Turtles Thriving once again?

On Marine this week, with calm seas and high hopes we have been out on our research vessel Bardan everyday, scanning the waters for aquatic wildlife. Our efforts have been duly rewarded by frequent turtle sightings, both from the boat and during snorkel surveys. This is a positive and encouraging after five turtle strandings and concerns last week that our turtle populations were suffering substantial losses.

Hawksbill Turtle seen today on the reef of the Marine Park

Just this morning we spotted 2 sea turtles surfacing to breathe (species unknown), 2 Green turtles mating and a Hawksbill swimming at the surface inside Kisite Marine Park. Not to mention a second Hawksbill we were lucky enough to encounter feeding during our snorkelling on Transect 9. It seemed at ease with our presence in the water and contentedly continued eating the algae off the coral reef, before swimming slowly onto the next patch. It is fantastic to see these creature’s utilising these natural habitats and food resources provided by the Marine Park.

Turtles Thriving once again?