‘He’s obsessed with me’: Diver gets ‘slapped’ by sea turtle, shares bizarre encounter that’s going viral

A simple underwater clip is currently trending across social media, and it is drawing attention for an unexpected reason. The video shows a diver and a sea turtle, but what stands out is the way the turtle behaves. The moment is not dramatic, yet it has crossed more than a million views and sparked a wide range of reactions online. People are watching it again and again, trying to understand what made the interaction so different.

A dive that began like any other

The video was shared by travel creator Christopher Chang, who was on a regular dive when this moment happened. At first, there was nothing unusual about the situation.

“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,” explained Chang.

Something felt unusual

As the dive continued, Chang noticed that the turtle was not behaving in a typical way. Instead of swimming away, it kept appearing around him repeatedly.

“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.”

This repeated presence made the moment feel different from his earlier experiences.

The turtle kept coming closer

Chang said the turtle continued to approach him and seemed to focus on him during the dive.

“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,” said Chang.

The situation became more surprising when the turtle made contact with him.

“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.”

Social media reactions

The clip has now gained wide attention, with users reacting in a mix of humour and shared experiences.

“He was like shut up. You make a lot of noise in someone else's home,” one user commented.

Another wrote, “He's taking the video without Mr turtle's consent he has every right to do that.”

Some viewers also shared similar encounters. “Happened to me, I was watching and staying like 20 feet back in Kauai in snorkelling, and another one popped up right on me. I stayed still, and it came up and dapped me up, I swear to god,” one person shared.

Another added, “I got slammed in the back of the head by a small stingray when he jumped up on my surfboard as I was paddling out Hurt like hell, I thought I was hit with a frisbee hard until he jumped up again on my back and flopped around I realized what it was.”
Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on a video shared on social media and user reactions online. The Times of India has not independently verified the authenticity or context of the clip. Thumb image: Instagram