Snorkeling with Green Sea Turtles

Kailua, the legendary Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is said to have the powers to transform into a young maiden. When children played on the beach Kailua watched over them, and when they were thirsty she would guide them to freshwater springs. It is said that she is the mother of all Green Sea Turtles, and perhaps, of all children. Legend also claims that it was the Green Sea Turtle that led the first travelers to Hawaii.

The Best Time to Snorkel with Sea Turtles

If you would like to snorkel with Kailua’s majestic family, the best time to plan a visit is during the summer months when the waters are calmer. As a rule, calm waters make it easy to observe the turtles.

The winter months bring with them larger waves, which consequently attract surfers. Generally, it is not very wise to go snorkeling, where there are surfers. 

The Best Places to Snorkel with Hawaiian Sea Turtles

Turtle Town in West Maui, an extraordinary set of lava formations developed underwater by submarine volcanoes years ago, is agreed to be the most ideal snorkeling destination for this purpose. Marine biologists say that Sea Turtles exhibit a “strong site-fidelity” that causes them to return to the area of their birth repeatedly, especially if it is rich in food source. Maui Turtle Town is a storehouse of seaweed and algae – the equivalent of ambrosia to turtles.

The Honokeana Cove in Napili, Kapalua, and Honolua Bay are other well-known places that the Hawaiian sea turtle is known to frequent on a regular basis.

What to Expect

Interestingly,Green Sea Turtles have dark brown shells with irregular patterns or swirls of gold, olive and reddish tints, instead of green as we’d expect. The name, ‘Green Sea Turtle’ is derived from the color of their body fat, which is green – most likely because of all the algae that they munch on all day.

While swimming with the sea turtles you may notice some resting under ledges or in “cleaning stations,” where herbivorous fish nibble away the algae smudged on elegant turtle shells.

The experience of snorkeling with these beautiful creatures can be described as nearly transcendental. Sea turtles don’t swim away from humans immediately. In fact, many snorkelers have been surprised to find themselves being casually observed by a sea turtle swimming a few feet away. This provides for some amazing underwater photography.

Tips and Precautions

Green Sea Turtles are federally protected and it is against the law to touch them. It’s also important to know that a stressed turtle can drown in a few minutes in spite of being able to stay under water for up to 5 hours. Gauge the comfort level of a turtle by watching for an abrupt wakening from a stupor-like state, “yawns”, or flippers swiping across the forehead area.

Visit Hawaii, hire the best Charter Boat services, enjoy the various fares provided on board and drift down the warm Hawaiian waters, on an idyllic Turtle Watch. If you wish to snorkel with the Turtles, the expert crew can guide you to the best spots, where you can snorkel with the turtles and chalk up an entirely exhilarating experience on your trip calendar.

Understanding Dolphins

Dolphins have always held a fascination for humans. Their intelligence, friendliness, grace, beauty, willingness to interact and even play with humans are unique, to these underwater creatures. Traditionally, to get close to the Dolphins, we visit large aquariums or theme parks that house these wonderful creatures. However, of late there has been a backlash against holding these joyous creatures in captivity, even though they do appear to be happy. Keeping them in an unnatural environment is actually cruel. So if you want to get close to dolphins but want to do it in a kind and natural manner, how would you go about it? On a charter boat, of course.

Snorkel with Dolphins

Going out on a charter boat to the spots where the dolphin pods swim, is the ideal way to see them. The best place to snorkel with the dolphins, is in the warm tropical waters, off the Big Island of Hawaii. Charter boats with expert crew and guides, often ply the Hawaiian waters, carrying guests to and fro, so that they may experience, the many different types of excursions available. One such tour is the Snorkeling experience with the Wild, Spinner Dolphins.

Before you begin your enthralling and refreshing experience of snorkeling with the dolphins, understanding them would help create a better environment for you and the dolphins.

Facts about Dolphins

• Habitat: Most species of dolphins live in saltwater. They are generally found in the shallow waters off continental coastlines in warm and temperate regions. However, there are a few species that can be found in freshwater environments like rivers.
• Food: Dolphins are carnivores that feed off the marine life available in the water where they swim. They usually eat fish like mackerel, herring, cod etc. and also squids. Some of the larger dolphin types like killer whales (yes, they are dolphins and no, despite their name they are not dangerous to humans) feed on turtles, sea lions and seals.
• Predators: Dolphins are themselves food for the larger species of sharks for whom their large quantity of meat with a high fat content makes a very nutritious meal. Besides that, they have few other natural enemies.
• Reproduction: Dolphins are mammals that give live birth to their young and nurse them until they are old enough to find their own food and feed off marine life. The young stay close to their mothers until they are mature enough to fend for themselves.
• Intelligence: Dolphins’ ability to learn commands from humans, and play and interact with them, is a sign of a high level of cognitive ability, rare in the animal kingdom. However, this does not mean that actions like appearing to smile or the clapping of flippers, are a show of humanlike emotions. These are just natural and instinctive responses to external stimuli.
• Social System: Dolphins are social creatures who live and travel in groups. This provides them with both the company they need as well as assisting them in hunting and protecting themselves.

Make sure that a Dolphin swim is a part of your Hawaii experience. You won’t regret it.

Understanding Manta Rays

Snorkeling to swim with manta rays is one of the most exhilarating adventures you can have in the ocean. Do not let their size and possibly alarming shape fool you - they are mild creatures and do not harm humans so you are safe with them. Of course, you should always have a qualified snorkeling guide with you.

What They Are

Manta rays are cartilaginous fish and belong to the shark family, although they are distantly related. Mantas live in temperate tropical waters and are open ocean creatures. However, they often visit reefs regularly to feed on plankton and allow small fish to clean their skins. There are two types of manta rays – the larger is known as the manta birostris and the smaller is the manta alfredi. The alfredi is usually found nearer the coast. Although they are found in groups near the reefs, mantas are solitary creatures that swim alone and only gather to feed and to mate. They are intelligent animals and have the largest brain to body ratio in the ray and shark family.

What They Look Like

Manta rays have flat disc like bodies of a diamond shape. While being similar in appearance to other types of rays, mantas are the largest of their type. Because the shape of their horns is said to give them a devilish appearance, they are also known as Devil Rays. Adult rays usually have a wingspan of about 11 feet although some have been found with spans of up to 25 feet. Female rays tend to be larger than the males. Manta are black and gray on the top and mainly white on the underside. The black and gray pattern is unique to each manta and can be used to identify individual rays similar to the way stripes are used to identify individual tigers. The weight of the mantas varies, but a thumb rule is to estimate a weight of 50 to 100 pounds for each foot of length. Their lifespan is believed to be anywhere between 50 to 100 years.

Where They Swim

The manta alfredi is found in the waters, off the Big Island of Hawaii. Although they can dive as deep as 700 feet, they usually swim between the surface and 80 feet down, making it easy for snorkelers to get close to them. On an average, they can be found at depths of around 30 feet.

The best way to get the manta ray experience is to do a night time snorkel when the rays come to the coral reefs to feed on plankton. Go out with an experienced charter boat and crew that knows the best places to find the rays. Ideally, it should be a spot that both the rays and snorkelers frequent so the creatures are comfortable having humans around. The best boats will have special lights to attract the rays and allow you to get a good look at them. Hawaii is a great place to get close to these magnificent creatures. Find a charter boat and crew on the Big Island that are experts in snorkeling with manta rays and prepare to enjoy a magical experience.

Snorkeling At Night Part – 2

A night snorkeling adventure to see manta rays is not just a surreal experience. It is rated as being among the 10 best dive experiences in the world and is one that you will never forget.

Darkness and Light

Swimming and snorkeling in inky darkness may seem to be a little intimidating. It is not. First of all special lighting equipment is used to allow you to see the marine life that comes to life, to swim and to feed, after night falls. Second, you are accompanied by a professional guide, who will look after your safety and bring you to the boat early if you start to feel uncomfortable. And, of course, you will not be in the water alone. Night snorkeling is done in large groups so there will always be others around you.

The number of people with you will not detract from the romance of the experience. The special lighting will act to make the manta rays and other creatures stand out in the dark water and look like they are performing a special ballet, choreographed only for you. Watching these strange graceful creatures glide in and out between the darkness and the light is an experience unlike any other. And since the night snorkels have been going on since the 1970’s the rays are used to human presence and are not disturbed by it. That means that the rays could swim and perform their acrobatic maneuvers just inches from you.

How It Works

The night snorkeling site is just 20 minutes from the harbor. After a quick boat ride you will be briefed  on the mantas and their behavior, so that you can better understand what you will be seeing. You then put on your gear and get in the water along with the swim guide. The lights are turned on to attract the plankton, on which the mantas feed. As the plankton start to collect, the rays emerge from the darkness to start feeding. The rest is magic. There is even an option of having a professional videographer record your manta experience for you.

Safety

Night snorkeling with mantas is completely safe. Unlike sting rays, they have no barbs and cannot hurt humans. In fact, it is the other way around. Humans must not touch the trusting rays that come close to them because the bacteria from humans could kill the mantas.

A night snorkel with manta rays is just one of the many incredible snorkeling experiences that await you in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii. There are all kinds of options, at various times of the day, so fitting a snorkeling trip into your vacation plans is never difficult. Charter boats with expert crews will take you to the best snorkeling locations. If you don’t have your own gear, it will be provided to you. There are guides and experts who will guide and assist you so that you enjoy every moment of your experience. Since swimming does make you hungry, a boat and crew that provides you with great food, beverages and snacks, will complete your snorkeling experience. A perfect end to an enthralling experience.

Coral Reef Night Snorkeling Adventures - Part 1

If you are an experienced snorkeler, you know the wonders that await you underwater. If you have never tried it, the images of the underwater world you have seen in movies and on TV will have given you an idea of what you can expect to find below the surface. Most, if not all, of what you have seen on TV and in the movies, will be of the underwater world during the day. Snorkeling at night is another experience altogether.

A Unique Adventure

Snorkeling at night may seem to be intimidating at first. However, you will find that in terms of safety and physical experience, it is the same during the night as in the day, once you have been in the water for a few minutes. At night you will see nocturnal sea creatures that never emerge during the daylight hours. This is especially true of around coral reefs which come to life with a huge variety of fauna after dark. This is when you will see lobsters and shrimps and the mysterious microscopic plankton which generate flashes of light when you pass near and disturb them. When you see a flash of this light, turn off any lights you are carrying with you and wave your hands around. You will be enchanted by the sight of what appear to be sparks lighting up the water around you. It is not just the marine life alone that is enchanting but the coral and the flora look completely different, in comparison to what they look like during the day. At night coral polyps open up and give the reefs a fuzzy and multi-hued appearance.

The aura of the night is compelling. You swim in the dark with only your lights providing a tunnel of vision. The feeling is as if you are not just in another world, but another dimension. After your first experience, you are going to want to keep trying it. If you have your regular snorkeling spots, exploring them at night will show you sights that you will not have seen during the day.

Special Equipment

There is nothing much in the way of special equipment required for night snorkeling. A flashlight is, of course, essential. Chemical lights are useful for illuminating a wider area than a flashlight beam. A dive suit and gloves may be required because the water and air could be colder than during the day. They also help to protect you from scratches and small bruises since there are more chances of you bumping against something in the dark. An audible alarm can be useful for communicating with your buddies underwater, since hand signals may not always be visible. That’s about it, unless you want to take pictures or videos in which case you will need special lighting equipment. Note that night time photography is not allowed in some places as it could disturb the marine life.

The best way to snorkel at night is to go out on a charter boat with an experienced crew that knows the best snorkeling spots and will be able to ensure your comfort and safety. Hawaii’s Big Island has a large number of these boats. Look for one that has a regular schedule of night time snorkeling trips and the experience to ensure that your adventure is one that you will never forget.

In the next blog we will look at the unique opportunity to experience manta rays at night.

How to Teach Snorkeling To Kids

Children take to water like ducks and love to explore the extent of their abilities, while having fun. Introducing kids to the underwater world, widening their scope of knowledge of the undersealife, adds to their well-rounded development. Snorkeling is the best and simplest way to do this and kids as young as 5 or 6 years old, can be taught to snorkel. Here is how to make snorkeling an integral part of their swimming experience.

Kids Snorkeling 101

• Buy the kids, snorkels and masks that fit comfortably. Since they will outgrow them soon, go in for inexpensive (not cheap or shoddy) equipment. Make sure that the mask fits tightly but is comfortable. To check this, see if the mask stays stuck to the face when the kids exhale hard through the nose.
• Tell them how the equipment is to be used and allow them to play with it until they are comfortable with it. Encourage them to get used to breathing through the snorkel.
• A common problem is that kids hate the feeling of rubber straps pulling against their hair. To combat this, fit the strap so that any rubbing against the hair is minimized. With the mask tightly in place, start the practice session in a bath tub and allow the kids to put their faces under water. Gradually loosen the strap until water starts to trickle in. This will allow the kids to understand why the mask has to be firmly in place.
• Next let the kids use the snorkel in the tub to get used to breathing under water. Often children get so enchanted with the new sensation that they are reluctant to stop. Ensure that they begin with just a minute or two under water and gradually increase the time spent under water, in stages.
• Once the kids understand how to use the mask and snorkel, take them to a swimming pool and allow them to practice using the equipment there.
• Remember that children can get excited and become careless in putting on their masks and snorkels. Always check the fit yourself before letting them duck their heads under water.
• Once they can swim and dive underwater in the pool, the next step is to take them into open water. Begin in a calm lagoon or something similar. There should be no or only minimal wave action as this can disorient a child who is still learning to snorkel.
• Allow the children to use water wings so they don’t expend all their energy swimming on the surface and become too tired to enjoy the snorkeling experience.
• The most important aspect of teaching kids to snorkel safely is to always set a good example and be meticulous in checking the equipment, putting it on, monitoring the amount of time spent in the water and obeying all the safety rules.

One of the most memorable snorkeling experiences that you can create, for “the young ones”, would be to take them to the best snorkeling locations as early in their lives, as possible. Among the very best are the waters off the big island of Hawaii. This would be the ideal location to introduce your young new snorkelers to, as comfortable charter boats with experienced crew are available. The crew of the charter boat you hire, will guide and support your snorkeling adventure, and ensure the safety of your entourage, making your snorkeling experience a delight.

10 Snorkeling Safety Tips

Snorkeling is a very safe pastime. But everything has its risks, including crossing the road. The key to enjoying your snorkeling experience is to keep the safety rules in mind, the same way you look both ways before crossing the street. Here are 10 rules that professional snorkelers follows to stay safe in the water.

1. Snorkel in groups. At least 3 people is best – 2 people in the water looking out of reach other and one person on the shore or the boat keeping a lookout for any possible problems.
2. Ensure that one person stays on the surface at all times so that if the person underwater has any problems, the person on the surface can signal the shore or boat and then go down to help.
3. Look after your overall health. The fitter you are, the more you will enjoy the experience and the better you will be able to cope with any minor problems that may arise.
4. If you want to really get into snorkeling, get training from a recognized training school or institute. This will teach you how to do more underwater in a safe manner.
5. Respect your equipment. That means taking care of it by cleaning it and checking for incipient problems after each dive. Check it again before entering the water. A mask that allows water to enter, a leaking snorkel valve or a broken strap on a fin can ruin your fun.
6. Go snorkeling only in safe places. If there is heavy boat traffic or dangerous currents, avoid the location, no matter how tempting it is. Ensure that the water is easy and you can reach the shore or your boat without any problems.
7. Check the tides to find the right time. The best snorkeling times are during slack water which is usually near between high and low tides.
8. Check the weather before venturing out. Rain is not normally a problem when snorkeling, but high winds that whip up the surface can make things unpleasant. As a thumb rule, do not snorkel if the wind speed is above 12 MPH.
9. Do not fall into the trap of hyperventilating. This can affect the carbon dioxide balance in your lungs and body and cause dizziness or even blackouts.
10. Do not dive if you have a cold as if mucus is forced into the Eustachian tubes while snorkeling, it could lead to an infection. In fact, do not snorkel if you are unwell. If you have recently recovered from a major illness, check with your doctor before entering the water. Although you may feel okay, there could be some lingering after affects you are not aware of that could cause a relapse or other complications.

Snorkeling in well-known places like the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii is the safest. Going out in a charter boat with an experienced crew that can guide and accompany rookies and assist experienced snorkelers gives a sense of comfort and will ensure that you stay safe.