Swimming with Hawksbill turtles

On my recent trip to Lady Elliot island. The most southern part of the Great Barrier Reef here in Queensland Australia.

I went for a quick snorkel as the tide started to go out. To see what I could find in the shallows near the light house bommies.

And to my surprise I saw a huge hawksbill turtle!!
This guys shell would have been a meter long!

The hawksbill gets its name after their pointed beaks which resembles a bird.

Then out of the depths a second hawksbill turtle rocked up to hang out.

This one was half the size as the other

They were just chilling looking for food in the coral as I floated above observing from a distance.

They didn't mind me being there at all

A fun fact is the hawksbill is the fastest swimmer out of all the turtle’s species.

It's always such a special moment when you get to swim and float alongside a turtle!

I took these shots on my DJI action 4 camera.