What’s Down There? - Green Sea Turtle

A dive with a turtle is always great! While scuba diving at Apo Island (also known as the Turtle Island by some locals), we bumped into a green sea turtle minding his healthy lunch. It was too precious not take a video of. IT munched away his seaweed and algae (Caulerpa lentillifera) while we, the Dive Monsters, just watched.

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Did you know that the green sea turtles can live up to 80 years…and maybe more?! Even though they can live that long, the green sea turtles (and turtles in general) are listed as endangered animals. They are well spotted and identified due to their tear shape shell and greenish shell. However, some parts of the ocean, they can turn olive to black. They can be found in tropical and subtropical oceans such as the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.

An adult sea turtle can grow up to an average 1.5 meters (5 ft) long and weigh 315 kg (694 lb). Green sea turtles typically swim at 2.5–3 km/h (1.6–1.9 mph). They can get bigger and fatter if they continue to feed. Unlike its close relative the hawksbill turtle, the green turtle’s snout is very short and its beak is unhooked. The neck cannot be pulled into the shell.

Home & Diet of a Green Sea Turtle

Turtles maybe one of the more advanced animals in the planet. They have their house on their back and can move anytime they want (saves money from the movers). However, if you are looking for green sea turtles, you can try looking at shallow lagoons and shoals with lush seagrass meadows just like in Apo Island and Dauin. They love those! Among other diet, adult turtles love algae and seaweed. Baby turtles on the other hand are a bit more carnivorous. They eat fish eggs, mollusks, jellyfish, worms, and small invertebrates.

Green sea turtles move across three habitat types, depending on their life stage. First, they are born on shore. If they are not eaten by birds or stepped on by humans, they then start growing in shallow waters. Turtles spend most of their first five years in convergence zones within the bare open ocean that surround them. These young turtles are rarely seen as they swim in deep, pelagic waters.

Speaking of young turtles, Dive Monster Senior and Mamamonster went to Bali for a week of romantic holiday. They got to release 1 day old baby turtles to the ocean. When going to Bali, try it out too! Save the endangered turtles. Check out the video below of baby turltes being released into the ocean.

🐢See the Turtle…Be the Turtle!!!

When we saw the green sea turtle, we felt a bit hungry as well. We then passed by a lush seaweed patch (like it was a sign from the sea grass god that we try his holy seaweed. We grabbed a few and ate it underwater. Who said eating underwater was not fun? NOBODY!!! We just needed a few beers underwater too and we had a nice meal underwater. Watch the video below to see the Dive Monsters eat seaweed in Apo Island! (turtle inspired)