Join a professional marine biologist as she goes scuba diving with dozens of sea turtles in Maui, Hawaii!
Hawaiian green sea turtles are an endangered species and an extremely important animal in native Hawaiian culture. Seeing them in large numbers is an amazing sight. Only a few decades ago, this subspecies faced extinction due to egg poaching, the turtle shell trade and overhunting. A gathering of sea turtles this size would have been extremely rare (or impossible)!
In response to the dramatic loss of sea turtles from our reefs, the state of Hawaii created various policies and regulations to protect this population. Their numbers climbed and now there are healthy and thriving populations around the island of Maui.
The Hawaiian green sea turtles' plight is far from over. Our turtles still face threats like habitat loss from coastal development, overcrowded beaches and ocean pollution. Learn more about their conservation at mocmarineinstitute.org. Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for your kokua (help).
Let's dive in!