We were fortunate to experience sea turtles, on land
and under the sea, in both Kauai and Maui. What a magical experience!
On Kauai, we discovered that green sea turtles, called “honu,”
nap on the sand on Poipu Beach on the south coast every afternoon. At sunset,
scores of them haul themselves up onto the beach to spend the night. We saw at
least 40 there, though darkness obscured our view. The area is cordoned off to prevent humans from getting too close, and a couple of naturalists informed us about the turtles, which were once endangered and have been upgraded to “threatened” status.
On Maui, there’s a similar beach on the Road to Hana that also attracts sea turtles napping.
And in West Maui, at Black Rock at the north end of
Ka’anapali Beach, you can walk into the water in your snorkel gear and spend an
afternoon floating while watching sea turtles eat. We also say spotted rays and
a huge variety of other fish.
This video is long. The first five minutes are enough to
give you an idea of the experience. But if you really want to immerse yourself
in the sea with the turtles, watch the whole thing!
