Aloha Steemians!
[Here is a Honu yawning while he basks on the beach]
Hawai'i Wildlife Fund (HWF) is a great group of very driven and devoted volunteers who believe the ocean and it's amazing creatures should be protected and respected in their native habitats. With my internship with them I have had some great experiences so far that have truly changed the way I value our ability to come together with a purpose and a vision to do the right thing. So far I've dedicated over 75 hours with them, the first tid bit of my internship I spent on a popular surfing beach called Ho'okipa.
[Christine and Nick, Marine Biologists from Italy working with HWF counting honu]
While stationed there I witnessed the craze that has developed with the aid of social media. Social media in this sense has been a double-edge sword. It has done wonders to promote the organization and the work they do, also gaining much more sponsorhip and financial support from outside assistance. On the other hand, it has attracted a routine of tourist busses to stop at Ho'okipa to observe the phenomena of basking Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles as one of their "free" stops on the way to Hana. I mean, I totally get it. It's the closest you will get to a wild animal without having to pay an entrance fee, like at an aquarium or zoo. These animals are amazing in their own unique way, and also on the climb up back from being on the endangered species list. Our mission with HWF is to educate, protect and spread awareness of how to properly behave around these animals and the other animals of the ocean.
Every day and every night, the honu gather onto this beach and bask in the sun. This behavior is unique to this animal, as ectoderms they rely on the warmth of the sun to heat their bodies. They also use this time to digest their food and rest from their long days of diving and feeding. The most turtles I have seen on the beach was 30-40 turtles, all huddled together on the sand. There have been records of 60-80 of them at one time on this beach! The main traffic time for the honu is right before sunset, they come in masses to get settled on the beach and they will sleep there until they set out again at sunrise. They are pretty laid back animals, I definitely hear a chill surfer tone in the back of my head when I look at them relaxing under the Maui sun.
Currently, the research and studies being done on these turtles are to follow their growth in population, their overall health and disease numbers, and learn more about their behaviors as a species.
If you plan to visit Maui in the future, I highly reccommend joining us for a day or two (or however long you wish!) and participate in the many projects HWF offer to visiting volunteers. Just check out their website online. Having some sun, sitting on the beach isn't a bad gig.
It also amazes me how far people will go for a social media "LIKE" or "FOLLOW". There have been incidences where we have caught people sitting on the turtles and posing with them, completely disreguarding that these are living and conscious animals that have their own agenda, one not being part of their profile facade. This saddens me in a way because it points to the fact that there are people out there who just flat out don't care, who are oblivious and ignorant to their role as a human being on this planet.
Albeit, my hope for humanity has dramatically improved since working with HWF. There are so many people out there who genuinely want to learn how to be better individuals, better contributing people of society and a global community.
Growing up on Maui I was one of the few children that did not grow up in love with the ocean and it's beautiful inhabitants. Not by choice, but my family had other interests and were more of beach-chair people rather than adventurous surfers or divers. Only until recently have I fallen head over heels for the beautiful Ocean and all her granduer. I credit my newfound obsession for the water to my boyfriend. He grew up in Costa Rica and Florida and the Ocean has always been a fundamental element in his upbringing and like many other people, the Ocean is more than just aesthetics and relaxation, it's a way of life.
With this realization of love for the Ocean, the past two years have been a time of self-discovery and exploration. I'm driven to find my own unique way to contribute to the growing needs of our global wellbeing as a whole. There are many routes and specializations of environmentalism, naturalism, conservationism, etc. At the moment, I'm being called to tweak my individual role to be more of an innovative, communicator, educator or something along the lines where I can spread awareness and connect more people to nature and explore the ways we can improve our current conditions of our planet. I'm not sure how this will look further down the line of my life, but I'm eager to continue learning and growing skills that will be resourceful in various ways to our global community.
In whatever free time I can put together during my "overly productive" week, I seek solace and comfort in the silky blue waves of Maui. Surfing, snorkeling, and soon to be scuba diving and free diving - the Ocean provides such variety in experiences for everyone. Being in the Ocean has taught me many valuable lessons that I live by. Learning about the crazy creatures that live in the Ocean has been a mind-expanding awakening, there is so much that is happening that we can't begin to understand with just basic understanding! For one, the Ocean also plays a vital role in the influence our global weather patterns and climate.
[I'm not here to give you lectures about the scientific phenomena about the ocean, so I'll digress for now. I do believe that if you find the ocean appealing, I support further investigation or research for your own understanding.]
I'll be making a new post about the Hawksbill turtle project that I'm also working on in a few weeks! I hope you've enjoyed these images of these awesome creatures and my little spiel.
Thank you for reading,
& with that I'm out!
Diondra XO
WOW! MONSTER turtles!! I love being close to the sea - its so good for cleansing all the chakras. Congratulations on your Marine certificate too ;)
It truly is! The sea is a magical place to be :)
More work like this is needed for other creatures also upvoted.
a wonderful post, really enjoyed the read. I grew up on the beach and in the sea and have a huge passion for protecting this environment. I wish when I was growing up, marine biology /scientist was a job I knew about, i would have loved it. Your pictures are great .
Hey @ladypenelope1 ! Thank you for your response :) even tho you're not working in the industry officially, if you love the ocean you will always be a guardian! We have the power to do so much even as civilians!
Thats so true - I do support marine conservation when and where I can :)
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