My Encounters With The Amazing Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles
Honu, Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles on Punalu'u Black Sand Beach on the Big Island - Letters from a Wanderer No 4
Hello and Welcome to the fourth edition of Letters from a Wanderer!
Continuing with my favorite moments from my recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I’d like to introduce to you the green sea turtles I saw on the island.
Though volcanoes were interesting and offered a learning experience, my absolute favorite moments on the island were my encounters with the Hawaiian green sea turtles. We saw most of them on Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, though we also saw them in the water, swimming close to us, at another beach.
At some point I saw over ten of them either laying on the beach, coming out of the water onto the beach and returning, swimming in the shallow bay near the shore.
About Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles
Hawaiian green sea turtles, called honu by locals, are one of the largest hard-shelled turtle in the world, reaching a length of four feet and weighing over 300 pounds. They are native to Hawaii.
Their upper shell is not green, as you would believe, but more brown with yellow and light brown streaks, while their bottom shell is a light yellow. Babies are often black. As adults, honu eat sea grasses and algae, which turns their fat layer and cartilage green, giving them their name.
Although they can’t breathe underwater, their large lungs two thirds allow them to stay underwater for hours.
Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are migratory. They travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles from foraging areas to nesting beaches. Most of them nest in the shoals (sandbanks) of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and often travel to the main Hawaiian Islands to search for food and lay on the beaches.
However, they nest on the same beach they hatched, so they travel back when they are ready to have babies of their own. This doesn’t happen until they reach sexual maturity, which happens when they are about 20 years old. Which means that twenty years after they hatch, they find their way home. There, they crawl onto the beach at night and lay between 85-200 eggs under the sand.
Baby turtles hatch about two months later when they make their way to the ocean. On their way, they need to dodge predators (birds and crabs) and other dangers. Those who survive, travel hundreds or even thousands of miles, and often end up on the beaches of the Big Island. Until they migrate, honu spend their time in shallow waters near lagoons, reefs, and bays.
That’s where we can see them. But we shouldn’t disturb them.
Protected Species
Hawaiian green sea turtles are listed as threatened species. Which means they are protected. Signs set up on beaches warning people to stay at least 15 feet away from them, and never touch them.
On Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, the area where these turtles come out onto the beach most often is separated from the rest of the beach by a rectangular rock wall, and no one is allowed inside the area within the wall.
I also noticed that if a turtle comes out onto the beach away from this protected area, the lifeguard on duty ropes off a large rectangular area around it, allowing no one to get close to it.
The good news is, according to the latest research, the Hawaiian green sea turtle population has increased since it is legally protected.
Honu’s Importance in the Ecosystem
When honu, the Hawaiian green sea turtles graze on sea grasses and algae, they keep the seagrass bed healthy, make them more productive. The seagrass they digest becomes recycled nutrient available for other plants and animals living in this ecosystem. Seagrass beds maintained by honu also function as nurseries for several species of fish, important even for our own food security.
Green Sea Turtles in Hawaiian Mythology
Since they have a long lifespan (between 60-80 years), Hawaiian green sea turtles are a symbol of longevity, safety and mana (spiritual energy) in Hawaiian culture. Their presence brings good luck and peace.
In Hawaiian culture, honu is considered a form of ‘aumakua, ancestral spirit who offers lifelong protection, wisdom, and guidance. Honu represents the link between man, land, and sea, and it appears on ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs and artwork.
Ancient Hawaiians believed honu were messengers from other realms. They respected them as powerful creatures capable of traveling between realms and also symbolized the transition between life cycles or spiritual states.
They believed that whoever encountered a honu received messages from the gods or guidance on an important journey.
The Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo, also mentions honu as one of the first creations: “From the darkness of time came the sea turtle with its plated back.” This darkness is the realm of pō, where life is created and spirits return.
The honu has a place in myth and legend in many forms: a messenger, a monster sent to attack enemies, a living canoe that transports lovers to each other, and even as the foundation of some islands. They represent an ancient connection between land and sea.
Honu are also considered ‘aumākua, spiritual guardians.
Honu on Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
On Punalu’u Beach, where I saw most Hawaiian green turtles, has a plaque describing a legend about Kauila, a giant turtle goddess. According to legend, she is a protector of children, Keiki, playing along the shores of Punalu’u. She would transform into a human girl to play with them and keep them safe.
Since we stayed overnight close to this black sand beach, we walked to it twice over two days. The first day, we got to the beach late, around 5pm. It was the first time I saw a turtle out on the beach, in the enclosed area. She seemed to sleep, though once or twice I noticed her slippers move as she dragged herself farther away from the water.
Farther along the beach, another turtle was sleeping, this time, surrounded by a yellow rope that kept people away from her.
The next morning, we stopped at the same beach again. Early in the day, we saw many more turtles, not only sleeping on the beach, but climbing in and out of the water, and swimming in the shallow area near the shore.
They were different sizes, and as I was watching them for a while, I even noticed their distinct personalities. Some moved more, came out several times and got back into the water, others seemed content to just lay in the sun. The smallest one, most likely a baby, kept climbing on others around her, who seemed to not mind at all.
Honu in Other Parts of the Island
Although I encountered most Hawaiian green turtles at Punalu’u’s black sand beach, I also saw them swimming in two other places.
My first sighting on the island was by the rocky shore in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. I caught a quick glimpse of it as it emerged from the rock crevices, then it swam back in and out multiple times.
Yet, the most extraordinary moment I had with a honu took place at Kua beach, when one of them made its way towards me while I was in the water. It was a special encounter, my most memorable moment of our trip.
If you visit Hawaii, hope you have encounters with honu. :)
Happy travels and thank you for reading!
Emese
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Gorgeous creatures! I love turtles. They are such fascinating animals. Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful article. I enjoyed reading it.