Photo of the Week: September 27, 2010

Hi Gang!

Seems to me that it is about time- and maybe a bit overdue- to go back to Hawaii for a POTW. With all of the diving I have done with Captain Steve it is easy to find a good image from the waters of the Aloha State via a quick search of my files. So, for this week’s POTW I chose an image of an underwater photographer swimming behind a green turtle.

Green turtles are commonly encountered in the waters surrounding Maui and throughout many parts of Hawaii. In fact, green sea turtles inhabit tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Surprising and a bit confusing to some, green turtles are named for the color of their meat, not the color of their shell. Measuring up to 5 feet across, the heart-shaped shell is usually brown to olive. The color of the underbelly is usually off-white or yellowish. Although, green turtles are big and can weigh as much as 700 pounds, they are not the world’s largest sea turtle. That distinction belongs to the leatherback, animals that can weigh up to 1,400 pounds!

As adults, green sea turtles are herbivores that feed on a variety of algae and sea grasses. As juveniles, they include a variety of invertebrates such as jellies, crabs and sponges in their diet. Green turtles migrate over long distances as they travel between their nesting and feeding grounds. In the wild, some members of this species are believed to live as long as 80 years.

I encountered the turtle in this week’s POTW during a dive with Captain Steve on the backside of Lanai. That didn’t come as a big surprise as it is common to see turtles there, especially in and around the highly publicized Cathedrals of Lanai. It’s always fun to come across a turtle in the inside of these large caves.

David Fleetham, a Maui resident, the photographer in this photo and an absolutely brilliant photographer, did a great job posing and helping me get this shot. As the diver he got into a position that allowed me to get a “head on” shot of the turtle in the foreground with the diver in the background. I was able to get close enough to the turtle to light the animal with my strobes while simultaneously including a background of appealing blue Hawaiian water.

The trick to having a prolonged encounter with a turtle is to avoid trying to swim right next to the turtle the instant you see the animal. I have found a slow, non-threatening, approach to work best, and I usually try to avoid direct eye contact with the turtle when I first see the animal and when I make my approach. Often, although certainly not always, this type of approach allows the turtle to get comfortable with my presence and I don’t seem to be a threat. That, in turn, allows me to get close to the animal so I can get the shots I want.

I hope you enjoy this week’s POTW!

See you next week,

Marty