After cruising along the coast of Venezuela through the night, the Caledonian Star reached the large island of Trinidad in the middle of the morning today and made her way into the wide harbor of Port of Spain. Just as we entered the channel, one of our guests spotted something moving at the surface of the water. Only a few of us got a good look at it and it was hard to be certain, but it appeared to be a large sea turtle that had become entangled in a fishing net. Watching the animal's struggles, we could see that it was in serious trouble and we determined to help it if we could. As soon as we had berthed in the port, our captain secured permission for us to lower a pair of Zodiacs and we launched a rescue mission manned by the two undersea specialists, the video chronicler, two other staff members and Steve Mitchell, the guest who had first spotted the turtle.
After a long cruise over the choppy seas back out to the channel entrance, we began to quarter back and forth across the waves, searching for the object of our intended rescue. At first our hearts sank when we could find no sign of it; for some time we drove the boats round and round without success, dismayed by the huge expanse of water we were attempting to search. Then Magnus Forsberg, driving one of the Zodiacs, detected a strong current running to the southeast. He radioed our boat and we set out in that direction and soon encountered a patch of numerous bits and pieces of flotsam. Moments later, Dennis Cornejo spotted the turtle! It was a giant leatherback, tightly entangled in a large piece of drift net with mono-filament mesh, quarter inch nylon line and several floats. Approaching this impressive animal from behind and taking great care of its jaws and powerful fore-flippers, Dennis and I secured the Zodiac's bowline to the net and then began to cut the net with our dive knives.
At first it seemed almost a hopeless task, there were at least three layers of net wrapped tightly around the turtle's shell and bunched around its head and flippers. But the serrated edges of our knives, made for just this kind of task, cut easily through the mono-filament and the nylon line and soon we were making visible progress. We had to pause occasionally when the great animal, which probably weighed 700-800 pounds, struggled against its bonds, thrashing the water with its three-foot-long flippers. Even though it was clear that the turtle had been in the net for some time, it was still strong enough to tow our Zodiac on a Nantucket sleigh ride! Whenever we could we continued to cut and soon only a few strands still held the net around it. I worked my fingers under the last tight threads looped over its neck and sliced through them; at the same time Trey Byus cut loose a thick bunch from the hind flippers. Suddenly the turtle surged forward and was free, swimming strongly away from us and diving steeply with strong sweeps of its fore-flippers! We all whooped and shouted with joy! Working as a naturalist and undersea specialist for Lindblad Expeditions I have a great privilege of close contact with amazing wildlife all over the world; it felt wonderful to render a small amount of aid to one of the wild creatures I enjoy so much.
After a long cruise over the choppy seas back out to the channel entrance, we began to quarter back and forth across the waves, searching for the object of our intended rescue. At first our hearts sank when we could find no sign of it; for some time we drove the boats round and round without success, dismayed by the huge expanse of water we were attempting to search. Then Magnus Forsberg, driving one of the Zodiacs, detected a strong current running to the southeast. He radioed our boat and we set out in that direction and soon encountered a patch of numerous bits and pieces of flotsam. Moments later, Dennis Cornejo spotted the turtle! It was a giant leatherback, tightly entangled in a large piece of drift net with mono-filament mesh, quarter inch nylon line and several floats. Approaching this impressive animal from behind and taking great care of its jaws and powerful fore-flippers, Dennis and I secured the Zodiac's bowline to the net and then began to cut the net with our dive knives.
At first it seemed almost a hopeless task, there were at least three layers of net wrapped tightly around the turtle's shell and bunched around its head and flippers. But the serrated edges of our knives, made for just this kind of task, cut easily through the mono-filament and the nylon line and soon we were making visible progress. We had to pause occasionally when the great animal, which probably weighed 700-800 pounds, struggled against its bonds, thrashing the water with its three-foot-long flippers. Even though it was clear that the turtle had been in the net for some time, it was still strong enough to tow our Zodiac on a Nantucket sleigh ride! Whenever we could we continued to cut and soon only a few strands still held the net around it. I worked my fingers under the last tight threads looped over its neck and sliced through them; at the same time Trey Byus cut loose a thick bunch from the hind flippers. Suddenly the turtle surged forward and was free, swimming strongly away from us and diving steeply with strong sweeps of its fore-flippers! We all whooped and shouted with joy! Working as a naturalist and undersea specialist for Lindblad Expeditions I have a great privilege of close contact with amazing wildlife all over the world; it felt wonderful to render a small amount of aid to one of the wild creatures I enjoy so much.
