Gentle Giants

My most memorable time in Hawaii was seeing gigantic sea turtles up close for the very first time. Our concierge, Dennis, at the hotel told us to go to Laniakea Beach to see these beautiful creatures. Emily and I wanted to see sea turtles when we went to Florida last year but we went at the wrong time.

Laniakea Beach is on the north side of Oahu.  Bus loads of Japanese tourists are dropped off at the beach to see if they can see these turtles. After a few minutes there, we were able to spot turtles in the shallow waters. You can snorkel out there but you can't touch them. In fact we have to keep at least six feet away from them. So to answer your questions... No, we can't touch them. No, we can't ride them. No, we can't pick them up (I would never try considering their size.).

Emily taking underwater pictures of the turtles.

These turtles are Hawai'ian green sea turtles called 'honu' who have come ashore at Laniakea to bask in the sun. The beach has so much algae that the turtles feast there daily and its rocky cove protects them from big surf and sharks.

The long stretches of sand allow them to sit in the sand to warm up and digest their food. They are not really 'green' in color on the outside but they get its name from the color of its internal body fat which is tinted green due to their vegetarian diet. They live to be about 60-70 years old and can grow to more than 36 inches long and weigh up to 350 lbs.

These turtles do not nest at Laniakea. Instead they migrate to where they were born on the northwestern Hawaiian islands, over 1000 miles round trip, to mate and nest about every 2-5 years.

These turtles are protected by Malama Na Honu, that's Hawaiian for 'Care for the Turtles', a non-profit organization. Honu Guardian volunteers are on the beach daily protecting them from crazy tourists that want to touch them and they also educate us about this species. They also monitor the turtles behaviors. The majority are tagged and identified in their database. Their tags allow scientists to positively identify the turtles and study their movement and migration. There are currently 24 turtles that come ashore at Laniakea.

While we were at the beach (over 2 hour period), we saw about 6-8 turtles, two of which came up on land and laid out in the sun. It was fascinating to see these majestic creatures.

Eventually, Emily and Hannah grew bored of watching the turtles so they built a moat. The tide didn't come up far enough to fill their creation.

If any of you get the chance to visit Oahu, make sure Laniakea Beach is on your list of things to do.
Funny thing. We asked so many friends for suggestions of what to do and where to go in Oahu and we have pages of suggestions but no one suggested this hidden gem!

If you do go, can I make a suggestion?
PLEASE do not half stand in sand and on a rock while wearing high heel shoes carrying a baby and a huge purse to take a picture of a swimming turtle as the tide comes whipping onto the shore. NOT a good idea! I witnessed this crazy lady! I wasn't quick enough to take a photo of her but I'm sure you can imagine what she looked like. She almost fell off the rock with the baby. Crazy Scary these tourists!

Much More to Come...

REMINDER: My husband reminded me that I was not reminding my readers about my ongoing summer contest.. so you can be a winner.. so comment... comment... comment!