Sea turtles: the reef regulars

Sea turtles: the reef regulars

Seven species of sea turtle exist worldwide. Five of them can be encountered on a typical reef dive: green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley, and leatherback. The first two are the ones divers see most.

Telling them apart

• Green turtle: large (up to 1.5m shell), smooth oval carapace, single pair of scales between the eyes, rounded head. Mostly herbivorous — you'll often see them grazing on sea grass or algae.
• Hawksbill turtle: smaller, with a pointed beak-like mouth and serrated shell edges. Feeds primarily on sponges. Often found on reefs, tucking into crevices.
• Loggerhead: largest of the hard-shelled turtles, with a massive head and powerful jaws (built for crushing crab and conch shells).
• Leatherback: largest of all, up to 2+ meters, with a soft leathery shell instead of a hard carapace. Pelagic — very rarely seen on reef dives.

Where turtles are common

Green turtles are everywhere in the tropics, but particularly dense at Sipadan (Malaysia), the Galápagos, Hawaii, and the Great Barrier Reef. Hawksbills prefer hard-coral reefs — the Maldives, Raja Ampat, and the Caribbean are all reliable.

Dive etiquette

Never touch, never chase, never ride. Stay above the turtle's back — approaching from below can panic them. A resting turtle is holding its breath; don't force it to surface.