Discover Sea Turtles (Honu) and Tidepools
We love sea turtles! Enjoy our appreciation video:
Visiting the sea turtles is a great free activity for families! You can easily see them on the beach at Holoholokai park and in front of the Fairmont Orchid. Holoholokai park also has great tide pools to explore at low tide. Kids and adults love seeing all of the small creatures that stay behind when the tide goes out!
Just a mile away from our vacation homes, we love walking, biking, or driving the golf cart over to the beach by the Fairmont and Holoholokai Park! If you go in the afternoon, you can often see turtles hauled out on the beach to sun themselves. It’s also a great place to go for a walk and have a picnic.
Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles
There are many places on the Island to see Green Sea Turtles (Honu) in the water and on land! In the waters close to shore, you can sometimes see them swimming and feeding on algae. From land, you can typically see them sunbathing on the beach in the afternoon and evening.
To see the turtles at Holoholokai, take a right after the parking lot and follow the path, keeping your eyes close to the water’s edge. You can also often see them on the Fairmont Orchid’s beach. But make sure to enjoy from a distance and do not disturb sea turtles, as they are a threatened species, and they need to rest and sunbathe on the beach to stay clean and free of parasites.
Tide Pools
When the tide goes out, lots of small marine animals get trapped in temporary pools for a few hours until the tide rises again. This gives you and your family a great opportunity to see marine animals without having to go underwater or breathe through a snorkel. Exploring tide pools is a great way for kids to see colorful critters like hermit crabs, sea urchins, and starfish up close and learn about marine biology! Download this guide to common Hawaiian species from Hawaii’s Department of Natural Resources and see who can find the most tide pool species!
Etiquette
We may just be visiting the beaches, but sea turtles and other animals call these places home. While you are observing and learning about turtles and tide pool animals, make sure to be respectful of their habitat and space. The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is a protected species, so it is illegal to disturb or touch them. When exploring tide pools, be careful where you step and make sure to leave rocks where you found them. You can help make sure that these animals keep coming back for years to come!
