Rising Tide Images
Basking Honu
A curved shoreline stretch of warm sand on a tropical island. After grazing on limu in the shallow, protected water inside the fringing reef surf zone, a large male honu basks in the sun. The honu, or green sea turtle, is considered an ‘aumakua, or ancestral spirit, offering guidance and protection and were often depicted in ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs. Many people still consider them conveyers of good luck and their cultural importance makes them a popular mascot, artwork image, and stylized graphic design. Most migrate to nest at French Frigate Shoals in Papahānaumokuākea, but for several years I have observed nests on isolated Oahu beaches.
Basking Honu
A curved shoreline stretch of warm sand on a tropical island. After grazing on limu in the shallow, protected water inside the fringing reef surf zone, a large male honu basks in the sun. The honu, or green sea turtle, is considered an ‘aumakua, or ancestral spirit, offering guidance and protection and were often depicted in ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs. Many people still consider them conveyers of good luck and their cultural importance makes them a popular mascot, artwork image, and stylized graphic design. Most migrate to nest at French Frigate Shoals in Papahānaumokuākea, but for several years I have observed nests on isolated Oahu beaches.