When & Where to Swim with Sea Turtles: The Ultimate Wild Travel Guide
Large, beautiful and iconic, the sea turtle is a beloved favourite of people across the world. To swim with a sea turtle is on many travellers bucket lists. Discover the ultimate guide to swimming with sea turtles. Learn where to go and when to see these charismatic ocean giants.
Sea Turtle Fact File:
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Did you know there are only seven types of sea turtle in our oceans? Found both in open ocean and coastal seas, you’ll find locations around the world where you can encounter them all. So which sea turtles can you swim with?
Green Sea Turtle
Fact: Easiest to Spot
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Fact: Largest Sea Turtle
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Fact: Biggest Habitat Range
Flatback Sea Turtle
Fact: Only Found in Australia
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Fact: Most Colourful Shell
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
Fact: Smallest & Rarest Sea Turtle
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
Fact: Most Numerous Sea Turtle
How to Swim with Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are calm and subdued marine animals.
Sometimes inquisitive, sometimes indifferent to your presences, they rarely show any traits of aggression or discomfort. Sea turtles, by nature, are used to just swimming about peacefully, letting the world pass them by. All this means swimming with sea turtles can be a great encounter, because you have the chance to observe sea turtles in their natural environment without causing them distress or disrupting their behaviour.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get it wrong. How do you swim with sea turtles the right way?
Approach
Do not enter the water too close to a sea turtle. Maintain a distance of at least 10 metres. Approach slowly and keep your distance. Back off if they start to show signs of distress like swimming away quickly, and do not chase them.
Behaviour
Maintain calm and gentle movements at all times. Turtles are prey animals which means they are sensitive to splashing, fast movements and noise. Imagine you’re trying to swim like a slow and methodical turtle and you’ll fit right in!
Contact
Do not touch sea turtles, and never attempt to hitch a ride. Their shells are surprisingly sensitive and easy to damage. Sea turtles also often sleep and rest on the seafloor in crevices between rocks and coral. Keep your distance and don’t surprise them.
Where Can You Swim with Sea Turtles With Sea Turtles?
You can swim with turtles in just about any sea or ocean on planet Earth. Turtles are native to almost all countries with a coastline. The select few countries that do not sea turtles are those in countries that frequently experience sub-zero temperatures. We’re talking those close to the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. Sea turtles will range as far north as Alaska and as far south as Argentina, although they favour the warm waters of the tropics above all other destinations. This means there are some locations that are better for swimming with sea turtles than others!
Best Places to Swim with Sea Turtles.
Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtle, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Loggerhead
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
March to August
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in Tortuguero National Park?
Tortuguero National Park is a haven for sea turtles. It’s one of the most significant nesting grounds in the world for both leatherback sea turtles and green sea turtles. The national park is a large and protected area that supports vibrant sea turtle habitat. While sea turtles can be seen here year-round, they congregate in vast numbers (thousands) during the nesting season.
Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtle, Loggerhead, Hawksbill
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
May to October
Why Swim With Sea Turtles on Lady Elliot Island?
The Great Barrier Reef is an exceptional ecosystem. Sea turtles are found here in their droves. It’s difficult to visit anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef without being able to swim with a sea turtle. Lady Elliot Island is an exceptional area of an exceptional destination. This remote island offers some of the best snorkelling and diving experiences anywhere on Earth, and that includes swimming with turtles.
Marsa Alam, Egypt
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtles, Hawksbill
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
June to September
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in Marsa Alam?
Marsa Alam is a town found along the coast of the famous Red Sea that borders the east coast of Egypt. The Red Sea is coveted amongst the diving community for its stunning undersea colours and abundance of life. Well deserving of its title as one of the best dive spots in the world, the Red Sea is home to plenty of vibrant sea turtles, many of which congregate around the coastal waters of Marsa Alam during the summer months.
Maui Island, Hawaii
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtle, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback Turtle, Oliver Ridley
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
April to October
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in Hawaii?
Turtle Town, Maui Island, Hawaii. Is this the best place in the world to swim with sea turtles? It’s hard to give any one destination the crown, but Turtle Town is definitely up there. A snorkelling hotspot, here you can swim with many varieties of sea turtles, including the unique Hawaiian green turtle. Found close to the shore feeding in large numbers, Hawaii is a stunning location to encounter and swim with sea turtles.
Galapagos Islands
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtles
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
December to March
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in the Galapagos?
The Galapagos Islands are nothing short of legendary. They’re known throughout the world as being one of the last bastions of true wilderness. Unspoiled and untouched by man, protected by both law and their remote nature, the Galapagos Islands provide an important habitat for some of the world’s most vulnerable creatures, and sea turtles are no exception. The Galapagos green turtle is found here, nesting and thriving in the coastal waters.
Ari Atoll, Maldives
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Olive Ridley, Green Turtle, Hawksbill
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
January to April
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in the Maldives?
The Maldives are nothing short of a dream come true for underwater adventures. Made up of thousands of islands surrounded by coral reefs, the Maldives is a treasure-trove of life. Turtles are everywhere, and we mean everywhere here. There is nowhere you can really go in the Maldives without having a chance to swim with sea turtles. Ari Atoll, one of the largest atolls (a ring-shaped lagoon surrounded by islets) of the Maldives archipelagos is a favourite for snorkelers and divers, just because of its size and the amount of life attracted to this region of the country.
Barbados
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtle, Hawksbill, Leatherback Turtle
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
February to October
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in Barbados?
When you think of the Caribbean, you think of dazzling blue waters, vibrant undersea life and, of course, sea turtles. Of all the islands, Barbados offers some of the best opportunities to swim with sea turtles, primarily because of the nesting grounds that attract turtles in the middle of the year, but also because there are some great tour operators and the infrastructure available to get you out on the water easily.
Akumal, Mexico
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Loggerhead, Green Turtles
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
May to October
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in Mexico?
Mexico is a favourite location for sea turtles. The waters are calm and warm, and the beaches are remote and sheltered. Thousands of sea turtles of different species flock to the country to nest, while many others live here at all times of year. In Mexico, there are plenty of places to swim with turtles, but the best is known to be the region of Akumal, a town on the east coast and the famous Yucatan Peninsula. Akumal means ‘the place of the turtle’ so it comes as no surprise that this is one of the best places in not only Mexico, but in the world, to swim with sea turtles.
Zante, Greece
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Loggerhead
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
May to October
Why Swim With Sea Turtles in Zante?
Zante is the best place in Europe to swim with sea turtles. The Mediterranean is filled with sea turtles but they spend most of their time out in the deeper regions hunting and resting. In the summer months, however, they head towards shores to lay their eggs, with thousands of loggerhead gathering around the beaches of Zante (Zakynthos).
Ningaloo Reef, Australia
Which Sea Turtles Can You Swim With?
Green Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Hawksbill
What is the Best Time of Year Can You Swim With Sea Turtles?
November to March
Why Swim with Sea Turtles on Ningaloo Reef?
Ningaloo Reef is one of the world’s last remaining untouched paradises. It supports a vast range of biodiversity, including thousands of sea turtles. Around 6000 sea turtles live here all throughout the year, but are seen in higher numbers during the early months of the year, as they head towards shore to breed.
Interested in swimming with dolphins?
Read our wild guide!