Hawksbill turtles live primarily in tropical coral reefs across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are commonly found in warm coastal waters, including coral reefs, rocky areas, lagoons, mangrove-fringed bays, and shallow coastal regions

Geographic distribution includes:

• Atlantic Ocean: From the Gulf of Mexico to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, including the Brazilian coast, the Caribbean (Lesser Antilles, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Costa Rica, Yucatan), and the southeastern U.S. coast (Florida Keys and Atlantic coast)

• Indo-Pacific region: Along the east coast of Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, southern Asia including the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and Pacific islands such as the Philippines, Hawaii, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

• Eastern Pacific: From Baja Peninsula in Mexico down to southern Peru, with important nesting and foraging sites in mangrove estuaries of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Mexico

They prefer habitats with abundant sponges, their main diet, and are often seen resting in caves and ledges within coral reefs. Hawksbills are usually found in waters less than 65 feet (21 meters) deep and are highly associated with coral reef ecosystems, which are critical to their survival

. In summary, hawksbill turtles inhabit warm tropical waters worldwide, showing a strong preference for coral reefs and nearby coastal environments where they feed mainly on sponges and other marine organisms