Critically Endangered Hawksbill Turtle Swims Within Inches of Diver

Roatan, Belize is an amazing location for scuba diving and snorkelling. Located on the eastern coast of Central America and south of Mexico it is bordered also by the Caribbean Sea. Offshore, the massive Belize Barrier Reef, dotted with hundreds of low-lying islands called cayes, is home to an extremely rich marine life. Sea turtles of varying types, Moray eels, as well as a number of types of rays are also found along the reef. On this dive in the video, Brent and his wife Elsa had stopped in Roatan, Belize while on a Caribbean cruise. After a good nights sleep aboard the cruise ship, Brent and Elsa made their way off the ship with all their scuba diving gear. Following simple instructions from one of the local dive companies, they found their driver that would transport them to the dive shop only a short distance away. After completing the required paperwork and meeting their dive guide Vero, Brent and Elsa were the only ones on the dive boat this day. Having Vero the dive guide to themselves made for a couple incredible dives. Zigzag is one of the many popular dive sites which was a very short, few minute ride aboard the dive shop panga boat. Donning their dive gear, Brent and Elsa were ready to go. Descending onto the ocean floor at a depth of around 65 feet displayed some amazing scenery below the waves. Gorgeous coral reefs, huge rock formations, and beautiful sea life excited both Elsa and Brent. Drifting along the edge of the reef, effortless carried by a gentle current, brought them to a channel within the reef. Noticing some motion in the near distance, Brent realized it was a Hawksbill turtle surfacing for a breath of fresh air. Hawksbill turtles are found throughout the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Their diet consists mainly of sponges that live on coral reefs. Today, loss of coral reef habitat  around the world is the primary threat to the future numbers of hawksbill turtles. The reason the Hawksbill turtles are endangered and nearing extinction is because of their beautiful shell. They were hunted for hundreds of years in huge numbers for the “tortoise shell” that was used in many types of jewelry and trinkets. Harvesting hawksbill turtles for their shell nearly drove the population to extinction. Now with the creation of many protected reefs and marine reserves, the Hawksbill numbers have been slowly increasing in these areas. Many countries have begun to protect these beautiful animals which is helping them to recover from near extinction. Hovering along the reef edge at Zigzag, this gorgeous Hawksbill began descending along the small valley within the reef, and swam directly at Brent. Excited at what he was experiencing, Brent made sure his Gopro was recording to catch the beauty and grace of this turtle. Concentrating on it’s own plan, the turtle swam along the edge of the reef then made a turn directly at Brent. Remaining as motionless as possible, Brent took in one of the most beautiful events of his diving life. This Hawskbill swimming within inches of Brents camera as though posing for some incredible footage made for a perfect dive.