Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Sighting evidence at South Drop-Off, Netrani Island
Photo: Kevin Bryant · CC BY-NC-SA
Hawksbill turtles are regularly encountered at South Drop-Off, using their distinctive narrow pointed beaks to extract sponges from within coral heads — prey that most other animals cannot safely eat due to the silica spicules embedded in sponge tissue. Their shells display the overlapping scutes and distinctive tortoiseshell pattern that made them a target of the historic tortoiseshell trade, and they remain critically endangered globally. The South Drop-Off population appears stable, with the same individuals recognised by shell pattern across multiple dive seasons.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Hawksbill Sea Turtle is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.