Sea turtle rescued by Palm Beach Atlantic sailing club released back into wild - Palm Beach Post

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NORTH PALM BEACH — As Smoothie was released back into the wild Wednesday, he had a special cheering section standing nearby. 

The juvenile green sea turtle was celebrated by two of his rescuers as caretakers from the Miami Seaquarium returned him to the ocean at John D. McArthur Beach State Park.

Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailing Club coach Kirsten Delaney and sailing club team member Aubrey Holloway rescued Smoothie in March after discovering the injured turtle in distress near the Rybovich Marina in West Palm Beach. 

On Wednesday, both were present to see Smoothie's return to the ocean, with Holloway flying back to South Florida from her home in Greenville, S.C., for the occasion. 

"It was amazing just to see the whole story come full circle," said Holloway, who is about to start her sophomore year at PBA, said. "He looked amazing. … We got to see his head poke up a couple of times on the way out."

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Turtle's injured shell caught marine biology student's attention

Smoothie was one of two rescued green turtles released back into the wild Wednesday. Schnapps, a green sea turtle rescued in March in the Hobe Sound area, also was released after recovering from a wound caused by a shark bite.

Smoothie spent about two months at the Seaquarium recovering from an injury to the rear of his shell, possibly from a boat strike.

Delaney said the sailing club was out at practice one day in March when something in the water caught its attention. As club members moved their boat closer, they realized it was a turtle. Holloway, a marine biology major, quickly surmised that something was wrong. 

“Something happened with the shell, and it looked really bad," she said. "So I knew that it was having a buoyancy problem and he couldn’t slip down to get any food."

Fearing that the animal would die without medical attention, Delaney and Holloway jumped into the water and attempted to lift it onto the boat. The turtle initially resisted the rescue effort but tired itself after about an hour, allowing Delaney, Holloway and a third person to safely lift it out of the water.

Crews from the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach responded and Smoothie was placed into the care of the seaquarium.

Ocean experiences shape PBAU student's interest in marine biology

Holloway said the experience was her first involving a sea-turtle rescue. A previous experience swimming with dolphins during a visit to the Bahamas helped shape her interest in marine biology. 

"Ever since then, I knew that this was I wanted to do," she said.

"I knew that there was a lot of stuff going on in the ocean, so I wanted help conserve and protect it. So this was really, really cool that I had this opportunity to help save a sea turtle."

 jwhigham@pbpost.com

@JuliusWhigham

The Link Lonk


June 26, 2021 at 07:00PM
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Sea turtle rescued by Palm Beach Atlantic sailing club released back into wild - Palm Beach Post

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