Saving a green sea turtle !
So we just got back from a two night stay on Lady Elliott Island, which is the most southern part of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Man this island is amazing!
And it is turtle nesting season.
Lady Elliott is home to three different sea turtles the green sea turtle,Logger head turtle and the hawksbill turtle.
But Lady Elliott island is known for the green sea turtle that nest on the sand banks.
On our first night we went for a walk along the beach and noticed some trails in the sand that led from the water up the beach, so we followed it up and found a turtle digging a hole making a nest
It was very dark and I didn't want to try and take a photo of her and disturb her. So we sat near by just watching.
Eventually she gave up. Maybe she got spooked by all the birds around nesting and made her way back to the ocean.
The next morning we got up just before sunrise and walked along the beach to see if we could see any turtles nesting.
We noticed some tracks heading back to the water and there she was.
She made it back down near the water but the tide was going out and she was stuck against a rock ledge
This was a bad place for the turtle. The tide was going out and the sun was coming up.
And she had no energy left after laying her eggs.
She was just rubbing her face along the rock which was not a good sign.
She would be stuck here until high tide and the lack of energy, plus the sun coming up all added to her stress.
Now at first we weren't sure if we were allowed to help her.
But then some other guys came along and said that she has already been in this situation for over an hour so let's help her out and get here over the rock ledge and back out to sea.
So the four of us grabbed a side each and we slowly lifted her up over the ledge
At first she was a bit squirmy but then she realised we were helping her out.
This turtle would have weighed about 80kg.
Once we put here back down she made her way to the water with the quickness.
She must of felt so relieved once her flippers touched the water. She paused for a second then with her last bit of energy she started to swim away.
Wow what a way to start the day!! That's definitely got to bring some good luck!
Stay tuned for more adventures from Lady Elliott island!!