Green sea turtles are common in shallow water around Hawaiʻi Island, and the green is the only sea turtle here that hauls out on sand to rest. This guide covers three areas: Punaluʻu in Kaʻū, Kahaluʻu in Kona, and the shallow lava coves on the Hilo side. NOAA Fisheries and Hawaiʻi DLNR both put the viewing distance at ten feet, on land and in the water. Here is where to look and how to behave.
The turtle you will meet is the green sea turtle, honu. DLNR calls it the most frequently observed sea turtle swimming in Hawaiian waters and the only sea turtle in Hawaiʻi that basks on the beach. Green sea turtles can weigh over 350 pounds, measure three to four feet in length, and are estimated to live 70 years or more. Hawaiʻi's greens are classified within the Central North Pacific distinct population segment, which NOAA Fisheries lists as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The other one is the hawksbill, honuʻea, named for its beak. It is far rarer. DLNR says greens outnumber hawksbills in Hawaiʻi by about 100 to one, and hawksbills are listed as endangered throughout their global range. Hawksbills do not bask, and adults are not typically seen on land unless a female is crawling up the beach at night to dig a nest, or the animal is injured, sick, or dead.
All sea turtles in Hawaiʻi are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and by Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Chapter 195D and Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules 13-124. You do not need to identify the species to know the rules apply.
Punaluʻu sits on the southeast coast between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu, in the Kaʻū district. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority's visitor site says you may find large honu basking on the beach here, and there is a picnic area and restroom facilities. Its guidance is direct about two things: do not touch these protected turtles, and do not remove any black sand from the beach. The same page says swimming here is not ideal.
Treat it as a viewing beach. OceanSafe flags Punaluʻu as a hazard-warning beach with only seasonal lifeguard coverage, and the activities it is listed for are walking, tidepools, and photography, not swimming or snorkeling. A turtle sitting comfortably in the shallows tells you nothing about whether the water is safe for you. Check live conditions at Punaluʻu before you go anywhere near the water line.
Kahaluʻu is a shallow bay on Aliʻi Drive south of Kailua-Kona, and the Kohala Center describes it as part of the longest, interconnected coral reef in the main Hawaiian Islands. Adult honu are primarily herbivorous and feed mostly on limu, the macroalgae growing on shallow reef, so people regularly see them from the surface with a mask on. Nearly half a million people visit Kahaluʻu each year.
The park is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Lifeguards are on duty 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Kohala Center strongly recommends waiting until the lifeguards are on duty before entering the water. ReefTeach volunteers staff the beach 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the site asks you to check in with one before you get in. Nonresident parking is $12 for four hours; Hawaiʻi residents with valid ID always park free. Visitors are asked to use mineral sunscreen only, meaning zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the only active ingredients, and free dispensers run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Use the channel in front of the lifeguard tower, to the left of the pavilion, to enter and exit the bay. Avoid walking across the rocks. The Kohala Center says they are slippery, sharp, and an important feeding area for fish and honu. Give every turtle 10 feet. See today's conditions at Kahaluʻu.
Green sea turtle feeding grounds are commonly associated with coral reefs and shallow areas such as rocky outcroppings and algal beds, which is what the small lava-rock coves of East Hawaiʻi are. Richardson Ocean Park and Carlsmith Beach Park are the two most useful stops. Both have full-time lifeguards in our data, and both are flagged as suitable for kids.
These coves are small, so a turtle grazing in one can put you closer to it than you intended. If that happens, stop swimming, stay still, and let it move. Do not follow it around the cove. Visibility drops after heavy rain, which the Hilo side gets a lot of.
NOAA Fisheries gives the same number DLNR does for sea turtles: at least 10 feet, about 3 meters, away, on land and in the water. DLNR describes this as the current federal guideline for safe public viewing. It is a different number from the ones for other species you might run into here. Hawaiian monk seals require at least 50 feet, and 150 feet if a mother has a pup. Spinner dolphins require 50 yards, and federal law prohibits swimming with, approaching, or remaining within that distance. Humpback whales require 100 yards, also prohibited by federal regulation.
NOAA's instruction is to never touch, chase, or feed, and not to disturb sea turtles sleeping on the beach. DLNR adds that even non-life-threatening contact such as touching, feeding, or getting too close can cause stress and overexertion, and that turtles have powerful beaks and can seriously injure you with a bite. A honu asleep on the sand is doing a normal thing and does not need help. Keep dogs leashed and away from basking sea turtles and from known nesting beaches.
DLNR's position on enforcement is short: because the Endangered Species Act and state laws protect all sea turtles, violations of harassment or intentionally harming a turtle can result in significant fines or even time in jail. If you see someone or a pet disturbing or illegally interacting with a sea turtle, call NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement at (800) 853-1964 or DLNR's DOCARE at (808) 643-DLNR, or send photos and video to respectwildlife@noaa.gov.
Hawksbill nesting in Hawaiʻi appears to be exclusive to the main Hawaiian Islands, and DLNR says it happens primarily along the southeast shoreline of the island of Hawaiʻi, on the remote Kaʻū coastline. The estimated average is only 20 to 25 females nesting annually, typically from May to December, with an average clutch of about 130 to 160 eggs and hatchlings generally emerging after about two months of incubation.
Green turtles nest on a different calendar, late April through late October, and DLNR estimates 96 percent of Hawaiʻi's green sea turtle population nests at French Frigate Shoals, a small atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands rather than anywhere you can drive to.
Practically, this means the empty-looking Kaʻū beaches are the sensitive ones. Hawksbill eggs and hatchlings are threatened by non-native cats, dogs, mongooses, rats, and pigs, and by non-native vegetation whose dense roots can block nest excavation or trap hatchlings. Light pollution and coastal development can prevent or delay hatchlings from finding the water. DLNR's guidance is to use shielded yellow or amber lighting near the coast, keep lights and beach fires to a minimum during nesting season, roughly April through December, and avoid beach driving in nesting areas.
Keep the distance rather than closing it. In the water, hold still and let the animal decide how close it wants to be, and back off if it changes direction. DLNR's summary of the whole thing is that the best thing to do is give them space.
Do not touch any turtle, including one with visible tumors. Fibropapillomatosis is caused by a herpes virus transmitted between turtles, and its tumors can exist externally and internally anywhere on the body, impairing sight, swimming, feeding, and buoyancy, or disrupting organ function. No methods currently exist for controlling or treating it.
Fishing line, hooks, and nets pose the greatest entanglement risk, because they can wrap around a turtle's limbs and stop it surfacing to breathe. Pick up any line or debris you find on the shoreline. Report a hooked, entangled, or injured turtle, and any hawksbill sighting, to 1-888-256-9840. Marine debris can be reported to 833-432-6387.
The reef the turtles are eating is the same reef the sunscreen rules exist for. Use mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, or cover up with a shirt. Then read the snorkel safety guide, because the reefs where turtles feed are also where visitors get into trouble.