Turtle Kisses

Usually the marine life gives you wide berth when you are diving but there are occasions when they become as curious about you as you are of them. On several of our dives this year we saw a turtle. This particular dive we saw a little guy. As we were swimming along, He seemed to be headed for the surface but started toward us.

Oh my gosh, I thought, this guy is going to give us an up close look before he veers off and heads up. Turtles have lungs and so they must surface periodically to breathe. They can spend a long time underwater. Hours to days depending upon the type of turtle and whether it is feeding or sleeping or hibernating.

This little guy was in no hurry to get to the top. He was more interested in Bob. We weren't sure why unless he thought the camera in his hand was a food offering. Later, when we watched the video, we thought perhaps the sound that Bob's regulator was making attracted him. (The diaphragm or o-ring in his regulator wasn't lubricated properly when we had our equipment serviced. It's happened before and doesn't affect your breathing but does create the irritating whistle.)

The turtle just kept coming until I thought it was going to kiss Bob. He started backing up and then the turtle must have remembered he was on his way to the surface and he headed on up to catch his breath. We were still trying to catch ours after a wonderful encounter and something to remember for years to come.