Tips for Swimming with Sea Turtles

A turtle in Belize

Sea Turtles are a majestic sight to see when snorkeling. I’ve had the opportunity to see and swim with turtles in Maui, HI, St. John USVI, and the Belize Barrier Reef. But too often swimmers or snorkelers get too close to Sea Turtles and inadvertently end up harassing them. Here are some tips when swimming with Sea Turtles to make sure the experience is good to everyone.

Turtle Town Maui

First it is important to note in many areas turtles are protected by law. You should not touch, attempt to feed, or attempt to “ride” the turtles. For example in Hawaii, if you are caught you can face up to $100,000 in fines and a trip to prison.

Turtle at Black Rock Maui.

Turtles have signs to indicate when they are stressed or feeling harassed:

• They may “yawn” by opening up their beak over and over again. They are not sleepy, this is a sign that they are irritated and you need to leave them alone. Should you ignore this warning the turtle may attempt to ram and bite you with its beak.
• The turtle may also use its flipper to swat at you, and you should immediately move away and give them more space.
• Turtles may also evasively swim away from you, do not follow them. A stressed turtle may avoid coming up for air, and so can die from lack of oxygen.

So make sure to give turtles space and not touch or chase them. Plus you’ll experience them better when they aren’t stressed. It is amazing to just float along and see a turtle eat, come up for air, or just glide along like they are flying.

Old turtle in Belize, eating sea grass.

You also should educate on turtle nesting grounds and make sure you do not disturb them. At night, it is important not to have lights of flash photography, as this confuses mothers and hatchlings on the direction of the moon. So make sure to wear dark clothes, and have a red-filtered night light. You should also go with a guide so you don’t stomp on the eggs. You also don’t want to surprise or anger females or hatchlings so give them a lot of space. No one should ever handle sea turtle eggs.

Learn more about the conservation effort.
Learn about the different types of Sea Turtles.
And read some Sea Turtle Facts!