Hawksbill sea turtle

Photo: Kevin Bryant · CC BY-NC-SA

The hawksbill is the most reef-associated of all sea turtle species, using its narrow pointed beak to extract sponges and soft corals from reef crevices. At La Passe de l'Hermitage, individual hawksbills are known to local dive operators by name and have been resident for over a decade. Critically endangered globally, the Réunion population benefits from the protected lagoon and a local no-take zone around the reef pass.