Turtle Bay is located between Protection Point and Kuilima Point on the North Shore of the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

in the U.S. State of Hawaii.

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

s were known to feed in the bay, so residents renamed the area "Turtle Bay". This name predates the completion of the former Kuilima Resort Hotel and Country Club in May 1972, although it is not the bay's original name. The Bay is currently home to the famous

Turtle Bay Resort Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

, which includes hotels, cottages and a golf course. The James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge preserves a small pond adjacent to the golf course.

Geography and environment

One of the last undeveloped areas on

, Turtle Bay is recognized for its rock formations, wild coastal beaches, threatened

green sea turtles The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

and endangered

Hawaiian monk seal The Hawaiian monk seal (''Neomonachus schauinslandi'') is an endangered species of earless seal in the family Phocidae that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian monk seal is one of two extant monk seal species; the other is the ...

habitats, whale spottings, traditional fishing areas, small local agricultural lots and Hawaiian ancestral burial grounds. The beach is sandy but the swimming conditions are poor because the ocean floor near the shoreline is rocky. There is a large limestone shelf that spans almost the entire length of the bay. The coastal underwater formations are home to one of the most striking limu (algae) found in the Islands. '' Martensia fragilis'' grows on rocks in tide pools and on reef flats. This

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstruc ...

species ranges from light blue to pink and orange in color. The bay is surrounded by about of beaches and of trails.

Attractions

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

concrete bunker stands at the tip of the bay's western point. It is located at , just north of Route 83, which is known as

Kamehameha Highway Kamehameha Highway is one of the main highways serving suburban and rural O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. Informally known as Kam Highway, it begins at Hawaii Route 92, Nimitz Highway near Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolu ...

. To the west of the point is Kawela Bay, and to the east, the former site of Kahuku Army Airfield. The

has the North Shore's sole large hotel. The resort rests on including the former airfield runways. Other accommodations on the resort include the beach front Villas (built in 2005) and the Kuilima Estates Condos (built in the early 1970s). The resort took the "turtle bay" name officially in 1983. Previously the area was called Kuilima, and the point was Kalaeokaunu. A $45 million deal to preserve nearly 630 acres of open space with the Turtle Bay Resort was finalized in October 2015.

Sports

Located just north of the famed

Banzai Pipeline The Banzai Pipeline, or simply Pipeline or Pipe, is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of ...

, Turtle Bay is the site of the Rainbows Break

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

spot. The bay is also one of a number of spots used for

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

on the North Shore. Turtle Bay Resort has two championship golf courses, the

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in ...

Course and the

George Fazio George Fazio (November 12, 1912 – June 6, 1986) was an American professional golfer and a golf course architect. Life and career Fazio, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a respected player in the mid-twentieth century and competed in sev ...

Course. In October 2015, Turtle Bay hosted "The Stand Up World Series", a professional platform for the world's best stand-up paddle racers to determine the legitimate men's, women's, and under-16 world champions.

Television and film

Turtle Bay is a common area for filming because of its still largely unspoiled landscape, natural environment, and large waves, along with its proximity to

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. The prologue to the 1974 film '' Death Wish'', depicting

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

and

Hope Lange Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress f ...

as a married couple on vacation, was shot in Turtle Bay. The area was the setting for the 2008 Universal Pictures film, ''

Forgetting Sarah Marshall ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller (in his feature directorial debut) and starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand. The film, which was written by Segel a ...

''. Produced by

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...

, filming began in April 2007 at the Turtle Bay Resort. With its rock formations and constant rolling surf, Turtle Bay served as a backdrop for the ABC TV series, ''Lost''. In addition to outside locations, a World War II-era bunker in the area was used as both an

Iraqi Republican Guard The Iraqi Republican Guard () was a branch of the Iraqi military from 1969 to 2003, which existed primarily during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. Initially a praetorian guard unit tasked with the sole purpose to protect the president of ...

installation and a

Dharma Initiative The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA (Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications), is a fictional research project and organization featured in the television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost''. It was introduced in ...

research station. On 25 March 2012, the Discovery Channel's

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...

TV show episode, "marooned on a desert island" with only duct tape and a few other items, was filmed on location at Turtle Bay.

References

External links