Swimming with Sea Turtles

Okay, so there was only one turtle. We were swimming with a sea turtle in the Maldives. And by swimming I mean we were dog-paddling, waiting for the boat to fetch us after our excursion time was up, having seen no turtles, when suddenly a lone turtle appeared from the murky depths, surfacing to grab a big breath, then disappearing into the ocean again.

But it counts! We were swimming, and there was a turtle nearby, so I’m calling it a win. And we were lucky, because we had snorkeled pretty far away from the main group when time came to leave, so the rest of the group was at a distance, boarding the boat, and it was only the two of us and our guide. He told us not to swim to the boat, that since we were so far, it would just come pick us up. And then, as we waited, the turtle appeared.

Although Turtle Point is named for the abundance of sea turtles in the area, there was a high plankton count that day, so the visibility was low, and we didn’t encounter many turtles. Regardless, Turtle Point is a beautiful reef, only about thirty minutes by boat from where we were staying on Kandooma Island.

A week is too short to really explore the Maldives, especially if you know you may only be able to afford the trip once in your life. If I were to give advice to anyone going, I would first suggest that you save until you can go for a minimum of two weeks, and second that you wait until you also have enough extra money to travel to more islands than the one where you stay.

My add-ons might have included a two-week stay at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center on the island of Naifaru in the Northern Maldives, and I definitely would have taken several sea plane excursions because I love seeing any area from the sky.

Hope these turtle photos helped take the edge off your Monday blues.

Love, Marla

More Traveling MarLa posts from the Maldives:

Swimming with a Giant Moray Eel in the Maldives

What Kind of Hero(ine) Are You?