Patience, patience, patience.....

You need lots of patience to get a photograph of a green turtle.

Sea turtles made the Hawaiian islands their home long before people did, but in modern times their count has dropped dramatically. Honu were officially placed on the endangered species list in 1978 and are voraciously protected.

Of the seven species of sea turtles on Earth, the green sea turtle is the most common to be found in Hawaii . They’re kind of an unofficial mascot here in the Aloha State—appearing on t-shirts, towels, decorations, in business logos, etc. In fact, Holo Holo Charters’ first logo (created in 1997) included a sea turtle!

They’re known locally as honu and are seen as a symbol of prosperity and good luck. In old Hawaii, green sea turtles were thought to be the property of the chiefs, or ali’i. While some individuals and families ate the turtle meat, used their bones for ornaments or fishhooks, and used their shells for containers, others worshiped and cared for turtles like family members.

Green Sea Turtles tend to congregate around feeding areas that grow marine algae and sea-grass or provide the turtles with shelter, and the necessary species to set up cleaning stations.

Millions of years of evolution have made sea turtles remarkably adapted for life in the ocean. As a result, turtles can safely feed in rough surf.

I waited and waited and waited.......for that split second when they would come up for air.

That is a turtle and not a rock on the right side of the picture.

Can you see them just under the water?

The species’ color comes from the green of its body fat which is due to the turtle’s diet of algae and seagrass; the actual carapace varies from yellowish to olive-brown to black. The average weight of an adult green sea turtle ranges from 150-400 pounds and the average carapace length ranges from 31-44 inches. These remarkable reptiles migrate long distances between their feeding grounds and hatching beaches– the green sea turtles you see in Hawaii generally nest more than 500 miles west of Kauai at the French Frigate Shoals!

Green sea turtles are listed by the International Union for Nature Conservation as endangered. Excess human harvesting, marine pollution, habitat destruction, and egg poaching are all threats to the global population. That said, the local population in Hawaii is doing quite well—yay! Please know that that’s not by coincidence or dumb luck—it’s due to years of hard work and thousands of volunteer hours in protection, education, and conservation efforts.

Therefore, when you see green sea turtles, don’t approach them. Just admire them from a distance and know that today’s your lucky day!

Sometimes you just get an interesting shot of the waves.

We stopped at Jo Jo's Shaved Ice. We decided to share a rainbow: (strawberry, banana, vanilla) over macadamia nut ice cream. Very refreshing on this hazy, hot and humid day!

Tonight was the last night the executives, winners and their plus one had dinner together. Tonight's dinner had a Korean theme with Korean dishes. The food was delicious!

Just before dinner was served, we were fortunate to see the partial eclipse of the moon.

These aren't the best pictures but you get the idea.

While we chose to come in early, others are staying the rest of the week. Tomorrow will be a day of travel for most of us. While the majority of people will be leaving before noon, our plane doesn't leave until 10:25 PM. We still have time to explore this beautiful island paradise.

Our journey in Kauai is fast coming to an end. Aloha from us in Kauai!