Salmon are among the most iconic fish in the aquatic world, celebrated for their extraordinary life cycle. Born in freshwater rivers and streams, salmon spend most of their adult lives in the open ocean before returning—often across vast distances—to their natal freshwater habitats to spawn. This journey is one of nature’s most impressive migrations and offers unique opportunities for divers to witness the species up close in both marine and inland environments.Each species varies in size, color, and behavior, particularly during the spawning season when their appearance and activity change dramatically.

There are several major species of salmon found across the globe. The Atlantic salmon, native to the North Atlantic Ocean and its bordering rivers, is commonly found in eastern Canada, Europe, Greenland, and parts of the northeastern United States. In the Pacific, species such as the Chinook (also known as king salmon), Coho (silver salmon), Sockeye (red salmon), Pink (humpy salmon), and Chum (dog salmon) are widely distributed along the coasts of North America and Asia. These Pacific salmon are commonly encountered from California to Alaska and as far as Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. If you have ever wanted to go diving with salmon, click on the map below to discover dive sites where they can be seen.