Marine Life Guide Pattaya Sea Turtles Thailand

Pattaya Sea Turtles Thailand

All You Need To Know About Pattaya Sea Turtles Thailand

Do you like Sea Turtles? We love our Pattaya Sea Turtles Thailand is a great pace to come and see these amazing sea creatures that have been around for over 100 million years! Yep that’s right! Since the time of the dinosaurs!

In Pattaya, Thailand we have many ancient species; mostly sea turtles! Many turtle species are endangered nowadays and not so widespread. Koh Tao further down the East coast of Thailand from us here in Pattaya translates to Turtle Island, yet these wonderful marine creatures are rarely seen there that often. That’s because they have all retired to Pattaya! They live on the local Pattaya dive sites which can be seen and enjoyed each day by scuba divers, free divers, and snorkelers alike.

Freediving With Turtles Pattaya Thailand

 

What Are The Common Pattaya Sea Turtles?

Commonly you will find two main types of turtles whilst diving in Thailand, especially in the Pattaya Area. The “Hawksbill Turtle” (or its scientific name “Eretmochelys imbricata”) They have been given the name Hawksbill because of the hawk-like beak that they have. The second is known as the “Green Sea Turtle” (or its scientific name “Chelonia mydas”). It’s known that way because of the color of its skin.

 

Hawksbill Sea Turtles

Hawksbill turtles are seen almost daily here on both Pattaya near islands and Pattaya Far Islands. They must love the tropical waters of Pattaya. Typically it is thought that they avoid deep waters, preferring coastal reef areas. However, we often see them down as deep as 30m when wreck diving Pattaya’s local shipwrecks. These might be deeper waters than you might usually look for turtles in, but they certainly do love to hang out on the deck of HTMS Kut and HTMS Khram often enough!  This is most likely because both these shipwrecks are very close in proximity to the shallower local coral reefs, where sponges are abundant and sandy nesting sites are within reach.

Hawksbill Sea Turtle Pattaya HTMS Kut Wreck Dive Pattaya Scuba Adventures

 

Awesome Hawksbill Turtles Facts

Hawksbills are a Critically Endangered species.

Hawksbills can grow up to 1 meter long (3 feet.)

At full grown hawksbill can weigh in at as much 80 kilos!

Hawksbill turtles eat mollusks, algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish!.

Their life span in the wild can range from 30-50 years

Hawksbill Turtles are able to feast on sponges that are toxic to other animals.

Despite the Hawksbills growing to 1m long, they are one of the smallest species of turtle!

Hawksbill Turtles nest every 2 to 3 years, lay an amazing 60 to 200 eggs each season!

Hawksbills are known to have a heart shaped like shell

Green Sea Turtle Pattaya Thailand Pattaya Scuba Adventures

 

 

Green Sea Turtles

Less commonly seen but still, a popular visitor to Pattaya waters are the Green turtles. Besides the obvious, it is quite easy to tell Green turtles apart from Hawksbill turtles by looking at two distinct features. The green turtle’s nose is much rounder than its hawksbill brother. It’s also clear to see that the shell has a unique outer pattern with smoother edges to the turtle’s shell plate making them an easy spot.  It also seems that when we see Green turtles in shallow waters on the reef, searching out their main source of foods such as seagrass and algae, they usually have a friend with them. That friend is a Remora fish! (or sucky Fish) these fish grow from 2 inches to become as large as 2 ft 5.5 in) long. They are well known for having a distinctive first dorsal fin that is like a modified oval sucker. This allows the Remora fish to create suction and take a firm hold against the shell of a turtle for example. By sliding backward, the remora can increase the suction, or it can release itself by swimming forward.

Both like to stay in Tropical warm places, yep you guessed it, like Pattaya Thailand!

Green sea Turtles Facts

Green sea turtles are an Endangered species.

Green sea turtles can grow up to 1.5 meters long That’s 4-5 feet!

At fully grown adult green turtle can weigh from 60 to 160 kilos!

Green turtles are the second largest of sea turtles.

Green sea turtles can live up to 80 years old!

Female Green sea turtles lay about 115 eggs.

The only sea turtle that is strictly herbivorous as an adult

Green turtles are known to have a teardrop-like shell

 

How Long Can Sea Turtles Stay Underwater?

Sea turtles like to spend most of their lives underwater, they have an amazing ability to stay underwater holding their breath for up to seven before coming up to breathe! Of course, it largely depends on their activity. If they are sleeping, they can remain underwater for 4-7 hours. They can stay 45 minutes to one hour with routine activity, however, they normally dive for 4-5 minutes and surface to breathe for a few seconds in between dives.

 

Sea Turtles Behaviour

Sea turtles spend a massive junk of their life underwater, It’s certainly not so easy for us to gather information on their behavior. One thing is for sure, they are friendly and as long as you are respectful around them they don’t mind having divers around and are serious posers for underwater photography. we have also learned about them however it is that Hawksbill and green turtles often return to rest in the same spot each time. This makes it easy for a savvy Pattaya dive guide to know exactly where to find a resting or sleeping Pattaya Sea turtle. Wedged into coral or rock ledge showing you its back end usually! We also learned that Sea turtles will return to the same nesting grounds at which they were born. Nearby Sattahip has a Turtle conservation center that, with the help of the Thai navy, protects certain islands with nesting grounds. This action allows sea turtles to return and lay eggs undisturbed, this fact may also further our understanding of why so many sea turtles congregate around this area of the Thai Gulf so close to Pattaya.

 

Diving in Pattaya With Sea Turtles Video

So there you have it! All you need to know about Pattaya Sea Turtles!

Next time you take a dive holiday to Thailand, put Pattaya on your to-do list and come and dive with our sea turtles. Our dive shop logo isn’t a giant turtle for nothing you know!