It’s not every day you get “slapped” by a turtle — but travel creator Christopher Chang says that’s exactly what happened during a recent dive.
Chang posted an Instagram video with the caption “I got slapped by a turtle,” showing the moment the sea turtle approached him. “It started out as a normal dive. Then this turtle came out of nowhere. Normally, you see a turtle and he just kind of cruises and then does his own thing,” he said.
“But this guy was different. No matter where I went, I would look around, and I just kept seeing him in the distance. When you’re spending time with a creature in the wild in his natural environment, you’re not just observing, you’re feeling. You can feel their energy and kind of sense their vibe. And this guy’s energy was weird.”
“He kept coming straight at me, staring at me, almost like he wanted something from me. Over the years, I’ve had hundreds of turtle encounters, but never anything like this. This was getting crazy. He kept getting more and more comfortable around me and just swimming,” Chang added.
“He’s obsessed with me. After getting slapped, I decided to call it and wave the boat. I don’t know what would have happened if I stayed in the water with him,” he said.
Netizens reacted with amusement. One joked, “He was like shut up. You make a lot of noise in someone else’s home.” Another quipped, “He’s taking the video without Mr turtle’s consent — he has every right to do that.”
Other users shared similar experiences: one said a turtle approached while they were snorkeling in Kauai and “dapped me up,” and another recalled being hit on the head by a small stingray that jumped up on their surfboard while paddling out.
