Sea Turtle Release

Sea Turtle Release 120901

We had heard about three sea turtles being released on Saturday, September 1 at 11:30 am at Main beach. After last night's Blue Moon turtle watching we were beginning to feel that turtles are a big thing on Amelia Island. A little Googling turns up the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch website with all the information you would ever want about sea turtles.

So we went to Main Beach to see a crowd of about 300 people behind two rope barriers, which formed a slight "V" as it ran about 100 feet from the parking lot to the water. It was hot and the crowd was sweating, but you could feel the anticipation. Shortly after our arrival a man with a loud speaker told us about three green turtles being released. We missed most of what he said because of the sound of the surf and the wind, but it didn't matter. We knew that they had been injured or sick and had been nursed back to health. A volunteer handed us a brochure about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on nearby Jekyll Island.

Picture on the Side of the Sea Turtle Truck 120901

I didn't know what to expect. I had envisioned three turtles placed on the sand plodding their way down hill to the surf. The barrier was about 40 feet apart where we were and I thought that would give plenty of room in case one of the turtles slanted left or right.

Well, that's not how it works. Apparently there is a sea turtle release process. Here is how it works. One turtle is released at a time. A team of three humans form the release team.

Bault Pronounced Bolt 120901

One person holds the turtle by its front flippers while supporting the body with his/her forearms. These turtles were about a foot in diameter so they were not too heavy. A second person carries a hand-drawn sign with the name of the turtle and exclamations of good luck. The third person has a loud speaker and explains what is going on. The team walks the entire barrier rope on both sides so all the onlookers get a good view of the turtle. Camera snaps were everywhere.

Snapping 120901

There is also a bunch of groupies and security who were allowed inside the barrier. Most of the groupies were photographers who had close-up views of the turtles although one used a telephoto lens from about two feet away. The security guys were mostly auxiliary police force members although one was a real Fernandina Beach police officer. He had to twice whistle away curious swimmers who were in the water near the end of the roped off area.

Finally, the release itself is a parade of the turtle, the release team and the groupies down the middle of the roped-off area. The turtle holder and the sign person (sans sign) go into the water with the turtle. They go past the breakers with the turtle being held above the water while being splashed with sea water. Finally, about chest deep in the water, the holder puts the turtle in the water. A splash or two and the turtle swims off. When this occurs the two team members hold up both of their arms in a victory stance. The crowd, of course, cheers enthusiastically. We did too.

Turtle Release 120901

The release of one turtle takes about 15 minutes. Since it was so hot, the crowd began to dissipate after the first release. RS said to me, "I think I am going to pass out." This made me briefly think about altruisim of one species (humans) helping another (green turtles) and at the same time heating us all up. I thought that a better release time would be about 8 in the morning.

We stayed the course and watched the second and third turtles be released. It did feel good to see all this happen.

As we were walking back to our place I began to realize why I have never seen turtle soup on an Amelia Island menu. It would be a business disaster.

 -CR
Photos by RS