How to Spot the Sea Turtle

It's rumored there are only two sea turtles left in Chania's harbor, and both are female. My mom and I learned this fact about two years ago after we were strolling around the harbor and one surfaced. We hadn't ever seen a sea turtle in the harbor before, so we were surprised and absolutely amazed by her beauty. We didn't see her last year and to say our trip was incomplete because of it would be a gross understatement. So, when my family and I traveled to Greece this past summer, my mom and I made it our mission to see the sea turtle again. And we did! My mom saw her twice and I saw her once.

So, how do you find the sea turtle?

First, she is not usually in the main part of the harbor. Walk over towards the light house and the traditional, not-as-touristy tavernas. When we saw her, it was about 2 pm in the afternoon—right after lunch. Your first sign she may be around is if a crowd of camera-wielding tourists are clustered together yelling, "Look!" That's probably a good sign. If there isn't a crowd, spend a few minutes looking in the shallow waters by the wall of the harbor. If you don't see her, come back later, or the next day. My mom and I looked for her everyday but only saw her twice. There really isn't an exact science to figuring out when she'll surface. Maybe that's what makes her so magical—you really are lucky if you do manage to catch a glimpse of her.

If you can't find the sea turtle by observing from the harbor, my mom and I were also able to see her by taking a semi-submarine, called Sea Adventures. If you're looking for it, it's red and bobs around the harbor all day—you can't miss it. I recommend going on a day without wind when the water is calm; if the water is choppy, the bottom will be stirred up and you won't be able to see anything. Even if you don't manage to catch a glimpse of the sea turtle, it's still a really cool experience to be able to see the harbor from underwater. I'd be remiss not to add that the captain of the boat does do their best to track down one of the sea turtles, so you do have a good chance of being able to see one! And lastly, because the boat is a semi-submarine, you can also enjoy the ride without being underwater, and observe the old town from the water. The tickets are 10 euros per child and 15 euros per adult.

Sea turtle from semi-submarine