But Will you Love Me Tomorrow....

We saw a ruckus out on the water, maybe 300 yards away.  Could it be dolphins at play?  Could it be some hapless surfer being systematically devoured by a shark?  Heck... let's paddle our outrigger on over there & check it out.

Upon closer inspection, the seasoned mariners who were my co-paddlers knew right away what it was.  But I couldn't make sense of what we were approaching.  All the commotion we saw from the distance had stopped, and now it was as still as a buoy floating on the surface.  I couldn't figure out what I was looking at... a rock bobbing around in the ocean?  That didn't make any sense....

Oh!  Turtles mating!  A little early morning Honu love.

Not my picture....nor the angle of my view.... but you get the idea.

Apparently the giant male turtle mounts the female after a little tussle and splashing about (the kerfluffle that caught our eye in the first place), and then they float and drift in conjoined coitus, taking turns raising their heads above water for a deep gasp of air. (I wanted to add "connubial" for a good triple alliteration, but that suggests marriage.  Apparently, turtles are more opportunistic in their mating behavior - think of the '80's with random hook-ups and one night stands.)

We voyeuristically sat and watched them for 10-15 minutes, periodically making off color, but fitting, remarks, humming porn-like music.  There is no movement, no agitation seen in the water.  It just looks like he's fallen asleep on top of her.  Until, that is, they come up for air.  Then you get the sense that there is some kind of hard work going on somewhere.

As we decided to bid our adieus, they, too, appeared to be satiated.  We all kind of wanted a cigarette....

I have since added another notch of information on my growing list of marine facts:  What do you call it when turtles make love?

A Slow Poke.