https://youtu.be/WuZTAYaVO5Q Turtle Canyon is 1.5 miles offshore from Waikiki Beach in Oahu. The spot is surrounded by the lush green cliffs of Diamondhead and offers wonderful coral and scenery. The only way that you can get there is via a short boat ride from shore, and it is one of the most popular destinations for Oahu snorkeling tours. While on the boat on our way to the canyon, we saw dolphins coming very close. But of course the main attraction is seeing the sea turtles.
We saw several turtles swimming and surfacing to breathe at Waikiki’s Turtle Canyon. However, many more turtles were at the bottom, more than 25 feet down. The average snorkeler can swim down 12 to 15 feet. Experienced snorkelers may reach 25 feet.
Our tour guide went down to the bottom and fetched up a sea urchin, covered with spines. This kind does not have venomous spines, our tour guide asked us to handle it carefully for a moment and gently pass it to other people and then he returned it to the reef. Tropical fish: You’ll find an abundance of colorful tropical fish including black and yellow varieties such as parrotfish, triggerfish, needlefish, and damselfish.
Two Tips for the Snorkel Adventure:
- Use a tour operator. There are multiple Turtle Canyon tour operators in Oahu, and they all depart from Kewalo Basin Boat Harbor.
- What to bring: Since the tour operator will provide snorkeling gear and snacks, you only need to bring towels, sunscreen, and perhaps a GoPro camera.”
Using a sea scooter while snorkeling will allow you to cover more distance easily. Younger sea turtles may live in shallow areas, like coral reefs and seagrass beds. There were mostly more mature sea turtles at Turtle Canyon. These green sea turtles are a protected species and their reliable presence is why Turtle Canyon is so popular among snorkelers at Waikiki.
The green sea turtles come to Turtle Canyon to rest and feed on the algae that grows on the surrounding reef. While they can be seen at the bottom, the best viewing is usually when they come to the surface to breathe. Sea turtles cannot breathe underwater, but they can hold their breath for long periods—between 4 to 7 hours when resting. A shallower site means closer viewing of the fish that generally stay close to the reef
0:0 Turtle Canyon location & overview
0:26 dolphins swimming
0:40 turtle near surface
1:02 more turtles more than 25 ft deep
1:30 sea urchin
2:02 Two Tips for Snorkel
2:23 Tropical fish
2:55 fish with longnose
3:29 sea scooter
3:43 younger turtles shallower water
4:02 turtle to surface
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2 Tips For Hawaii Waikiki Turtle Canyon Snorkel Adventure in Oahu | Hawaii Honolulu Guide | 8K Video