Best places to dive with Hawksbill turtle

Resident reef turtle; encounters are more likely on coral slopes than on blue-water shark searches.

Resident reef turtle in Baa, seen year-round on house reefs and cleaning stations, recorded at Hanifaru and nearby reefs.

Seen on most reef dives around the Banda Islands and Nusa Laut, feeding on the sponge-covered slopes. No documented nesting season is tied to the dive sites, so there is no month that improves the odds.

Resident on the reefs alongside green turtles; encountered year-round though less common than greens.

Seen alongside green turtles on the walls, though less numerous; often resting in crevices and on coral ledges.

Resident alongside green turtles and encountered year-round; the Gilis are known for reliable turtle sightings rather than big animals.

Hawksbills are year-round reef residents.

Resident year-round. Tatawa Besar and Siaba Besar are the reliable sites — operators describe hawksbills feeding on sponges on the Tatawa slope. No seasonality documented.

Seen year-round on the reef, often on the walls picking at sponges. Half Moon Caye is a documented nesting beach; nesting is in the summer season.

Present year-round alongside green turtles, generally in smaller numbers and more often on the reef sections than the sand.

Resident on reef habitat across the atolls. Sightings vary with site condition and feeding habitat.

Resident on the coral gardens year-round. More wary of divers than green turtles, but seen most diving days somewhere on the reefs.

Recorded alongside green turtles on routine surveys in the MPA. Seen on the coral slopes at Toyapakeh, SD and Mangrove Point rather than at the manta or mola sites.

Hawksbill turtles are commonly seen grazing the coral at the Bida islands and Koh Haa and are among the region's most dependable larger animals.

Hawksbills are year-round reef residents, without a defensible month-level peak.

Common on the reef and wall year-round (Sipadan closed in November).

Frequently reported along the Padre Burgos shoreline, especially at Medicare North and South around Tangkaan Point.

Reliably seen on the reef sites, including Turtle Ledge, feeding and resting on the coral.

Regularly seen on the coral walls alongside green turtles; both species nest within the park.

Hawksbills occur year-round on coral reefs.

Hawksbills are reported on coral reefs around the atoll. Treat any individual encounter as opportunistic.

Hawksbills may be encountered on coral and sponge habitat.

Seen on coral reef sites and walls such as Cathedral and deeper points; not a headline draw here.

Present alongside greens but seen less often. The park is recorded as nesting habitat for endangered turtle species; species-level nesting counts were not available.

Reported on the Atauro reef and wall dives alongside greens. Sources do not separate the two species consistently, so hawksbills are coded one step below greens rather than assumed equally frequent.

Seen on the reefs and walls across Bali, including Menjangan and Tulamben.

Hawksbills may occur on sponge-rich reefs.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Turtles are described as occasional visitors to the wrecks rather than residents. No nesting or aggregation data for these sites, and no seasonality documented, so this is coded occasional year-round.

Possible throughout the operating year; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Hawksbills may be seen on sponge-rich reefs.

Hawksbills are associated with the bay's coral reefs. No reliable month-specific dive-sighting pattern was found.

One of four sea turtle species the park records at Con Dao, alongside green, olive ridley and loggerhead. Far less numerous than green turtles and seen only occasionally on reef dives.

Possible year-round on reef dives; no nesting season is converted into an underwater encounter peak.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Seen at Apo Island alongside the greens, feeding on sponges on the deeper reef; less numerous than the green turtles but regular.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Far less common than greens here, but present — Sangalaki is managed as a nesting site for both green and hawksbill turtles. No published nesting counts for hawksbills in the archipelago were found.

Reported on the northern reef around Thundi throughout the year; no research-backed seasonal peak was found.

Hawksbills occur on Cayman reefs without a defensible monthly peak.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported peak is applied.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Regular on sheltered reefs such as Koh Yang and Sail Rock, though numbers are modest.

Seen on the shallow coral reefs alongside green turtles, though less frequently; Shark Bay and the reefs around Koh Nang Yuan are good spots.

Hawksbills occur around sponge and coral habitat.

Seen on the reef and at Gato through the year.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Seen alongside the more common green turtles, more often on the Pescador wall.

Hawksbills may be encountered around coral and sponge habitat.

On the walls, e.g. Big Drop-Off.

Less numerous than green turtles here. Seen on the Balicasag wall and on Panglao's coral slopes, but green turtles account for most sightings.

Hawksbills are less common than green turtles but are encountered feeding around coral and boulder sites, including Tokong Laut. A few sightings across several days is more realistic than seeing one on every dive.

Hawksbills are far outnumbered by green turtles, with roughly 20 hawksbill nests to 385 green nests in one recorded Chagar Hutang season. They are encountered at Terumbu Kili feeding on sponge and soft coral. A few sightings across a week is more realistic than seeing one on every dive.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Turtles, including hawksbills, are seen along the reefs and walls, notably around Verde Island and Sinandigan. Regular but not on every dive.

Turtles are reported around Rubiah, Seulako and several reef sites throughout the operating year; species-level operator records are limited.

Documented in conservation work in the passage and possible on reef dives. Frequency at the listed sites is not quantified.

Possible in the region; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

One of two resident sea turtles in the Similans, seen on hard-coral reefs such as East of Eden. Present year-round on the reefs but only observable in the open season.

Possible throughout the operating year; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Operators report hawksbills on Tenggol reefs. The species is possible through the open season without a documented local peak.

Hawksbills are reported around Soyak and other reefs. They are possible through the operating season without a sourced monthly peak.

Hawksbills are the least common of the three turtles here, with a few resident to the deeper reefs. Critically Endangered.

Hawksbills are reported on Togian reefs. No credible dive-sighting peak by month was found.

Occasionally seen cruising the wrecks and shallow reef patches.

May be encountered feeding around reef structure and overhangs. No reliable Vaavu-specific seasonal peak was identified.

Reported on Vava'u reefs year-round, less frequently than green turtles.

Seen on the reefs alongside green turtles, foraging on sponges along the walls.