Sea Turtle Snorkel in Maui, Hawaii

  I took advantage of the kids syncing up their mid-day nap schedule and bolted down to Turtle Town in Makena. It is a quick 20 minute trip from our house, so I was in the water in no time. The entrance is picture on the left, and it was quite serene with a little ebb and flood of the ocean. However, just beyond the safety of the rocks the conditions got wild. Luckily for me the view underwater was pristine and clear, so I was determined to get some photos, despite the huge waves crashing overhead.

   Two long lava 'fingers' stretch out from a cove here at "Five Graves." Sea turtles tend to be numerous here so they were my target for today. The clear water gave me the opportunity to photograph some impressive coral bommies on my way out. It turns out I wouldn't have to go very far before seeing my first turtle.

   It is all green sea turtles here. They feed almost exclusively on algae that grows on the underwater rocks. The waves crashing overhead wasn't detouring these aquatic reptiles from venturing into the shallows where the algae can be found. The conditions actually made for some pretty interesting pictures with the reef underneath, the turtle in the middle of the frame, and waves crashing above. I just had to make sure I didn't get dashed over or onto the sharp rocky reef myself. The turtles have thick scales and a thicker shell protecting them so they don't mind being bounced around in the shallows.

   I always try to get in the perfect position for wildlife to be looking at me in my photos. I was lucky to have multiple opportunities today to do just that with these turtles. In the end I swam with five or six different turtles. Some were more interested in others. Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the day. Not a bad mission for a quickie during nap time. I was back before the kids woke up.

  Check out some of my favorite sea turtle photos here: Dai Mar's Sea Turtle Prints