Kayak along the rocks at Ocotal or Hermosa and one will surface a boat length away, look at you, and sink again. Snorkel the headlands and you can watch them graze like cattle on the algae-covered rocks.
Where you’ll see it
Rocky shorelines, headlands and reefs from Coco south, in water shallow enough to snorkel. They feed in the same spots day after day, so a place you saw one is a place you will see one again.
What to know
The eastern Pacific greens are darker than their Caribbean cousins and often called black turtles. Adults are vegetarians, cropping algae and sea grass, which is what gives the fat its green colour and the species its name. They are slow and unbothered by a respectful snorkeller. Do not touch, do not chase, and never get between a turtle and the surface.
