5 Best Places to See Sea Turtles in Kauai
Kauai, Hawaii’s northernmost island of paradise, is brimming with natural beauty and diverse fauna, including an abundance of magnificent sea turtles. If you're planning to visit the island, there are several spots where you can see these gentle giants up close. Here are five of the best places to see sea turtles on Kauai:
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Is it your grumpy grandpa Ernest or is it a beautiful Kauaian Sea Turtle? Photo credit: Josh Childress
Sheraton Caverns (Best for Scuba Diving)
A sea turtle gracefully gliding through Kauai’s lavish lava tubes. Photo credit: Josh Childress
The hands-down best place to see turtles in Kauai is Sheraton Caverns. Here’s the catch - you’ll need to be scuba certified to check it out. But if you are certified and book a trip to this amazing turtle sanctuary, you’ll be rewarded with not only an absolute plethora of Sea Turtles in their natural habitat, but also an amazing adventure through a winding underwater labyrinth of collapsed lava tubes. These same lava tube structures provide a safe haven for sea turtles, which can be seen playfully active around the area. We actually saw turtles mating here (bow chicka wow wow), during which they almost squished our dive master…
If you want to visit Sheraton Caverns, we highly recommend you book a trip with Seasport Divers. Our team has dove with Seasport Divers multiple times and have been very impressed each time with the quality of their equipment, attention to detail, focus on safety, and ability to find turtles in action!
Poipu Beach (Best for Snorkeling)
Located on Kauai’s south shore, Poipu Beach is an ideal spot for snorkeling and viewing sea turtles. The beach’s calm waters are home to a variety of marine life, and you can often spot sea turtles swimming around the coral. This is an ideal spot for the whole fam-bam. Also a great spot to surf or take a surf lesson if that itch needs scratchin’.
An areal view of the sheltered coves of Kauai’s Poipu Beach - “thar’ be sea turtles down der.” Photo by Ryan Miller on Unsplash.
Anini Beach
On the north shore, Anini Beach is another excellent spot to see sea turtles. Its shallow waters provide an ideal feeding ground for these creatures, and you can often observe them from the shore. You can also go kayaking and spot them swimming alongside your boat.
Sea Turtle cruising through Kauai’s shallows (getting…pitted?). Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash.
Hanalei Bay
This picturesque bay on the north shore is surrounded by towering mountains and lush greenery. The bay's calm waters are a perfect resting spot for sea turtles, and you can often see them swimming close to the shore.
Tip: Just a bit further down the road is Tunnels Beach, one of Kauai’s most beautiful and epic snorkeling beaches. Make sure you start your day for the North Shore early to find parking.
The beautiful and lush Hanalei Bay of northshore Kauai. Photo by Zane Persaud on Unsplash.
Brennecke’s Beach (Best Viewing from the Beach)
Last, but not least, Brennecke’s Beach. Brennecke’s provides a unique opportunity to watch sea turtles in action. And by action, we mean surfin’ big kahunas! Imagine finding Nemo surfer bro turtles, but real life. Brennecke’s is a popular boogie boarding and body surfing beach both among humans and aquatic beings (turtles) alike. You can watch these athletic aquatic animals agilely navigate the oncoming surf through the waves themselves - its like peering into a blurry, but beautiful aquarium.
Sea turtle surfacing to get some of that sweet Hawaiian air. Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash.
Kauai is a nature lover's paradise with an abundance of marine life, including the majestic sea turtle. If you want to see them with your own two eyes, be sure to visit one of the places in this article.
Mahalo!
Cover Photo Credit: Subtle Cinematics on Unsplash.
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