Sea Life Turtle Release

honu = Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle

Sea Life Park, a ten minute drive windward, had a semi-annual turtle release in early February, which we were lucky enough to witness! The four turtles, who had been hatched at the park and were all one-and-a-half years old, were at the right weight and size and exhibiting appropriate behaviors for the park to feel that they were ready to be released into the wild. The wildlife experts were very friendly and loved telling us all about their program.

They released them in two sets of pairs, and it was interesting to see how each turtle responded as they certainly had their personalities! One guy immediately turned and seemed to want to retreat back to his cushy life at the park; one headed straight for the open water; one made his way in but did it really slowly; and the last one did a full spin before deciding he really did want to go. A few dozen watchers and “honu guardians” were on hand to send them off from Makapu’u Beach.