Sea turtles are just one of the most popular exciting aquatic life sights for divers in Pattaya and the Gulf of Thailand. While they are an endangered species they are not as abundant as we would like, The Pattaya islands has a few species in residence with frequent sightings in our waters. The most commonly spotted sea turtles in the area include the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).
Koh Sak and Koh Larn
These islands are great locations for encountering sea turtles. They are often seen grazing on seagrass or resting on coral reefs.
Koh Phai (Bamboo Island)
Known for its relatively pristine reefs, Koh Phai offers a good chance to spot turtles swimming or feeding in the shallows.
HTMS Khram Wreck
While primarily a site for wreck diving, sea turtles occasionally visit the area to forage around the wreck and the surrounding coral reefs.
Koh Rin
This dive site features a healthy coral reef ecosystem, which attracts sea turtles. It is one of the better spots for observing marine life, including turtles.
Sea turtles are a joy to encounter whilst scuba diving in Thailand, with their graceful swimming and serene presence making them a highlight of any dive. Remember to maintain a respectful distance and avoid touching them to ensure their well-being!
Pattaya has some not-so-famous islands that are hot spots for diving with sea turtles. Located in the Chonburi district on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometres from the southeast of Bangkok. The weather is beautiful here, maybe this is why we have so many resident sea turtles.
The best place with multiple daily encounters is the Pattaya Islands. You are almost certain to see Hawksbill turtles at Koh Rin, Koh Sak and Koh Khrok near Pattaya, one of Asia’s largest beach resorts in Thailand.
Pattaya has a trend for two types of marine turtles.
Both species are endangered. Hawksbill turtles are seen almost every day at the Pattaya islands. This is a rare sight at other diving locations in Thailand and in fact around the world.
The turtles love to graze and swim in the tropical waters of Pattaya. It is a common thought that these turtles do not like to go to the deeper waterside and prefer only the coastal areas. Anyhow, we can still see them visually if we go as deep as 30m at dive sites such as Pattaya’s local shipwrecks.
Another type of marine turtle seen around the Pattaya islands is Green turtles. Obviously different to look at, yet the distinct features of the two, are not easy for all divers to spot the difference. Identify them by simply looking at the face shape or shell pattern. Green turtle’s nose is much rounder than its hawksbill brother.
Hawksbill sea turtles are easily recognized by their distinct physical features. Their bony shells lack ridges and are adorned with large, overlapping scutes. The first vertebral scute is triangular in shape, and each side of the shell has four costal scutes. Their narrow, pointed face features two pairs of prefrontal scales on the head. Unlike some other sea turtle species, their jaws are not serrated.
Key Features for Identification:
Green sea turtles are known for their smooth, oval-shaped shells and rounded faces. Their shell color varies from yellow-green to dark green, depending on their age. The first vertebral scute of their bony shell is triangular. They have four pairs of costal scutes on their shell and a single pair of prefrontal scales between their eyes.
Key Features for Identification:
Sea Turtles have been living in our oceans for more than 100 million years with some species surviving the mass extinction event which wiped out 90 percent of life on earth. The bodily functions of sea turtles are very slow, so they do not need a lot of energy to keep going and this may have helped in their survival.
Most Turtle species can live for around 30-50 years and some that may be more than 100 years old. There have even been claims of turtles living for several hundred years, although this would be very difficult to prove.
How long can a Turtle remain underwater? At rest, turtles can slow their heart rate down and stay submerged for 5 or 6 hours, but, if they are agitated in any way then they will need to surface for air very quickly. Usually, they take a couple of breaths and dive straight back down again. If a turtle becomes trapped in a fishing net it may become stressed out and even drown.
One of the most endangered Sea turtles is the Kemp’s Ridley which is also the smallest of the turtle species. The largest and strongest are leatherback turtles which can grow up to almost 2 meters in length. They are able to swim further and dive deeper than any other turtle species. The leatherback turtle can even eat the dangerous Box Jellyfish as it is unaffected by its stinging tentacles.
Hawksbill Turtles mainly eat lots of sponges as well as crustaceans, and jellyfish, Green sea turtles prefer to graze on seagrasses which are very important for the ecosystem and are homes to many marine species that live amongst them.
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