Changes in diving behaviour during the internesting period by green turtles

Time-depth-recorders were used to determine the contribution of U-dives in 5 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) during the internesting interval at Wan-an Island, Penghu Archipelago, Taiwan in 2004 and 2005. All turtles had a high incidence of long U-dives (dive duration up to 68 min), characterized by constant bottom depth that indicated turtles residing on the seabed. In many cases, these U-dives were inferred to serve a resting function. While there were differences in the incidence of U-dives among individuals, a consistent feature was that U-dive frequency and depth decreased in the days immediately preceding their nesting event. This pattern suggests that preparation for the subsequent nesting event may be a normal process. This observation seems to occur widely among sea turtle species.