Pro Surfer photo - riding on turtle's back to raise awareness - causes controversy instead

[Liberal_in_LA]

leave that turtle alone!



North Shore pro surfer Jamie O’Brien is apparently very concerned about the spread of fibropapillomatosis among sea turtles, but since the online posting last week of the photo at right, in which he seems to be riding one of the creatures, he’s also been riding a wave of controversy. Not only may O’Brien have violated state and federal laws against harassing sea turtles, he violated the sensibilities of those who consider the Hawaiian honu to be an ‘aumakua (a kind of ancestral guardian spirit) — if not their family’s ‘aumakua — and countless more concerned by the likelihood of clueless visitors imitating his stunt.

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I’m inclined to believe that O’Brien planned to raise awareness with the riding photo, which appears to have been professionally shot by Brent Bielmann. Yet I’m still dismayed by it. Yes, I know Hawaiians used to eat sea turtles, and puppies, for that matter, but cultures do change: As one Native Hawaiian woman on Kaua‘i told me, “We used to eat turtle soup, and it was delicious, but we didn’t know then that they were dying out.” And sometimes cultures don’t change: Whether or not you believe in ‘aumakua, it’s good to show respect to those who do when you’re in their home.

Moreover, whether or not that particular turtle was physically harmed, holding one underwater, however briefly, seems cruelly stress-inducing. And the potential for imitation shouldn’t be minimized. At marine reserves and volunteer-monitored beaches in Hawai’i, you’ll usually see signs against disturbing marine life and reefs. But on nearly every trip to a popular snorkeling area (including last month’s visit to Kahalu‘u on the Big Island), I’ve seen someone standing on reefs and heard someone boast how close they got to a turtle. Sure, they sometimes swim right up to you — I once had a sea turtle unexpectedly graze my legs from behind in the Hilton Waikoloa lagoon, and long ago was encircled by three swimming near “Turtle Town” off Maui — but that just means you stay still or move away. You don’t touch the turtle, and you certainly don’t ride it.

Of course, more suggestive interpretations of what O’Brien appears to be doing with the turtle exist (though I note the rider has his swim trunks on) — please don’t do that, either. Although the caption for his blog photo of a turtle with bulging fibropapilloma includes the phrase “unknown cause, unknown cure,” his Oct. 28 post on Twitter was more explicit: “Lesson 4 Today: Heavy petting with turtles may lead to fortuitous relations with the reptile… & the forever disease.”

http://blog.sfgate.com/hawaii/2011/11/01/surfers-turtle-riding-photo-raises-more-controversy-than-awareness/?tsp=1