Hawaii's Green Sea Turtles

Nothing is more exciting for a snorkeler than an encounter with a sea turtle.  Graceful, peaceful and gentle, the green sea turtles of Hawaii don't seem to be afraid of the humans that swim close to them.  In fact, they often glide right by you as you're exploring a reef, seemingly oblivious to the harm that mankind is capable of wielding.  Fortunately in Maui today, it seems relatively easy to encounter one of these endangered denizens of the sea.

If you're paying close attention, it's not difficult to find a sea turtle resting deep at the bottom of the sea, protected mostly by a reef's ledge.  More than twenty feet below the surface of the water, he'll usually surface after five minutes for a breath of air or two.

Other times, you may find a turtle eating the algae and sea grass that cover rocks close to the shore line and the water's surface.  Even a walk along a beach might find one basking in the sand, either resting, sunning or just finding safety from the ocean for a short while.

Green sea turtle gliding not far from swimmers and snorkelers off Kaanapali in Maui.

View of a green sea turtle and its shell's detailed patterns.

Green sea turtle close-up off Napili Beach in Maui.

Green sea turtle ascending for a breath of air.

Breaking the water's surface.

Green sea turtle off Napili Beach in Maui breaking the water's surface to breathe.

Green sea turtle resting under the reef.

Green sea turtle.

Close-up.

Green sea turtle gliding over the sandy bottom near the reef off Kaanapali, Maui.

Turtle eating short sea grass or algae off Napili Beach, Maui. 

As the sea turtle eats and scrapes the reef and rocks, a Christmas wrasse seems to pick up debris for its own meal.

Green sea turtle eating.

Turtle eating. 

Pair of green sea turtles eating algae or sea grass in active, shallow water off Napili Beach, Maui.

Green sea turtle basking on the beach on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Snapshot of a green sea turtle swimming over the lush coral reef off Kaanapali, Maui.

While photos easily record the beauty of the honu or Hawaiian green sea turtle, videos capture a more spectacular view of an encounter with this remarkable and endangered creature.