heard from a local that the animals can change greatly on reefs that are just a few miles apart.

Snorkeling is such a great way to get access to a magical underwater world!

Read through all my snorkeling tips or jump down to fish identification using this table of contents

Snorkeling in Tonga: ‘Eua, Ha’apai and Va’vau

I went snorkeling on two different islands and noticed the difference in marine life immediately. I spent a few days on ‘Eua where I snorkeled at a reef drop off straight from the beach. I actually heard the whales singing from this snorkel spot. Which was incredible! 

The second spot I snorkeled at was in Ha’apai. There are many islands in the Ha’apai chain – I was on ‘Foa at Matafonua Lodge. The lodge has established a marine reserve in the lagoon off the beach, and it was some of the best tropical snorkeling I’ve ever done. The reef life was incredibly vibrant.

After my snorkels, I spent a long time thoroughly looking through the book “a field guide to tropical fish of the south pacific.” I took notes on many of the fish I was, as well as some of the invertebrates, sharks and corals.

I’ve put together this guide to help you identify some of the more common animals you will see snorkeling in Tonga. 

If you’re going to the Kingdom of Tonga to swim with whales or just for a relaxing beach getaway, you need to add snorkeling to your agenda!

There are 3 main island chains in the Kingdom of Tonga. During my 2 week stay I spent time on ‘Eua and Ha’apai.

The island of ‘Eua is part of the Tongatapu chain and is one of the lesser visited islands in Tonga. It is a rocky volcanic island and has much coarser sand and rougher conditions than the other 2 island chains. I stayed at Kikos Guesthouse on ‘Eua and had an amazing stay. Plus there was a beach I could snorkel at just a 15 minute walk away! 

I did not personally travel to Va’vau but it sounds geologically similar to Ha’apai: they are both sandy atoll island chains with lots of lagoons and more picturesque beaches. Va’vau and Ha’apai are incredibly popular spots and boast great snorkeling.

If you are looking for an ultimate beach getaway with crystal clear water, white sandy beaches and easier to access snorkel points, you should definitely focus on getting out to either Ha’apai or Va’vau.

Snorkel Tours in Tonga

If you’re interested in going on a snorkel tour, you can find a list of top rated tours over on the Tonga Pocket Guide. I can’t speak to the quality of any tour because I only ever went out self guided. But if the spots they take you are anything like the beach snorkeling I did, you’re surely in for a treat!

Tonga is an affordable place to travel and enjoying the underwater world is a free activity if you have a mask and snorkel! And if you choose to take a tour there are plenty of affordable ones out there!

Snorkeling at Matafonua

Matafonua Lodge is hailed as one of the best snorkeling resorts in Tonga.

I stayed at the beautiful lodge for a week and I got in the ocean every. single. day. I wholeheartedly agree that this is some of the best snorkeling in the Kingdom! If you’re a diver, you can also dive on site. 

Not to mention the owners recently established a marine reserve around their pristine lagoon, ensuring the reef and animals that call it home are healthy for years to come. 

During the months of late June – October, you can also snorkel with whales by booking a tour with Matafanua. Swimming with whales is what brought me to Tonga and it honestly changed me! I can’t stop talking about what an amazing experience it was.

Snorkel Gear in Tonga

Most resorts will provide a mask, snorkel and fins! But if you have your own, I definitely recommend bringing at least your mask and snorkel so you can be familiar and comfortable with the gear. 

The sun is strong in the South Pacific, and I would greatly advise you to wear sun protectant swimwear!

This is paramount especially if you’re planning on being in the water for an extended period of time. I love the long sleeve sunsuits from Waterlust, they really keep the sun off you! Sometimes I’ll even snorkel in my long sleeve shirt, it doesn’t have to be fancy you should just make an effort to keep the sun off you.

Also remember to buy reef safe zinc sunscreen.

What’s the Snorkeling in Tonga Like?

I went to Tonga in August, and although it’s winter you can hardly tell! The water was a perfect 65℉ and it was warm and sunny most days.

But before you get in the water you should always assess the conditions. Tonga was not always a forgiving spot to snorkel. 

On ‘Eua the entry point to the water was off a jagged lava flow and only accessible during low tide. The first time I went snorkeling there I only had the confidence to go because I saw a guided tour go into the water and I knew it would be safe. 

That first snorkel on ‘Eua took my breath away. It was absolutely stunning and not at all what I was expecting to see! Beautiful lava flows entering the water giving way to vibrant reef life. There was perfect white sand 30 feet beneath us and hundreds of schools of fish.

We could even hear the whales singing as they swam by a mile away.

But always be cautious when snorkeling in a new spot and always have a buddy or someone who knows your snorkel plan.

The second time I went to snorkel here it was too rough to get in the water initially, but after about an hour the tide went down enough that we could get in. Getting out however I was pulled around by the surge and cut my leg on the lava rock. If you’re not confident in the water be very careful which days you choose to get in! 

On Ha’apai, we had access to an amazing lagoon right in front of Matafonua. Again low tide was the best time to snorkel, but even still there was a strong current pulling out of the lagoon. We were warned about the current on day 1 and assured it would just spit us out on the other side of the beach, but it still kinda freaked me out. 

We were told that if we got caught in the current to just swim towards shore and eventually we’d end up back on the beach. The left side of the lagoon had no current, so if we got pulled over there we’d eventually be let go. Never fight a current, always swim perpendicular to it – I.E. out of it.

With that being said the current was very manageable at low tide, but we definitely felt it. My biggest complaint was that sometimes the current would sweep me along too fast and I didn’t get to look at all the fish I wanted to!

Types of Fish in Tonga

There are probably hundreds of reef fish species in the lagoons of Tonga.

I looked at all 500 pages of the reef fish guide for the indo-pacific and have compiled a list of the most common and abundant species I saw. Keep in mind species will vary on islands just a few miles apart.

These are the main types of fish I saw:

Keep in mind there are sometimes dozens of species for a particular type of fish. For example I listed “stonefish” but you may see a reef stonefish and an estuarine stonefish.

Photos from Unsplash

Types of Reef Sharks

Sharks are really just fish with cartilage instead of bones!

They are beautiful animals and some of my favorite to see while snorkeling. I was overjoyed to see 2 types of sharks while snorkeling on Ha’apai!

I saw both a blacktip reef shark as well as a zebra shark!

Types of Invertebrates

I saw so many amazing invertebrates on my snorkels! My favorite was the giant clam! Here are just a few types of boneless creatures you may see on your snorkel in Tonga:

• Giant Clam (Maxima clam) – these really blew me away!
• Cushion Sea Star
• Blue Sea Star
• Brittle Star
• Sea Slugs
• Sea Urchins
• Anemones

Types of Coral in Tonga

Coral is a living animal and falls into the invertebrate category.

I was so pleased to see so much healthy coral in Tonga. My favorite coral was the purple acorpora, which often had little juvenile fish hiding in it!

Here are a few species you may see when snorkeling in Tonga:

• Birds Nest (Seriatopora)
• Purple Acropora 
• Purple Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis)
• Lattice Table Coral (Acropora clathrata)
• Elkhorn (Acropora palmata)

Snorkeling in Tonga is such a dream, and it’s even better when you know what you’re looking at!

If you’re ready for a taste of the South Pacific, I can’t recommend planning a trip to Tonga enough! I saw so many amazing species I had never seen before, including the blacktip reef shark. Not to mention I swam with whales and it totally changed my life! 

Traveling to a remote island did come with its challenges, but the beauty and biodiversity of Tonga shone through. Snorkeling was an absolute highlight for me – if you love the ocean you need to add Tonga to your bucketlist!