SCUBA DIVING HAWAII – SEA TURTLE FACTS

One of the most common types of aquatic life you are likely to see while scuba diving or snorkeling in Hawaii is sea turtles.

These are actually one of the most ancient creatures on Earth having been around for as long as 110 million years. That means that the sea turtles you see while diving in Hawaii are the same type that were around when dinosaurs roamed the planet!

Scuba Diving Hawaii — Sea Turtle Design

One of the reasons for sea turtles’ longevity is the way their bodies are designed. Their shell — also known as their “carapace” — is specially built for swimming through the water.

And unlike the kind of turtles you might see in a pond, lake or river, sea turtles can’t retract their legs and head into their shell when they get frightened.

Sea turtles also prefer the types of food that are found in their ocean environment, including crabs, shrimp, sponges, snails, algae, and even jellyfish.

Scuba Diving Hawaii — Sea Turtle Migrations

Sea turtles can be found in most warm water regions. Part of that is because many sea turtles are migratory, which means they swim long distances throughout their life … as far as 1,400 miles in some cases!

Many sea turtles have different nesting and feeding grounds that are often hundreds of miles away from each other.

Most sea turtles will spend most of their time in the water, although they will build their nests on beaches. Female sea turtles will dig out a nest in the sand with their back flippers before burying their clutch of eggs.

Once the eggs hatch, it can take baby sea turtles up to a week to dig themselves out of the sand and make their way into the ocean, where they live a solitary life until they are mature enough to mate.

Amazingly, baby sea turtles will return to the same nesting grounds where they were born to lay their own eggs once they are mature.