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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Pacific

Pacific

Marshall Islands

Remote Pacific atolls inside a country-wide shark sanctuary, with calm lagoon reefs and World War Two wrecks.

Blacktip reef shark
Blacktip reef shark, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: Corentin Largeron on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Marshall Islands travel advisory, US State Department, 21 May 2026; Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test Site, UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Marshall Islands travel advice, UK FCDO, 19 Mar 2026.

SnorkellingSharksWrecksCoral reefs

Why Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands are low coral atolls spread across a huge stretch of the Pacific, and the whole country has been a shark sanctuary since 2011. Majuro is the capital atoll with a large lagoon and reef snorkelling. Kwajalein Atoll holds wrecks from the 1944 battle, which we treat as war graves, and its main island is a US Army site with limited access. We do not go to Bikini Atoll because of radiation and old munitions, and we still need to verify which animals visitors can really expect.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

Papua New GuineaIndonesiaTimor-LesteSolomon Is.ChinaTaiwanPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiMajuro Atoll, Marshall IslandsKwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands

When to go

Dec-Apr. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

The whole country is a shark sanctuary, and the wrecks and nuclear test sites are protected heritage. We do not go to Bikini, and we treat Kwajalein wrecks as war graves and never take souvenirs. Majuro has no recompression chamber, so we keep diving shallow and gentle and put snorkelling first. We could not read the sanctuary law itself, so we are still learning.

Evidence is still thin here. We are checking again with official sources.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Marshall Islands

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Majuro Atoll

Exploring

The capital atoll, with a big lagoon, reef snorkelling and gentle diving.

🤿 In the water: Reef snorkelling (gentle, no touching)

When: Dec-Apr. We plan December to April. Sources disagree on the storm season, and some government advice warns about heavy rain from July to November. There is no recompression chamber in Majuro, so we keep diving shallow.

Kwajalein Atoll

Exploring

A huge lagoon with 1944 battle wrecks, where access is limited by a US Army base.

Animals

Animals recorded in Marshall Islands

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Two blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernReef manta ray gliding over a sandy lagoonReef manta rayMobula alfrediSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasVulnerableHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredWall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue waterGrey reef sharkCarcharhinus amblyrhynchosSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTiger shark with clear stripes swimming over a reefTiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSpotted garden eels rising from sand, black spots clearly visibleSpotted garden eelHeteroconger hassiSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilvertip shark swimming in open blue waterSilvertip sharkCarcharhinus albimarginatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhite-spotted eagle rays gliding over coral at Heron Island, Great Barrier ReefSpotted eagle ray (ocellated eagle ray)Aetobatus ocellatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTawny nurse sharks swimming in sunlit Maldives waterTawny nurse sharkNebrius ferrugineusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePink whipray and a blacktip reef shark in Moʻorea's lagoon, mountains behindPink whiprayPateobatis faiSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in BelizeWhitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangeredPale reef stonefish resting between anemones in KwajaleinReef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClown triggerfish with big white spots over reef in the Coral SeaClown triggerfishBalistoides conspicillumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed-tailed tropicbird in Glendowie, Auckland, New Zealand, iNaturalist research-grade observationRed-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon rubricaudaSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant clam on the reef at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, AustraliaGiant clamTridacna gigasSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant trevally swimming close to a coral head, with small reef fish in blue water behind itGiant trevallyCaranx ignobilisSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRobber crab on rough coral rock with bent legs and large claws, in daylightRobber crab (coconut crab)Birgus latroSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWilson's storm-petrel resting on calm water with its wings raised above its backWilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Dreaming of Marshall Islands?

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