Swimming with Turtles
Turtle's View of the Reef
Many intrepid travellers are now adding the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of 'swimming alongside a turtle' to their bucket list after reading of others exciting experiences via social media and after viewing the fantastic clip below.
The video, produced by the World Wildlife Fund, offers a unique view of the underwater world in the Great Barrier Reef of a Green Sea Turtle, in a bid "to better understand the post-release behaviour of tagged green turtles,” and has received nearly 800,000 views!
Swimming with turtles in the Whitsundays
The Whitsundays is teeming with majestic, incredible turtles flying through the crystal clear waters. If you want to swim beside a turtle in the Whitsundays, your best option is to book a tour that provides snorkelling and/or diving in the Great Barrier Reef! In fact, most of our tours to the Reef offer snorkelling, as exploring the Reef is one of the best things that you can do while in the Whitsundays. Whether you're on an extended overnight sailing tour, or zooming out to Whitsunday Island on a day tour, you will get to dive into the incredible, kaleidoscopic fringing reefs, home to the beautiful green sea turtle!
Tips for spotting a turtle in the Great Barrier Reef
When snorkelling or diving, the best ways you can keep your eyes out for a turtle is:
- Snorkel or dive in seaweed and seagrass-rich reefs
This is what turtles feed on, and spots such as Tongue Bay are known to have plenty of snacking turtles! - Make sure your mask isn't foggy!
Ask your dive or snorkel instructor for some baby shampoo to de-fog your snorkelling mask before you jump in the deep blue to ensure you see the sea turtles. - Swim slowly
A slow swim through the glassy Whitsunday waters will allow you to soak up all of the incredible underwater wonders and not miss anything... such as a peaceful turtle swimming in the distance!
Whether you see a turtle or not, the Great Barrier Reef is a world wonder, and breathtaking ecosystem to explore! Keep your eyes peeled for other incredible creatures such as dugongs, manta rays, Maori Wrasse fish and squids!
Tips for swimming with turtles
If you do happen to come across a green sea turtle, enjoy the wondrous moment with these local tips!
- Stay calm and don't make any huge motions
While turtles may seem slow, they can swim away incredibly quickly if they're startled or scared, so swim peacefully beside them to make the moment last! - Don't touch the turtles
While you usually can get close enough to the turtles to touch them (wow!), we ask that you respect them and just swim beside them to avoid disrupting their natural course. - Don't forget your GoPro
If you want to capture this magical moment, grab your GoPro or underwater camera to remember your Great Barrier Reef adventures forever!
