Instructions
Identify what species of turtle you will be swimming with before entering the water. A species like the snapping turtle, which will bite on land, might also do so in the water, but is more likely to flee, ruining its day and your turtle sight-seeing adventure.
Approach turtles calmly and slowly when in the water. Like any other animal, moving quickly or aggressively toward it can cause the turtle to react hostilely to your presence.
Move away from the turtle if it does a yawning motion with its mouth, or if it bobs its head. Also move away from a turtle if it swipes its flipper over its forehead area. All of these behaviors can indicate a turtle is aggravated.
Do not grab, hold on to or otherwise touch a turtle. Turtles need to breath just like humans do, and preventing it from surfacing to breathe might aggravate the turtle.