Honu (Hawaiian sea turtle)

Maui’s beaches are wonderful! There is not one beach that is owned or private on the island, so you can park yourself anywhere to sit/swim/snorkel/kayak etc. Yesterday morning, we went to Palauea Beach to do some more snorkelling. It’s a great little coved beach with calm water and lots of sea life in the area.

We dove in and started swimming towards the reef. It was the best reef we have snorkelled in. It was vibrant with huge urchins and coral formations and hopping with fish doing their stuff. We eventually found a turtle around another snorkel group. After a few minutes watching him, we went back to the shore.

We laid under the sun on the beach for awhile and I got the itch to go back in. My friend said she would spot me from the shore. I swam back out to where we were and searched for another turtle. Just as I was about to give up, a giant turtle swam right beside me. He shocked me at how close he was. What a treat!

It was so cool to see him without anyone around that I decided to follow him for a little while. It’s very peaceful to watch these guys move in the water. They seem so gentle and serene.

After what seemed a long time but was probably only two or three minutes, I turned back. I wasn’t sure what direction I was swimming in and knew my friend would worry if she couldn’t find me. Yep, she was standing on the beach, arms akimbo, when I was swimming back. Oops.

Sea turtle (Image via Surf Photography)