Hawaii - Day 5, Part 2

One of us napped between visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and our next stop. However, that didn't help Kirby want to step down into beach sand today anymore than the last three days. The Punalulu'u Black Sand Beach is well-known to host the endangered Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle.We weren't disappointed.We found several turtles basking in the sand while onlookers watched from outside the stone "corral" that prevented them from coming too close.The population of these turtles was in steep decline during the 1970's due to harvesting of turtles and eggs, but numbers have increased since protection by the Endangered Species Act. The adults weigh 200-500 pounds and they are thought to live 60-70 years.The turtles weren't moving so I don't think that Kirby really noticed them.Matt found a little more action. There were a few turtles swimming and eating in this pool.I took a video of this one as he (she?) approached me, blowing bubbles. Even if Kirby had been a fan of the beach, she would have probably been too tired to enjoy it here. It's better to be in Mama's arms......or better yet, sitting on a towel next to Daddy. Beautiful water, whether it's in blue......or shades of gray.