I have yet to meet the person who is not excited for a chance to come face to face with a Green Sea Turtle. The day I do, I will probably run for my life because there’s something seriously wrong with that guy.
Let’s be real – how can you not just love such a magnificent creature? Of all the cool and crazy creatures we are privileged to see, the turtle is easily the most graceful and alluring.
Turtles are popular enough that most people know at least one or two basic facts. For example, you probably already know that sea turtles create a nest on the beach and then lay eggs. But, did you know that each nest averages about 115 eggs? With that many eggs, perhaps one day sea turtle populations worldwide will be able to recover to the point that turtles will no longer be listed as an endangered, or even protected, species.
In spite of the large number of eggs produced by a female sea turtle, populations worldwide are showing an overall declining trend. The exception is Hawaii where the green turtle population is actually increasing in abundance and has increased 53% over the last 25 years. This increasing population is most visible here on Kauai due to the fact that the bulk of the nesting population is found among the uninhabited islands to the north. As the northern population increases, turtles migrate south with Kauai being their first good chance for a new home.
Years ago I read that turtles continue to grow throughout their lives. So, the larger a turtle is, the older it is. Marine scientists don’t know how long turtles live but believe it to be up to 80 years. Whatever the true lifespan is, it must be a long time since it is typical for adults to weigh about 300 to 400 pounds! Some can be as heavy as 440 pounds and the largest green turtle ever found was 5 feet in length and 871 pounds!!!
Come scuba diving on Kauai with Garden Isle Divers and we will take you to a place where you can have your own personal face to face encounter with sea turtles.
