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u/WilliamDragonhart Jun 26 '12 edited Jun 26 '12
I was swimming off the north east coast of Hawaii in murky water the visibility was poor and i could only see a few feet in front of me. i finally see this little yellow fish and start following it down between some rocks, i watch it peck some food off one of the rocks. Then, slowly the sunlight from above me fades away and for a moment i panic the rocks are falling and crushing me. But then i realize, its not a rock at all but a sea turtle about the size of the one in the photo, so is the rock the fish was pecking at, upon further investigation i realize that there are three dining table / small car sized turtles floating around me and staring at me. That was the most humbling experience of my life, i am very thankful for it.
Edit: got my cardinal directions wrong
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u/oOfollyOo Jun 26 '12
I remember being told by a dive master I was on a dive trip with that leatherbacks could be the size of Volkswagen beetles. I have no source. just thought it was kinda neat
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Jun 26 '12
Relevant xkcd. Check the far right for leatherback dive depths relative to things like submarines and the continental shelf.
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u/RobGoski Jun 26 '12
"Negligible Senescence" from the front page not long ago - sea turtles are included!
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u/clockworkzebra Jun 26 '12
That's a leatherback sea turtle. They're the largest species. Never seen one in person, but yes, they are big.
http://www.turtlehospital.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/leatherback-rehab-016.jpg