A symbol for conservationists, and an inspiration to all who see it, the Green Sea Turtle is an amazing animal which scientists believe has changed very little during the astounding 200 million years it has been living in the planet’s oceans. Sometimes referred to as Pacific Green Turtles or Black Sea Turtles, these creatures are mainly herbivorous, feeding mostly on sea grasses in shallow lagoons. A mythic creature native Hawaiians believe to be a guardian spirit, the green sea turtle has been revered since ancient times, when it was depicted on petroglyphs. Today, these turtles are an endangered species in need of care and protection, yet they can be readily encountered in some places. Time to meet the Honu!
Identifying the Green Sea Turtle
With flattened bodies, stout flippers, a short snout, and an unhooked beak, the Green Sea Turtle is easy to identify. Adults grow to be as large as five feet long, and average between 240 and 420 pounds, although the largest recorded specimen weighed in at 870 pounds. At adulthood, the turtle’s shell takes on a distinct heart shape, and while Hawksbill turtles have two claws on their front appendages throughout life, Green Sea Turtles sometimes hatch with two distinct claws but those always fuse into a single claw once the animal reaches adulthood. The Green Sea Turtle is named for the color of its skin rather than for the color of its shell; it is born with black carapaces and lighter colored plastrons which turn a dark brown to olive color as it reaches adolescence. Mature adults can have brown, marbled or spotted, or variegated to striped shell patterns on top, with a creamy yellow underside. Green Sea Turtles take between 20 and 50 years to reach sexual maturity, and can live to be 80 years old or older.
Where to Dive With Green Sea Turtles
Newly hatched green sea turtles make their way out into the pelagic zone, where they spend about the first five years of their lives, while immature juveniles and adults live much closer to shore, spending their time grazing and hauling out to nap on sandy beaches, where they also lay their eggs. Sometimes migrating between feeding and nesting areas en masse, these turtles can normally be found in lagoons, bays, and estuaries, and on shoals. They range throughout tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide, with large subpopulations in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific.
In the Atlantic, these turtles are often encountered in the Caribbean and along the east coast of the United States, as well as along the South American continent and on isolated islands in the North Atlantic. Sometimes seen as far north as Canada and the British Isles, they are frequently encountered in the US and British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, among other places.
In the Indo-Pacific region, you can dive with Green Sea Turtles in Hawaii, and even as far north as the southern coast of Alaska, Japan, and south Russia, as well as all throughout the Indian Ocean and to New Zealand’s northern tip. Commonly encountered in Mexico, as well as around Africa’s east coast, they can be seen in the Philippines, Indonesia, East Java, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
No matter where you go to encounter these sea creatures, never try to hitch a ride or harass a turtle in any way. The animals will happily go on with their business so long as they are left alone, providing you with plenty of photo opportunities. Carry a bag for any trash you might encounter while diving; plastic and other garbage is one of the biggest threats to the population worldwide.