Turtle Talk

Hawaii's green sea turtles face a hidden threat beneath the waves. Fibropapillomatosis is a mysterious tumor-causing disease linked to a herpesvirus and ocean pollution that has been affecting honu for decades. Here is what every ocean lover should know about this condition and why protecting Hawaii's coastal waters matters more than ever.

Most people are surprised to learn that sea turtles are far more mentally complex than they look. These ancient reptiles have been navigating the open ocean, learning from experience, and returning to the exact same beaches for millions of years. Here is a closer look at what science says about sea turtle intelligence and what it means when one of Hawaii's green sea turtles glides right up to you underwater.

Most people who snorkel at Turtle Canyon focus on the moment a sea turtle glides past them. That moment is real, and it is unforgettable. But here is what most visitors never think about: that turtle is not just drifting around looking graceful. It is working. Hawaii's green sea turtles, the honu, are active caretakers of the ocean around them. They graze algae off reef surfaces, cycle nutrients that feed coral, and help maintain the underwater world that makes snorkeling in Oahu so spectacular. This is the story of how one ancient animal keeps an ocean alive.

If you have ever watched a sea turtle nesting on a beach and wondered why it appears to be weeping, the answer is not what you might expect. Sea turtles do not cry from emotion. They are running one of nature's most elegant survival systems, and understanding how it works makes every encounter with a honu in the water feel even more extraordinary.

Hawaii's green sea turtles, the honu, spend most of their lives quietly feeding along Oahu's reefs, but their reproductive story is anything but quiet. Before a single egg reaches the sand, these ancient animals endure decades of waiting, dramatic courtship battles at sea, and one of the longest nesting migrations of any turtle species on Earth. If you have ever watched a honu gliding peacefully through the waters at Turtle Canyon and wondered what its life story looks like below the surface, this post will answer that question in full.

The numbers are in, and they tell a story no one would have predicted 50 years ago. In 1973, researchers counted just 67 nesting females at the Hawaiian green sea turtle's most critical nesting site. Today that number has climbed to nearly 500, and NOAA's 2024 field season identified more than 1,260 individual turtles at French Frigate Shoals alone. Here is where Hawaii's beloved honu stands in 2026, and why the recovery is real but not yet finished.