Swimming with sea turtles, by any account, is a magical experience. Ranging from small and graceful, to hulking and massive, sea turtles are all at once majestic, cute, social—and a bit shy. Quiet and stealthy, these Old Keepers of the Sea love to laze about in tropical waters and graze on whatever foliage the local reef has on tap.
But for all their charms, sea turtles in today’s oceans are threatened and being pushed in some cases to extinction. Many areas of the developing world have overfished their local stocks of sea life; the economics of hunger far outweighing the potential monetary benefit of tourism.
Similarly, in many places turtle eggs are regarded as delicacies and are highly sought for culinary use. These and other factors create the perfect storm of impacts that have decimated the Earth’s sea turtle populations worldwide.
However, there are still some geographic bastions of hope for these ancient creatures. With the rise of Ecotourism, more and more places are beginning to fiercely protect their sea turtle and fish species for the sake of attracting tourism dollars.
So if you’re like the rest of us and consider taking a dip with one of these majestic beasts of the sea to be a fantastic vacation proposition, find below four of our top picks for swimming with sea turtles.
1) Maui
Topping our list, Maui—and the Hawaiian Islands generally, has done a fantastic job of conserving sea turtle populations and providing locals as well as tourists bountiful opportunities to encounter these majestic animals in their native environment. While the Islands technically contain three species of sea turtle, the leatherback only hangs out in deep water and is rare to spot.
Hawksbill and green sea turtles are especially common around Maui, where healthy concentrations can be found on the southwest (Makena) and west (Wahikuli, Kaanapali) sides of the island.
2) Sipadan Island
Tucked off the Northeast coast of Borneo, Sipadan Island is a world-class sea turtle destination in the heart of the tropics. As both Hawksbill and green sea turtles nest and mate on the island, dense concentrations of both species can be found swimming, feeding and chilling in Sipadan’s surrounding reef environs.
On top of hosting indigeonous, naturally-producing turtle populations, Sipadan Island also hosts a turtle hatchery where eggs are protected and supported to ensure successful hatching.
The region is consistently rated one of the top dive destinations in the world for biodiversity and has over 3,000 species of aquatic animals, including sharks, mantas, whale sharks and large schools of pelagics.
3) Maldives
Although it’s very rare to witness a nesting/mating season in this region, the Maldives are a spectacular destination for encountering sea turtles—and tons of other marine creatures to boot!
All told, five of the seven total species of sea turtle reside in the Maldives, with Hawksbill and green sea turtles the most easily spotted on the reef foraging and swimming.
Olive Ridley sea turtles are increasingly threatened by poor fishing practices and net entanglement, making them exceedingly rare in the area. More commonly seen, but still rare, are the Loggerhead and Leatherback sea turtles, which make their home in both deep and shallow waters.
4) Galapagos Islands
Thanks to Charles Darwin, it’s already widely known that the Galapagos Islands play host to some of the most interesting biodiversity in the world. Less commonly known, however, is that thanks to its isolation (and protection), the region boasts its own subspecies of green sea turtle.
Distinguishable from its other green cousins, the Galapagos green sea turtle has a lower serrated jaw and minimal scaling over its eyes. Fabulous diving can be found scattered throughout the island chain, but the indiginous turtles mostly nest and mate around Quinta Playa, so be sure to ask your dive operator if a visit is possible or part of your itinerary.