Maui #9 -- Ho'okipa

A surfer at Ho'okipa

When Scott and I were in Maui, he wanted to take some photos of surfers, so we went to a beach on the north shore where he had gone before to watch surfers tackle the big waves. The day we went, the beach was crowded, but we didn’t see anyone in the water. There were large waves, but they seemed disorganized, breaking in odd places. It was probably too dangerous – or frustrating – to surf.

The beach usually has big waves

The beach had two levels: an overlook above the beach and the beach itself. Because there were no surfers and it was fairly windy, we turned around and left without even going down to the beach. I didn’t think anything of it and I didn’t even know the name of the beach.

When Caty and I were in Maui, we were a bit disappointed that we had not seen any Sea Turtles while snorkeling, so Caty started researching places to see Turtles. It turns out that there was a beach on the north shore where Turtles come in in the evening to sleep on the beach before going back out to sea the next morning.

So, we went to check it out. It was the same beach! Ho'okipa.

Ho'okipa Beach

Ho'okipa is actually known for windsurfing because it frequently sports a combination of large, well-shaped waves and consistently strong winds, especially in the winter. 

The same characteristics make it a prime surfing spot, as well. We saw surfers, but never really saw any windsurfers.

Caty and I went there three times – late one afternoon after whale-watching, early in the morning on our way to Hanā and, then, on our way back from Hanā. It sits on the Hanā Highway, so it was a convenient stop.

The name Ho'okipa means "hospitality" and it certainly was a hospitable place. Every time we went, it was crowded with families swimming or picnicking, municipal workers having an after-work (or so I hope) beer or two, motorcyclists, locals smoking joints (marijuana is not legal in Hawai’i, but that doesn’t seem to discourage unabashed public consumption) and turtle gawkers.

Because, yes, there are Turtles there!

The first time we went, we parked at the far end of the beach parking lot and immediately saw a Turtle swimming in the shallow green water. Some other visitors told us that there were more turtles at the other end of the beach by the cliff below the upper parking lot.

Swimming Green Sea Turtle; Photo: Caty Stevens

The beach is separated from the parking lot by a wall that leads up to the cliff, getting progressively higher. What we didn’t know was that there were stairs at several intervals.

So, after photographing the swimming turtle, we slogged down the deep soft sand of the beach, narrowly avoiding getting splashed by the surf which, at one point, actually hit the wall.  It was tough walking and I was concerned about the incoming tide. A sneaker wave could be bad for cameras – or us.

After walking about half way, we took the stairs up and continued on the paved sidewalk. So much easier!

The crowd kept growing

That brought us to an overlook above a roped off area where five Green Sea Turtles were snoozing. Five!

The next morning, when we stopped on the way to Hanā, there over 50 and we got to watch some leaving the beach for the ocean.

Then that night, there were more than 80 and they were still coming in!

The Green Sea Turtle, also known as the Green Turtle, Black (Sea) Turtle or Pacific Green Turtle, ranges throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean. 

Each population is genetically distinct, with its own set of nesting and feeding grounds.

In the Hawai’ian language it is called Honu and is thought to be a symbol of good luck and longevity. Some Hawai’ian legends say the Honu were the first to guide the Polynesians to the Hawai’ian Islands. 

There is also a legend of Kailua, a turtle who could take the form of a girl at will. In human form, she looked after children playing on Punalu'u beach on the Big Island.

Like other Sea Turtles, Green Sea Turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches, always returning to the beaches where they were hatched to their birth beach to mate or lay eggs. Females crawl out on beaches, dig nests and lay eggs during the night. Later, hatchlings emerge and scramble into the water. They use the Moon to guide their return to the sea, so areas with hatching beaches have strict rules about street lights and car headlights, which can disorient the hatchlings.

Those that reach maturity may live to 80 years in the wild. Perhaps this is because they are so laid back. Except for the few we saw swimming, they hardly moved.

They just pile up and sleep

Green Sea Turtles are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are protected from exploitation in most countries. It is illegal to collect, harm or kill them and in Hawai’i, it is illegal to approach closer than 15 feet. There is a big fine for touching one.

Still, these Turtles are in danger. In some countries, turtles and their eggs are hunted for food. Chemical and light pollution pose threats, many die after being caught in fishing nets and real estate development has eliminated nesting beaches.

Green Sea Turtle

The Green Sea Turtle's body is covered by a large, teardrop-shaped carapace and it has a pair of large, paddle-like flippers. Adults grow to five feet long and up to an average of 420 lbs., although they have been known to reach almost 700 lbs.

A rounded snout

Unlike its close relative the Hawksbill Turtle, the Green Sea Turtle's snout is short, its beak is unhooked and it cannot pull its neck into its shell. 

Its carapace has various color patterns that change over time. 

Males have longer claws on the front flippers than females and its tail is longer, extending past the shell. 

Adults tend to be olive or black, but they look lighter and more colorful underwater than when on shore. 

Left, my photograph from Australia; right, clip from Scott's Black Rock Beach video

The diet of Green Sea Turtles changes with age. Juveniles are carnivorous, eating fish eggs, mollusks, jellies, small invertebrates, worms, sponges, algae and crustaceans. As juveniles, they begin adding seagrasses to their diet and, then, as adults, they are almost exclusively herbivores (I guess they get woke). Their diet has low nutritional value, making then extremely slow-growing. Plus, ingesting so many plants turns their body fat green, giving them their name.

Turtles in the surf

Only human beings and the larger sharks feed on adult Green Sea Turtles; in Hawai’I, the main predator is the Tiger Shark. Juveniles and new hatchlings have significantly more predators, including crabs, small marine mammals and shorebirds. Additionally, their eggs are vulnerable to predation by scavengers including Java Mongooses.

A Green Sea Turtle heads out to sea

Green Sea Turtles spend almost all their lives submerged, but as mammals, breathe oxygen. So, they dive and surface like whales, explosively exhaling and rapidly inhaling. Their lungs permit a rapid exchange of oxygen and prevent gases from being trapped during deep dives. 

During routine activity, they dive for about four to five minutes and surface to breathe for one to three seconds. But, they can rest or sleep underwater for several hours at a time. 

Breath-holding ability is affected by activity and stress, which is why they can sleep for an hour, but quickly drown when caught in fishing nets. During the night, they wedge themselves under rocks below the surface and under ledges in reefs and coastal rocks or, like the ones at Ho’okipa Beach, they sleep in large groups among the rocks on the beach.

Swimming out to sea

Green Sea Turtles have good vision in the water, but are nearsighted on land because their lenses are adjusted to underwater refraction. 

They have no external ear and only one ear bone, meaning that they can only hear low frequency sounds. Other sounds are detected through vibrations of the head, backbone and shell. 

The nose of the Green Sea Turtle has two external openings and connects to the roof of the mouth. The lower surface of the nasal passage has two sets of sensory cells that the turtle uses to smell by pumping water in and out of its nose.

Since Green Sea Turtles migrate long distances during breeding seasons, they have special adaptive systems in order to navigate. In the open ocean, they navigate using wave direction, sunlight and temperature. Plus, like whales, they have magnetic crystals in their brains.

Heading out to sea

Green Sea Turtles play an essential role within the ecosystem in which they live. When eating seagrass, they trim only the top and leave the roots, which improves the health of the plants. That, in turn, gives habitat and feeding grounds for many species of fish and crustaceans.

Ho'okipa's turtle beach

On the nesting beaches, Green Sea Turtles provide nutrients for the ecosystem through hatched egg shells. 

In coral reefs, they have a symbiotic interaction with reef fish that swim with the turtle and feed on the algae, barnacles and parasites on its shell and flippers.

Historically, Green Sea Turtles’ skin was tanned and used to make handbags, especially in Hawai’i.

Ancient Chinese considered the flesh of sea turtles a culinary delicacy and this continues to be an issue today. 

Mock Turtle

Turtles were hunted heavily in 19^th century America to be made into turtle soup, often served at fancy dinner parties or in high-end restaurants. Because the meat was so hard to come by, mock turtle soup, made with brains and organ meats such as calf's head or a calf's foot to duplicate the texture and flavor of turtle meat, became popular, as well. 

You might recall the fictional Mock Turtle from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Me at a the Cayman Turtle Centre, 2001

Commercial farms once bred them for meat, oil (rendered from the fat), shell and leather made from the skin. 

But, now, it is illegal to trade in even commercially bred Turtles. Turtles are bred in captivity, however, for tourism purposes, often being then released to bolster the wild population. 

I visited the Cayman Turtle Centre in 2001 and got to hold a baby sea turtle. I don't believe Hawai'i has any farms.

A resting Green Sea Turtle

I am so glad that Caty researched where to find Green Sea Turtles, otherwise we might have seen none. Instead we saw upwards of 100!

Me at the overlook

Here's a little video, as well (people around us were so yakkety, I had to add some music) ...

The morning we stopped by, we also got to see surfers, especially one young man with excellent form and style. It was easy to see why there had not been surfers the night before. Instead of breaking all over the place, these waves were well-formed and fairly large. 

Surf's up!

But, Ho'okipa Beach surf can be much larger and has been known to reach 30 feet. Because of the reef configuration there, however, Ho'okipa is not an ideal site for true big-wave riding, as the waves close out when their faces approach about 25 feet.

It's a very pretty beach with a very reliable turtle community, plus an occasional bird or two.

Japanese White-Eye

I don't think I would get in the water; the surf is a bit rough for me. And, there must be some danger, as evidenced by the crosses and memorials on the rock cliff.

I assume the have been fatalities at Ho'okipa

But, it's pretty to visit. And, it offered a lovely sunset.

Ho'okipa sunset

Trip 1 date: January 31-February 8, 2019

Trip 2 date: February 25-March 2, 2019