I was very surprised to see this pinniped. This is an endangered species, rarely seen in the main islands, although easy to see at Midway. I lucked up on two of these that had swam up on a busy public beach at Po'ipu. The lifeguards were having a fit trying to keep curious people at bay. After a little bit, they got out and swam around, within a few feet of people. Estimates place around 1500 of these wonderful animals left. There are 3 species of Monk Seal worldwide, with the endangered Hawaiian the most common. The Mediterranean Monk is critically endangered, and the Caribbean is thought to be extinct. As is often the case, lack of fear of man hasn't behooved them well at all over the years.