Although the New Era team had rescued a cold-stunned turtle before, it had been 10 years ago, so they received expert advice from British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Sea Life and even Rotterdam Zoo.
Jade Cranfield, senior aquarist at Weymouth Sea Life in Dorset, said the Jersey animal hospital “did a really great job”.
She said: “The first thing we do [with cold-stunned turtles] is put them in a container with a foam mattress that’s got the water level coming up, just enough so it’s damp, to warm her up a little bit.
“Blood tests are done and X-rays are done to find out what our next steps are going to be because they’re often dehydrated as well.”
Sure enough, Crush’s core temperature started to rise but after a week at the animal hospital, she needed a bigger tank.
Hawarth said: “We had to put something together in a room at my house so she has been lodging with us for two weeks.
“I was having to move 500l (110 gallons) of saltwater every two or three days.
“I was boiling seawater, tipping it in to get it to the right temperature, so she could go back into that water.”