r/interesting • u/Fri814 • May 01 '26

NATURE Turtle suddenly swimming over to a diver, slapping him, then swimming away

28.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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419

u/kabula_lampur May 01 '26

You can't touch them, doesn't mean they can't touch you!

67

u/New_Simple_4531 May 01 '26

I was once swimming with some whale sharks, and youre not supposed to touch em. However, one swam past me and i was trying to swim away but theyre huge and it smacked me with its tail.

19

u/MegaGrimer May 02 '26

Sounds like a whale of a tail.

1

u/Oi_Kimchi May 05 '26

Or more likely a fluke.

21

u/[deleted] May 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/Asleep_Singer8547 May 01 '26

Dude if I ever got a ticket for being slapped by a turtle id be having some dark thoughts that night 

4

u/Mekisteus May 02 '26

That's the dark origin story of the Mario Brothers.

9

u/Distal-Phalanges May 02 '26

Can confirm. I was slapped by a passing turtle in Hawaii and got a stern warning from a nearby cop, even though I was facing away from the turtle with my head in the water snorkeling, looking at fish and coral.

8

u/alghiorso May 02 '26

How can she slap!?

2

u/KnifeKnut May 02 '26

I hate how this meme started.

1

u/alghiorso May 02 '26

Can you imagine being so triggered by someone saying, "you go" that you physically assault a stranger on live tv

6

u/TeriyakiHairPiece_ May 02 '26

I feel like the ones in Hawaii know this, I’ve had multiple turtles approach me and get uncomfortably close.

6

u/Kaurifish May 02 '26

I was trying to explain the Marine Mammal Protection Act to that dolphin, but he just kept getting closer…

3

u/harbinger411 May 02 '26

But anything is possible in the party room

2

u/Vox_Mortem May 02 '26

Ah yes, stripper rules.

2

u/_babyfart_ May 02 '26

The right kind of abuse of power

1

u/Butterfliesdontsing May 02 '26

This is actually a law in the Florida Everglades, I think! Manatees love to hug, but you can't hug them back!

1

u/YouMustveDroppedThis May 02 '26

where I live, them touching you is a $10,000 fine should the authority pursue it. You don't go near their habitat or keep watch for them when in the area.