Sea Turtles, or honu (pronounced hoe'-new), once came close to extinction years ago because they were hunted for their beautiful shells, tasty meat and people gather their eggs for ornaments. The activities of human beings are a serious threat to the survival of many turtles, and turtle conservation must improve to prevent certain species from becoming extinct. There are more than 40 kinds of turtles that are endangered. These rare turtles include many types of tortoises but mostly sea turtles.

 Today these turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Even though it looks like their numbers are growing, there are fewer females returning each year to nest.

 Green sea turtles are sometimes spotted in tide pools feeding on seaweed (limu). They are the fastest swimmers, they can swim for brief periods at a speed of nearly 35 miles per hour, but on land they are slow.

Turtles are curious and often swim close to divers. Make sure you let the turtles come to you, you will be rewarded for your patience.   

During recent years, green sea turtles have begun to crawl out on the  sand and rocks to bask and rest, primarily during daylight hours.

This basking is a natural behavior special to the Hawaiian green turtles. Sea Turtles are reptiles which are cold- blooded animals, which means they can not make their own body heat and need the environment to warm them. So when the honu come to shore to sun and rest, PLEASE let them rest..

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are a THREATENED Species protected by both state and federal law. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DISTURB THEM IN THE OCEAN OR ON THE BEACH and fines can be imposed for doing so.

 All turtles, including sea and freshwater species, lay their eggs on land. A green turtle may lay as many as seven clutches (groups) of eggs during one breeding season. About 45% of the time, the female exits the water, crawls the beach for long distances and reenters the water without digging a nest. These are called "false crawls" and usually occur because the turtle was disturbed or it could not find a "good" nest site. It is believed that a female turtle will return to the same beach where she was born.  

Incubation of the nests takes about 50-55 days. The temperature of the eggs influences the sex of the baby turtles. Example, a warmer temperature produce female turtles. After the incubation period, the hatchlings emerge from the nest in masses. Using various environmental and inherited cues, they quickly migrate to the water's edge. If artificial lights are lighting the beach, the hatchlings will be disoriented, travel in the wrong direction, and possibly never make it to the water. That's why you hear the saying Light Out for Turtles! 
 Once in the water the hatchlings swim directly out to sea, facing a perilous struggle to survive to adulthood. The best scientific estimates available indicate that only one in 1,000 to 10,000 hatchlings will survive (anywhere from 12 - 50 years) to become a reproducing and nesting adult sea turtle.

 The two known predators to the sea turtles are (tiger) sharks and people. We can't do much about the sharks, but maybe we can make a difference with people through education and awareness.

The maximum age of adult turtles is not known.