The Green Turtle has become increasingly endangered over the last two decades, and numbers in Thailand have fallen below 100 individuals. There is one place in the world where the Green Turtle population has remained strong, and there is a guarantee of an encounter with one of these beautiful creatures, and that is Sipadan Island, Malaysia.

Unlike the Hawksbill Turtle, the Green Turtle has a smooth shell, as individuals are able to keep their shells clean by using their front flippers to remove any algae or barnacles. Green Turtles can grow very large, with adults reaching lengths of 150cm and weighing in at over 300 kilograms, making them one of the largest species of turtles. The Green Turtle does not derive its name from its shell, which is usually a brownish/olive colour, but from the colour of its flesh. Green Turtles have been hunted for centuries, with their meat being used to make soup, while their shells were used to make everyday items such as plates, bowls, cutlery and jewelry.

Nowadays the biggest threat to the Green Turtle is the destruction of nesting sites, accidents including boat propellers and being accidentally caught in fishing nets. In Sipadan, the island has actually been completely closed down to help conserve not only the world class reef system, but also the hundreds of resident Green Turtles. The Malaysian government decided that the development of Sipadan was threatening the reef and its inhabitants, and in early 2004 announced that by the end of the year all five resorts on the island had to close and relocate off the island. This decision will hopefully ensure that divers can experience these fabulous reefs and its residents for decades to come. 

Like the Hawksbill Turtle , the Green Turtle undertake lengthy migrations from their feeding grounds to their nesting sites, which is also the same place they were born. Mating usually occurs every couple of years, and if you are lucky, mating can be witnessed in the waters around Sipadan Island. Once the female turtle has mated, she will wait until a high tide before clambering up the same beach she was born on, to dig a nest and lay her eggs. The female Green Turtle will lay a clutch of between 100-200 eggs, which will then be covered and left, with the baby turtles hatching out after around two months. Once the hatchlings make their way out of the nest, they will then face the most difficult time of their lives, as many hungry predators are lying in wait for an easy meal.

Their main predators are seagulls, crabs, sharks, barracudas, and groupers. With a survival rate of only around 1%, it is easy to understand how the destruction of the turtle nests by man, has led to a dramatic decline in turtle populations worldwide. The lucky turtles who do survive and reach maturity can live to be over 80 years old. Unlike other species of sea turtles, adult Green Turtles are herbivorous, feeding mainly on sea grasses and algae. Juvenile Green Turtles will also eat jellyfish, sponges and invertebrates.

Like the Hawksbill Turtle, the Green Turtle undertake lengthy migrations from their feeding grounds to their nesting sites, which is also the same place they were born. Mating usually occurs every couple of years, and if you are lucky, mating can be witnessed in the waters around Sipadan Island. Once the female turtle has mated, she will wait until a high tide before clambering up the same beach she was born on, to dig a nest and lay her eggs.

 The female Green Turtle will lay a clutch of between 100-200 eggs, which will then be covered and left, with the baby turtles hatching out after around two months. Once the hatchlings make their way out of the nest, they will then face the most difficult time of their lives, as many hungry predators are lying in wait for an easy meal. Their main predators are seagulls, crabs, sharks, barracudas, and groupers.

With a survival rate of only around 1%, it is easy to understand how the destruction of the turtle nests by man, has led to a dramatic decline in turtle populations worldwide.

The lucky turtles who do survive and reach maturity can live to be over 80 years old. Unlike other species of sea turtles, adult Green Turtles are herbivorous, feeding mainly on sea grasses and algae. Juvenile Green Turtles will also eat jellyfish, sponges and invertebrates.

I was lucky enough to visit Sipadan Island on my honeymoon in May 2007. Although I have dived all over the world and logged thousands of dives, what I saw in Sipadan blew my mind! The amount of marine life, the diversity, the condition of the reef system, but most of all the abundance of Green Turtles was amazing. It was not unusual to see 30-40 individuals on one dive! On many of the dive sites, just as you were kitting up on the boat before the dive you could see 5-6 turtles coming up to the surface for air. The other great thing was that you could see the whole size range, from 25-30cm juveniles, to large males at close to 150cm, and weighing over 300 kg. For anybody who loves turtles Sipadan is the place to go.

When diving with turtles please follow my useful guidelines below.

• Approach turtles slowly, so not to scare them away.
• Never corner a turtle.
• Never swim directly above a turtles, in case they try and swim to the surface for air.
• Never touch, hang, or ride on a turtle.
• If you see any plastic in the water, please remove it, as turtles will mistake it for a jellyfish and it.
• Never wake a sleeping turtle; doing so can cause heart failure due to the surprise.
  

• Sipadan Island
• Similan Islands