Best Places to View Sea Turtles on Maui

Your Actions Matter

Green sea turtles are one of the highlights of snorkeling and exploring Maui’s coastline. By giving them plenty of space, never touching or feeding them, and keeping beaches and reefs free of trash and fishing line, you can help ensure these threatened animals continue to thrive. Every respectful encounter helps protect both the turtles and the healthy reef ecosystems they depend on.

Help Protect Maui’s Honu

1

Watch from a distance

Give turtles at least 10 feet of space, whether they’re swimming or resting on the beach.

2

Look, don’t touch

Honu are protected wildlife. Let them rest, feed, and breathe without interruption.

3

Leave only footprints

Pick up trash and discarded fishing line that could harm turtles and other marine life.

4

Protect their reef home

Use reef safe mineral sunscreen and avoid standing on coral so turtles have healthy reefs to feed on.

Best Places to View Turtles on Maui

Maui’s green turtles can often be sighted basking on quiet beaches, usually in the evenings and mornings.

Makena Landing (South Maui)
Maluaka Beach (South Maui)
Keawakapu Beach (South Maui)
Ulua Beach (South Maui)
Kaʻanapali Beach’s Puu Kekaa (Black Rock) – (West Maui)
The point between Napili Bay and Honokeana Cove (West Maui)
Kapalua Bay (West Maui)
Honolua Bay (West Maui)
Ho’okipa Bay (Northshore) – to view sea turtles basking on shore

Please help protect these beautiful animals. Stay back 10 feet or more when watching sea turtles in the ocean or on land. Learn more tips about snorkeling on Maui.

📸 Take Photos Responsibly

Great wildlife photos are taken with patience, not by gettinge closer. Never swim after, surround, or corner wildlife for a better picture or video. Use your camera’s zoom and enjoy the moment without disturbing animals.

What Kind of Turtles Will You See?

Graceful reptilian residents of Maui’s coral reefs, Hawaii’s sea turtles appear to be almost unafraid of humans. Encountering them in the wild is part of the wonder of snorkeling or diving on Maui.

The turtles that you’re most likely to encounter are Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas), named “Honu” in Hawaiian. Named not for the color of their shells (which feature radiating streaks and dappled shades of black, grey, brown, gold and green), these turtles are called “green” due to the color of their fat, tinted green by their herbivorous diet of algae and limu.

Adult green turtles can weigh 300 to 350 pounds. No matter their size, green turtles are graceful swimmers, with strong paddle-like flippers and a streamlined carapace (shell). Small fish sometimes congregate around their shells to pick off bits of algae for food.

Hawksbill Turtles

Less frequently sighted are the endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) or “Honuʻea” in Hawaiian. These turtles live and feed in our nearshore waters, especially in areas with healthy coral reefs. Their narrow beaks enable them to forage for sea sponges—one of their favorite food items.

Hawksbill turtle. Photo by Don Bloom, Tropical Light Photography

Protect the Turtles

When watching sea turtles, stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) away, both on land and in the water. Never crowd a turtle or block its path, especially when it is swimming to the surface to breathe. Give resting turtles plenty of space and allow them to behave naturally.

Hawaiʻi’s green sea turtles are protected as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, while hawksbill turtles are listed as endangered. It is illegal to harass, harm, pursue, capture, or feed sea turtles. This includes touching them, attempting to ride them, or disturbing them to get a closer look or photograph. The best photos are taken from a respectful distance without changing a turtle’s natural behavior.

You can also help protect honu by keeping beaches and reefs free of marine debris. Fishing line, nets, and plastic trash can entangle turtles or be mistaken for food, leading to serious injury or death. If you safely can, remove litter from coastal areas and dispose of it properly.

To report illegal or suspicious activity involving protected marine wildlife, call 1-800-853-1964 or (808) 643-DLNR (3567). Photos or videos can be emailed to [email protected].

Who to call if you see an injured, sick or dead turtle:

Lanai: State of Hawaii DLNR-DOCARE Lanai (808-565-7916)
Maui (Kihei Area – Maalaea to Makena): Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (808-286-2549)
Maui (All Other Areas): Maui Community College – Marine Option Program in partnership with NMFS (808-286-2899)
Molokai: State of Hawaii DLNR-DOCARE Molokai (808-553-5190)
Visit NOAAʻs injured turtles website

To report illegal or suspicious activity, call 1-800-853-1964 or (808) 643-DLNR (3567). Email photos and videos to [email protected].

Help Protect Maui’s Reefs

Every respectful wildlife encounter helps protect Maui’s sea turtles.

By giving honu space, observing them without disturbing their natural behavior, and caring for the reefs they call home, you’re helping ensure future generations can experience the joy of seeing these incredible animals in the wild.

At Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, we work to protect the healthy reefs and clean coastal waters that sea turtles depend on through scientific monitoring, community education, and conservation programs. If you’d like to help make a difference, consider supporting our work by donating, volunteering, or signing up for our monthly newsletter.

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