Hawaii Green Sea Turtle (Hono)
Look--but PLEASE don't touch...
Hawaii is home to an abundance of marine life, unfortunately careless use of our resources has placed a number of species in danger. The Ocean Recreation Council of Hawaii (T.O.R.C.H.) is an organization formed to enhance marine resources through the cooperative management of ocean recreation.
They are helping to spread public awareness about how to treat the ocean and marine life. Through careful conservation and simple common sense we can keep the ocean clean and beautiful for future generations. Remember when you go diving or snorkeling to keep an eye out for the exotic animals which live here, but please have respect for them and do not harm them or their home.
One of the ocean dwellers you may encounter is the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. Slow and clumsy on land, the threatened Green Sea is graceful and fleet in the water. These slow growing reptiles may not reach maturity until as late as 40 years and feed primarily on algae and limu that grow in the shallow waters. When fully grown they weigh as much as 400 lbs.
Turtles in Hawaii travel as far as 800 miles to the French Frigate shoals, northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, to mate. The females laboriously crawl ashore, dig a deep nest in the sand and lay close to 100 round, leathery eggs. When the 1 ounce hatchlings emerge, they scurry rapidly for the protection of the sea, many falling prey to hungry crabs and sea birds on the way. It is estimated that only 1 or 2 from each nest may make it to maturity. Much is unknown about the lives of the turtles. We do know that they are a magnificent animal, deserving of our respect and utmost efforts to preserve them. Should you be fortunate enough to spot a turtle while diving, be very still and quiet. They can be quite curious and will often approach and give you the once over, or simply ignore you as they continue about their business. Green Sea turtles are air breathers, like us.
When they are active they must surface to breathe every 2 minutes or so; when they are sleeping, usually tucked under a ledge on the bottom, they can remain underwater for as long as 2 1/2 hours. However, when they are stressed, they use up their oxygen very rapidly and can drown. It is against federal law to ride or harass sea turtles and is punishable by heavy fines. If you see anyone harassing a turtle or if you observe a sick or injured animal, please go to the nearest phone and call Conservation Enforcement at 548-5918 on Oahu
Hawaii Fish Cards
Franko's O'ahu Reef Creatures Guide (fish card). Franko's fish cards are stiff, laminated plastic, with a hole for a lanyard. Take it snorkeling or scuba diving with you! Size of Fish Cards: 6" x 9"
Franko’s Oahu Reef Creatures Guide
Side 1 shows a mini-map of Oahu with a few of it’s best diving and snorkeling spots located, most notably Hanauma Bay. The map is a scaled-down version of Franko’s Map of Oahu, showing the island’s lovely shape and green mountains, and the beautiful surrounding Pacific Ocean. A humpback whale, spinner dolphin, and Hawaiian monk seal are depicted on the map. Oahu’s main towns, Pearl Harbor and it’s highways and freeways can be seen. Below the beautiful mini-map is a fabulous photo of Oahu’s most popular snorkeling destination, Hanauma Bay. There is nowhere else on earth that is snorkeled by so many. Just beyond the reef line, which can easily be seen in the photo, the snorkeling just gets better and better. There might be 2000 visitors at any time in the shallows, but out where it is 12 to 18 feet deep there will usually be no one else out there with you. Visibility might reach 80 feet or more. I just had to put it on the fish card to represent the truly fabulous underwater Oahu.
Side 2 shows the wonderful reef life of Oahu. Oahu has such great snorkeling and scuba diving that it must have it’s own quality fish card. This is it! This picture of Oahu’s fish is the result of personal inspiration, as Franko has snorkeled and scuba dived all around Oahu, and especially at Hanauma Bay. The fish card, which measure 6" x 9", is printed on plastic and then laminated so that it is stiff, shiny and waterproof. It has a hole for a lanyard, so you can actually take it diving or snorkeling. I’ve used a thick rubber ban
d as an effective lanyard for mine. The reef creatures depicted on these cards are taken from my own artwork on Franko’s Map of Oahu. The fish shown include over 80 species, including a dozen or so that are found nowhere else on earth. The Hawaiian fish shown are selected from about 435 species that exist in Hawaii, and are based on Franko’s personal exploration. The colors and the means of showing them are based on personal observation. The naming of the fish in Hawaiian as well as English is helped by the experts at the Maui Ocean Center, The Pacific Whale Foundation, Hanauma Bay rangers, The Waikiki Aquarium, and local knowledge. I love them all, but maybe my favorite is the Humuhumu Nukunuku Apua’a, Hawaii’s State Fish.
Franko’s Map of Oahu, The Gathering Place
Franko’s Map of Oahu, The Gathering Place
Side 1 shows Franko’s Map of Oahu, with a view of the whole island, it’s mountain ranges shown in beautiful green shaded relief, as well as it’s freeways and major roads, plus creeks, trails and things to see or places to go. Beyond the island, the ocean waters are shown in beautiful shades of tropical ocean blue, indicating ocean depth contours. All about the island there are descriptions of it’s fabulous scuba and snorkeling spots, famous surfing spots, and great places to visit. Favorite dive spots include Hanauma Bay, possibly the most snorkeled spot on earth, and also Magic Island right next to Waikiki, the wreck of the Y0-257, which is visited by the Atlantis tourist submarine right out of Waikiki, the M/V Mahi on Oahu’s west where eagle rays soar by, Turtles, where numerous green sea turtles can been seen on almost any day, U’lua Cave, or Black Rock, where white tip reef sharks guard a big cave, and many more. The North Shore not only features dive spots like Shark’s Cove, Snagles, Turtle Street and Hale’iwa Trench, but also great surfing spots like Sunset Beach, Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay, Chun’s Reef, Laniakea, and Hale’iwa. Follow Franko’s map to Laniakea and check out the old, 300-pound green sea turtles grazing on the algae right at the beach, or even resting on the beach there, as they have for thousands of years. The East Shore shows the map owner where to find the Polynesian Cultural Center (the PCC to the locals), the Mormon Hawaii Temple, which is probably the most beautiful edifice in the State of Hawaii, and Sandy Beach, famous for it’s body-whomping heavy shorebreak, which commonly ruins a few unwary tourists’ vacations, as they find out just how powerful the beautiful ocean can be. Around the map there is a collection of artwork of tropical fish, which are named in Hawaiian and English, and depicted in a reef environment with photos by Franko.
Side 2 shows Franko’s Map of Waikiki & Oahu South Shore Details. The entire South Shore from Honolulu to Makapu’u Head, Oahu’s easternmost point, is shown so that the viewer can get a close-up view of the island topography, including Diamond Head Crater. More things to do, places to visit, dive and diving sites are shown. The highlight of this side of the map is the superbly detailed map of Waikiki, which shows where everything is, including most of the hotels, Kapiolani Park, Ala Moana Beach Park, Waikiki Beach, the Ala Moana Shopping Center, the International Market Place, over 200 buildings, the DFS Galleria, the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, Ala Wai Harbor, Ala Wai Canal, Ala Wai Golf Course, and much more. Local well known surfing, snorkeling and diving spots are shown with descriptions as well. This map of Waikiki is the very best there is, except for the one that appears on Franko’s Map of Waikiki and Oahu with Things to See and Do. In depth topographical map of Oahu with detailed listing of beaches dive sites and the tropical fish in the area. Printed on waterproof tear-resistant paper. Measures 21 x 14 open 7 x 4.25 folded.
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