What began as a carefree day of fun on a chartered yacht recently turned into a high-stakes mission to save a helpless life.
While cruising the choppy waters, the crew aboard Motor Yacht Daybreak noticed something strange among the waves in the distance. So, they steered in closer for a better look.
“It looked like trash until it moved,” the crew wrote.
In an instant, they realized that the floating “trash” was actually a distressed sea turtle. His neck was wrapped tightly in fishing debris, and he was struggling to swim. That’s when the boat’s captain, Warren German, leapt into the sea to save a life.
Here’s that moment on video:
“The line was wrapped tight around its neck, tethered to a heavy chunk of plastic. The scars indicated it had been trapped for days,” the rescuers wrote. “We checked it carefully for other injuries. It was weak, but alive.”
Thankfully, the sea turtle could be safely freed from the choking ropes. Afterward, he was released to swim unencumbered yet again.
Had the boat crew not spotted the sea turtle, struggling to breathe from being weighed down by the debris, things could have ended much differently.
According to Sea Turtle Conservancy, an estimated 1 million marine animals die each year due to debris, such as trash washed out from shore or improperly disposed of fishing equipment. The crew of the Motor Yacht Daybreak is happy to have been able to make a difference that day.
“It pulled at our heartstrings,” they wrote, sending the rescued turtle off with a message: “Safe journey from here on out. Wishing you a long life, little chap.”