In Search of Hawaiian Sea Turtles
Patience is a virtue when photographing wildlife
I’m not made for the tropics.
My sluggish European blood is better suited to foggy moors and glasses of whiskey by firelight. As we drove along South Kihei Road, the golden ball of the sun hung directly overhead in a way it never does in the northern latitudes I live in. The air-conditioning was roaring, but still, I could feel beads of moisture rolling slowly down the trench of my spine.
It was our first time in Maui and in Hawaii. The day before, we'd taken a boat tour out of Lahaina through the Au'au Channel, home of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. It lived up to its name.
The giant whales migrate to this protected channel all the way from Alaska to give birth. And as we sailed across the water, the whales put on a show. Spy hopping and breaching and swiping their colossal tails to make the water splash and foam. By pure luck, the shutter of my camera clicked as a whale calf lifted itself out of the water right in front of our boat, its mother's pectoral fin rising out of the water beside it.
But now, we were in search of another of Hawaii's famous marine residents. The Green Sea Turtle, known as honu to Hawaiians, is the biggest hard-shelled sea turtle in the world. For animals that can reach up to three hundred pounds in weight, we were struggling to find any. As we traveled from beach to beach, checking out locations various websites assured us were prime turtle habitat only to leave disappointed, it was easy to believe the creatures are endangered. Threatened by pollution, fishing, and real estate development that destroys their nesting sites, the turtles have been in steady decline for decades. After millions of years spent wandering the oceans of the world, the turtle's population numbers have plunged due to human activity. However, thanks to conservation efforts, the Hawaiian population has made a significant comeback in the last few years.
We searched Makena Beach.
We scoured Ahihi-Kenau Reserve. In the crystal clear waters, the sound of crackling coral filled our ears, and fish swam in colorful clouds around us. But no turtles.
As we cruised along the road, I hit the brakes to let a strutting rooster cross the street, his long blue-green tail feathers swaying with every step. Followed by a gaggle of hens, he climbed a low strip of grass toward a small sandy beach.
"Let's try there," my wife said. Shrugging, I turned into the parking lot. The public beach was quiet, with only a couple of local families spread across the golden sand. We gathered up our snorkeling gear and towels and headed for the water.
We found the turtles before we even got to the water's edge. On the beach's northern end, three turtles lay on the sand, sunning themselves and dozing in the heat.
It's illegal to harass a sea turtle in any way. These gentle creatures need to be left alone if they are to have any chance of recovering from the damage we've already done to their populations. I kept my distance, using a long lens to zoom in and get the perfect Hawaiian sea turtle photo.
Then, we went for a swim. And in the water, more turtles waited. They swam around us, seemingly unbothered by our presence as they grazed on seagrass and drifted on the ocean currents. I managed to get a couple more photos with my cheap underwater camera, the turtles placidly drifting along beside me as though we were old friends.
Patience is a virtue when it comes to photographing wildlife. Animals don't run on our schedules, and even with the best information in the world, you always require that extra dose of luck to get the shot you want. The gods of Hawaii smiled on us that day, and the turtles were gracious subjects. In return, we respected them and their environment, keeping our distance and not interfering with these graceful animals. They have enough problems without us adding to them.
About the Creator
Ryan Frawley
Towers, Temples, Palaces: Essays From Europe out now!
Novelist, entomologist and cat owner. Ryan Frawley is the author of many articles and stories and one novel, Scar, available from online bookstores everywhere.
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