Sea Turtle Ecology and Population Management 

Surrounding the Hawaiian Islands, we mainly see two species of turtles: Honu (Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles) and Honu'ea (Hawaiian Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Honu have a healthy population surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. Despite their high abundance, many Honu suffer from a form of papilloma virus. This results in many turtles having tumor-like growths that grow at the base of their flippers, around the neck area, and on the face. Students enrolled in this course will learn how to properly identify male and female Honu and Honu'ea, as well as learn to identify and record instances of the Papilloma Virus.  This course is a partial fulfillment of the Ecological Monitoring Program and the Advanced Ecological Monitoring Plan.

Prerequisites:

• Be at an advanced level of swimming

• Be able to snorkel in water to deep to stand for at least 45-60 minutes at a time

Knowledge Development:

• Be able to identify the different species of turtles found in Hawai'i

• Understand how to differentiate the sexes of Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles

• Learn how to differentiate individual Turtles within the populations

• Identify the different types of Sea Turtle Disease with an emphasis on the Papilloma Virus found in the Green Sea Turtles of Hawai'i

Performance Requirements:

• Attend the Sea Turtle Ecology, Disease, and Population Management lecture

• Assist in photo identification, and Disease monitoring of Green Sea Turtles at Koko Craters Dive Site

• Pass the final exam

Price:

$120/day

Discount: $60/day (Internship)

• takes photos of guests onboard the charter

Approximate time for course completion: ~8 hours and 1-2 hours of snorkelling