Gem of the Reef

written by Jack Jarrard, guest student blogger

Green sea turtles in Hawaii, known to the locals as “honu,” are one of the most beautiful sights that can be found on the islands’ reefs. Green sea turtles are everywhere you can get in the water.  They are slow moving and docile, even when being followed or in the presence of people.

One behavior that is common to only a small strip of beach on the north shore of Oahu, is the habit of the turtles resting on the beach. A carefully monitored group of sea turtles will haul themselves from the sea five or ten feet from the water and rest, sometimes sleeping, sometimes warily eyeing tourists. Though sea turtles were once hunted while resting on the beach they are now protected by the government. They are hunted by tiger sharks and often fall prey to floating plastic that they see as jellyfish. But despite these and many more sad realities for the sea turtles, they are still abundant on Oahu.

There are easily hundreds in this relatively small restricted geographical region. From Waikiki to Kaena Point, The North Shore to Kaneohe Bay, these gems of the reef can be found everywhere, dutifully fulfilling their roles as creatures, and helping complete an ecological puzzle that makes up the reefs of Hawaii.

Scripture tells us to look to creation as a teacher. All around us is God’s masterpiece. His Kingdom. It pulls me like a magnet. I will never comprehend it fully, or understand it but I still love to explore it and find the little bits of paradise that surround us. The sea turtle helps me to enjoy a little pocket of one ecosystem that is near me. It helps me see a piece of paradise in a broken world. A piece of the Creator’s Kingdom.

This blog is the first guest blog by high school student and amateur naturalist Jack Jarrard. Jack lives with his family on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He loves exploring all of creation and spends time diving and fishing among many other creational endeavors.