Homeward-Bound Honu

Article Photos

MAKENA - The sight of captive green sea turtles getting their first tastes of the open ocean brought tears to the eyes of some spectators, and shouts of joy from others, as staff from the Maui Ocean Center released the animals into the waters off Makena on Thursday afternoon.

A few of the juvenile turtles swam close to the boat for a minute or two after gaining their freedom, slowly taking in a new world without walls. Some of their pals, however, hit the water with mighty flaps of their flippers and roared away.

"I'm so happy for them," said Maui Ocean Center General Manager Kate Zolezzi as she stood on the deck of the Pacific Whale Foundation's Ocean Odessey and watched her former charges disappear into the blue depths.

"It's high time for them to be where they belong," she said.

The turtles were raised at the Maalaea aquarium after being hatched at Oahu's Sea Life Park. When they arrived from Oahu three years ago, five of the animals were a year old and the size of dinner plates, while another was 2 years old. Now, having grown to weigh up to 90 pounds over the past three years, the animals were fast approaching sizes that were too big for their tank and too big for center staff to handle during routine care.

During the boat ride from Maalaea to Makena, center staff used a tough white paint to label the shells with identifying markers, "1M" through "6M." The M stands for Maui, not male. They are still too young for staff to determine their genders.

While turtles previously released by the center were equipped with transmitters that allowed them to be tracked by satellite, there was no research money to spend on such high-tech gear this time around. Zolezzi said the paint may stay on for weeks or months. She asked for the public's help in monitoring the movement of the turtles until the paint wears off.

Ocean users who spot the turtles are requested to report the time, date and location of the spotting to the Maui Ocean Center at info@mauioceancenter.com or by calling 270-7000.

Zolezzi said the turtles received a clean bill of health and were "buffed out" before the release. She said they were free of tumors and parasites.

"These animals have never had any health issues," she said, while giving credit to the Sea Life Park breeding program.

In preparation of the turtles' release, members of the aquarium staff have been augmenting the creatures' diet with fresh seaweed gathered from the Maalaea coast. Joe Santagata is one of the staff that has grown fond of the turtles.

"I'm going to miss them. I've been feeding them for two years," Santagata said. "I'm happy, and I'm sad at the same time."

Santagata said the turtles developed their own personalities, including one, "4M," that became aggressive at feeding time and nipped at his tank mates' necks and flippers. The behavior would earn the turtle a couple weeks' "time out."

Hawaiian cultural specialist Kahu Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr. was on hand to bless each turtle before it was released, as was Maui County Council Member Mike Victorino. The captain and crew of the Ocean Odyssey donated their time to transport the turtles and crew to Makena for the release.

* Matthew Thayer can be reached at matthayer@mauinews.com.