If you would have come to Maui 40 years ago you probably wouldn't have seen a turtle. There just weren't many left. However with federal protection status, these amazing animals have made a tremendous comeback. If you really want to swim with the turtles, one of the best spots here in Maui is Mile Marker 13, otherwise known as Olowalu Reef. The coral here is just massive and ancient, and the reef seems to go on forever. It spires up from the sandy channels to just a few feet below the waters surface.
Well I'm glad my enthusiasm for snorkeling shines through from time to time.
This is where we snorkeled this morning. We had wonderful conditions and the place all to ourselves. And the turtles were great! There seems to be lots of little turtles in the area, which makes sense because most of the adults should be traveling up to the French Frigate Shoals for mating and laying their eggs.
Luckily, the young ones were out in force. And they weren't even scared off by a five foot white tip reef shark swimming below. Beautiful butterflyfish dotted the reef, and several large schools of goatfish hung out over the sand patches. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning, and a highly recommended place to check out while on Maui.
This is a sea urchin that I picked up and handed around.
This turtle swam up right beside me to get a few breaths of air.
So many turtles!
Everyone was just amazed at the turtle show.
Clear water makes for some great turtle encounters here at Olowalu Reef.
I was so excited to see this white tip reef shark. I swam right towards it and followed it for awhile to get these photos.
As always, keep traveling!
- Dai Mar