osodecanela (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
osodecanela) wrote2011-11-04 09:34 pm
osodecanela) wrote2011-11-04 09:34 pm
Close encounters of the chelonial kind.......
Three and a half years ago I had a close encounter with a sea turtle. On our first full day on Maui we went to a secluded beach, mostly known only to the locals, a place called Paloea. I'm probably destroying the name, but then the Hawai'ian language is not my strong suit. I subsequently found out the beach is not far from Turtletown, a popular destination for haoli tourists out for a snorkeling adventure.
That day I spotted two Pacific green sea turtles feeding on a reef, maybe 30 feet from shore. I slowly swam towards them. I got within a few feet when they started swimming; I paddled gently after them. A few moments later they separated; one of them turned and swam back to me. stopping just three feet away.and looked me right in my mask. (I don't know why I assume he and not she. I have no idea of its gender.) This creature had to be the size of a 5th grader. I remember looking at its beak and thinking, "You are an herbivore, right?" The turtle then circled around me twice and this time a bit closer looked me right in the mask again. He then turned and swam off, leaving me breathless. The creature was so beautiful, so graceful, almost majestic.
Then it hit me. Where the hell is a camera when I need one?
Costco had a Fujifilm digital rated as waterproof up to 9 feet or so, and I was not coming back to the islands unprepared.
The snorkeling here on Kaua'i is not what I experienced on Maui. The waters off of Maui's south shore are much calmer, I think in part of the islands of Kaho'olawe and Lana'i, both to Maui's south. One needs to be much more aware of the currents here, how they interact with the topography of the island's shore and just how strong a swimmer you are, or more pointedly, are not. We were at Poiupu beach earlier this week and found a protected cove there, along with lifeguards on duty. The fish were plentiful on Tuesday, so Dan and I decided while his wife and my husband went hiking, we were heading back to the beach. Towards the end of my first snorkel, I stood up in chest deep water. Another snorkeler 20 closer to the shore was gesturing wildly; Get your face back into the water! I looked down and almost immediately, got bumped off my feet.
A sea turtle! This one was not quite as big as my first encounter, but it had to be at least 3 1/4 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide. I was literally right on top of him. Good thing fat boy here is really, really buoyant. When he bumped me, I lost my footing and I was face down no more than 18 inches above him. You're not supposed to touch the turtles. They're protected, an endangered species and there's a hefty fine for molesting them. I resisted temptation to just reach down, satisfying myself with his initial contact with my thigh. I grabbed my camera and started shooting. I spent about 5 minutes watching and swimming with him, just in awe.
That day I spotted two Pacific green sea turtles feeding on a reef, maybe 30 feet from shore. I slowly swam towards them. I got within a few feet when they started swimming; I paddled gently after them. A few moments later they separated; one of them turned and swam back to me. stopping just three feet away.and looked me right in my mask. (I don't know why I assume he and not she. I have no idea of its gender.) This creature had to be the size of a 5th grader. I remember looking at its beak and thinking, "You are an herbivore, right?" The turtle then circled around me twice and this time a bit closer looked me right in the mask again. He then turned and swam off, leaving me breathless. The creature was so beautiful, so graceful, almost majestic.
Then it hit me. Where the hell is a camera when I need one?
Costco had a Fujifilm digital rated as waterproof up to 9 feet or so, and I was not coming back to the islands unprepared.
The snorkeling here on Kaua'i is not what I experienced on Maui. The waters off of Maui's south shore are much calmer, I think in part of the islands of Kaho'olawe and Lana'i, both to Maui's south. One needs to be much more aware of the currents here, how they interact with the topography of the island's shore and just how strong a swimmer you are, or more pointedly, are not. We were at Poiupu beach earlier this week and found a protected cove there, along with lifeguards on duty. The fish were plentiful on Tuesday, so Dan and I decided while his wife and my husband went hiking, we were heading back to the beach. Towards the end of my first snorkel, I stood up in chest deep water. Another snorkeler 20 closer to the shore was gesturing wildly; Get your face back into the water! I looked down and almost immediately, got bumped off my feet.
A sea turtle! This one was not quite as big as my first encounter, but it had to be at least 3 1/4 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide. I was literally right on top of him. Good thing fat boy here is really, really buoyant. When he bumped me, I lost my footing and I was face down no more than 18 inches above him. You're not supposed to touch the turtles. They're protected, an endangered species and there's a hefty fine for molesting them. I resisted temptation to just reach down, satisfying myself with his initial contact with my thigh. I grabbed my camera and started shooting. I spent about 5 minutes watching and swimming with him, just in awe.
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Sea Turtles
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What an intense encounter!