Hi Surfers, Here on Maui we share the water with many different types of ocean creatures. One common one you may see is the Turtle or “Honu” in Hawaiian. There are actually several different types of turtles found in Hawaiian waters.
Turtles (Honu) are marine reptiles that spend most of their time in the water. They occasionally haul themselves out of the water to rest on the beach. You should not disturb any turtle that is resting on the beach. Females turtles can come ashore to lay eggs. They bury the eggs and swim away. Some time later the eggs hatch by themselves, and the little turtles climb out of the nest and run into the water, and begin their lives in the sea. Baby turtles probably never get to met their mothers which is sad, but eventually they will meet other turtles and form groups and have friends. Eventually they fall in love and want to make babies of their own (eggs anyway) and the cycle begins again. Please respect turtles in the water and on the land. Do not disturb any turtle laying eggs, or any turtle nest. There are several different sea-turtle species found in Hawaii; the Green (Honu), the Leatherback, and Hawksbill (‘Ea). All Hawaiian sea turtles are endangered and are protected. We need to protect them too. When snorkeling it is not good to stay above a turtle because they need to surface to breathe. Stay to their side and do not chase them. Turtles do not eat people, but they can bite.
