Sea Turtle Conservationist

The Sea Turtle Conservationist program is a 9 am to 2 pm program that combines a snorkel tour charter, scientific training for sea turtle conservation, and education on how the data you collected contributes to protecting our sea turtle populations on Oahu. All images taken during the day are yours to keep, and if you identify a new turtle you get to name it!

Part of the participation fee flows to Ocean Alliance Project as a donation so that they can continue their work protecting our local sea turtle populations. Regenerative eco-tourism at its finest.

Sea Turtle Conservationist Program Description

Our Sea Turtle Conservationist course is done via SNORKELLING and will teach you
how to properly identify the species and sex of turtles, track their movement throughout our
reefs, and assess their health. However, the impact you make doesn’t end at the end of the
day. Once certified, you can take what you learned and use it all around the island, saving
Honu that would have otherwise been overlooked.

A public-private partnership for regenerative eco-tourism

Ocean Alliance Project developed this program in collaboration with Island Divers Hawaii and Snorkel with Turtles. This public-private partnership has huge potential to bring sea turtle conservation to a wider audience using a regenerative tourism model. The partnership taps the public desire to protect the sea turtle population with cost-effective scientific monitoring.

Why did we build this program?

We love our Honu (turtles). We care for our Honu. However, we desperately need help in saving this vulnerable population of sea turtles. Our resident turtles are abundant, however, are becoming very sick. Many of these residents are falling victim to a form of papillomavirus. Documentation of this virus throughout Maunalua Bay is very limited. With the help of conservation-minded visitors, we can gather this critical data, and work to save our Honu population.

What does the Sea Turtle Conservationist day look like?

At 10 am the research boat departs. When we arrive at our site, we immediately start swimming around looking for our resident sea turtles. We will be taking photos of each turtle we see, and collecting data on species, sex, size, and disease. Once the boat gets back, we will look through all our photos, record our data, and name the new turtles that we just documented.

All photos taken throughout the day are yours to keep, and if we do find a new resident turtle, you can be the first to name it and get notified whenever it is spotted again. From a monetary standpoint, the cost difference between this course and our normal snorkel with turtles is given as a donation to Ocean Alliance Project, enabling them to continue their critical work saving our reefs.

What Sea Turtle Conservationist includes

Sea turtle workshop led by resident marine biologist
Private Marine Biologist Guide
Snorkelling gear (Mask, Snorkel, Fins, Lifevest)
Rescue ski float powered by underwater scooter
Photos and videos of Honu
Photos and videos of YOU

What to bring

Swimsuit
Towel
Reef-safe sunscreen
Hat and Sunglasses
Camera (a waterproof case may be purchased on location)

Arrival and preparation

Please arrive 1 hour before charter departure (9 am). You will begin your day with a 30-45 minute sea turtle workshop with our resident marine biologist. Here you will learn how to properly snorkel with our turtles, how to identify species and sex, and how to spot disease. We wrap up our workshop talking about ways to be Honu conscious for the rest of your stay.

Snorkeling in Maunalua Bay

Our Sea Turtle Conservationist package brings you the best Honu snorkeling you can receive in Maunalua Bay. Every day, we go to Koko Craters Dive site. This area acts as a feeding and cleaning station for our turtles. There is plenty of food for them to eat, and sections of reef where cleaner fish will clean their shells of parasites and algae. Experienced snorkellers may like to dive down to get a closer look, however, no need to worry. Turtles breathe the same air we do, meaning they will come up to the surface as well.

Sea Turtle Conservationist