08/03/2026
WHY SEA TURTLE RECOVERY "MAKES" THE SEA TURTLES CRAWL. PLEASE READ! The most hurtful comments that come after a release are always about the fact that Sea Turtle Recovery has our patients crawl to the ocean. People are either confused why we don't "plop" them in the water or bring them directly to the waves.
Sea Turtle Recovery ALWAYS does what is most natural for the sea turtle. The photo next to Violetta's release picture is of sea turtle tracks in NC. A mother sea turtle will crawl all the way to the dune line to lay her eggs before returning to the water. (This is instinctive to ensure the eggs are not covered over by rising tides and storms.) She has no problem crawling to and from this distance, and the hatchlings crawl down to the ocean from this location.
So, why a sea turtle is being released up from the waves :
1. The turtle is entering the water the same way it did as a hatchling but a lot CLOSER; exhibiting a normal behavior.
2. There is no risk of the turtle trying to take a breath at the moment it would be "plopped" in the water. (They breathe air like you and me, and we do not want to risk them aspirating, panicking, or being injured.) NO PLOPPING!
3. They just traveled in a crate to the release site. We are monitoring/doing our very final check that all four flippers are working perfectly, and the turtle is perfect to go home.
4. The turtle decides what wave and when it wants to enter. (Some of our patients have been in rehabilitation for over a year. Allowing them time to acclimate and choose a wave is helpful to their transition.)
6. We let them go just above the hard packed sand/maximum water line so that they decide at their own pace when to enter the water. (They aren't pulled in by a rogue wave prior to being ready.)
7. Trying to wade out to waste deep water to release a turtle risks injury to staff and the turtle.
Using scientific knowledge, dedication, and love through every step (or crawl) along our patient's journey, we are helping them thrive! We will always give them our all, even when it means stepping back. 💗
