Turtles Behavior

[okamiotoko2004]

Went diving today to a favorite dive spot on Oahu. I have dove the site numerous times and the spot is known for turtles. Dove a side of the site that I have never dove before. It was a awesome dive, but baffled me some. My buddies and myself were looking around under a ledge and I came out and was just hanging out looking around and noticed a large turtle headed in my general direction. Then the turtle started toward me. And kept on coming. At a leisurely pace but still right at me. I was vertical in the water in about 35 feet of water and I was about 4 feet or so off the bottom and was just bobbing there watching the turtle. I decided to get out its way and leaned back and moved to the side. The turtle turned with me and kept on coming. I was kind of surprised and moved off to the side again and again the turtle turned and still came toward me. When it got about a foot away I put my arms out since it was now in my space and I was spooked. The turtle kind of pulled its head in and moved away. I swam away and the turtle followed for about 50 feet or so until I made a 180 and now swam toward my dive buddies who were out of the ledge now.
This is the second time I have seen turtles who are usually skittish follow me around. The last time a turtle swam parallel to me for a hundred yards or so after I was taking pictures of it at a turtle cleaning station. I stopped twice and the turtle stopped twice. At the time I dismissed it as a zen moment and just a coincidence.
Anyone have any insight or was it just a zen moment?

 

[LI Diver]

Did you have turtle food in your pocket? Or did you use that new cologne Eau de turtell?

 

[nagel]

Wow....Last month I was in Cozumel on the Santa Rosa Wall. Right in front of me a turtle swam in and clung to the side of reef and started eating. I swam over to it and started taking some pictures. As I was on top looking down, it occurred to me that if this turtle decides to take off, he/she is going to take me out. A little unnerving to say the least, but never had one follow me.

Check out my Underworld Pictures under "Mexico 2007" for pictures of the turtle.

S. Nagel

 

[Charlie99]

Was that spot under the ledge that you were looking at a good spot for a turtle to hang out? Often you can identify a prime resting spot by noticing that continual use by turtles has formed an oval depression of flattened coral.

I ask because a couple times I've had turtles come right at me and in one case land on me when I'm hanging around a popular turtle spot in Maui. Bigger turtles will often land on a smaller turtle that is in "their" spot. Sometimes the bigger turtles just seem to assume that whatever spot another turtle is in must be the prime spot and they go claim it.

If I'm just hovering motionless, the turtles seem to treat me as if I'm not a threat, and will sometimes use the same sort of "get out of my spot" sort of maneuvers on me as they do with other turtles.

Charlie Allen

 

[DiverBAS]

Aloha fellow Oahu diver! I dove the same ledge today and have been diving here for 5 years. I have seen the same behavior and found out that there are a few possible reasons for a turtle to interact with a diver: turtles have terrible eyesite and may not realize what you are, how big you are, etc., they are curious just like other animals, they may be playing or engaging you to interact with them. I actually have a video clip of a turtle coming at me until at the last minute he turns to swim away and hits my camera with his flipper!
Did you hear the whales today???

 

[ClamBake]

Wow....Last month I was in Cozumel on the Santa Rosa Wall. Right in front of me a turtle swam in and clung to the side of reef and started eating. I swam over to it and started taking some pictures. As I was on top looking down, it occurred to me that if this turtle decides to take off, he/she is going to take me out. A little unnerving to say the least, but never had one follow me.

Check out my Underworld Pictures under "Mexico 2007" for pictures of the turtle.

S. Nagel

Very cool pictures! I am heading there in a couple of weeks and would love to see something similar. I've heard alot about the turtles of the Myan Riviera, but this will be my first visit. I'm heading down on a "scouting visit" for my fellow board members for the National Marine Life Center here on Cape Cod. We're going to organizing a Myan Riviera Sea Turtle Expedition in 2009.