Underwater Photo Shoot with Green Sea Turtles, Maui

  Maui has to be one of the best places for an underwater photographer to find and take amazing photos of sea turtles. You don't need to go on an expensive boat ride to some far off location, you just need a bit of local knowledge. If this is high on your radar for your trip to Maui you can find that local knowledge here.

   These are all photos of Hawaiian green sea turtles, or Chelonia mydas. If you would have snorkeled in Hawaii 40 years ago it would have been very difficult to find a sea turtle, they were hunted almost to extinction. They were mostly hunted for their meat, which is supposed to be delicious but has a green color to it caused by all the green algae they eat.

   To give you an idea of the possibilities for sea turtle photography, all of these pictures were taken over the course of two 45 minute snorkels. The first snorkel I concentrated on feeding turtles surrounded by red algae and crashing waves overhead. I really like the addition of red to these underwater photos.

  The second snorkel I concentrated in deeper water with the turtles surrounded by beautiful blue water. I like the view from underneath looking upwards towards the surface as it adds a bit of background story to the photo. Some of these photos, especially the ones in deeper water, took a bit of freediving skill. I also used an underwater strobe to light up the shaded underside of the turtles when I shot from below.

  To see more turtle photography you can check out my photo portfolio here: www.daimarsphotos.comhttp://www.daimarsphotos.com/Wildlife/Sea-Turtles/