Dave the turtle

[divebunnie]

I thought I would share a bit of news about one of our local residents here in Sharm.

There is a turtle around the Ras Mohammed area that was already distinctive because of a piece of missing shell above his back right flipper, however he has now achieved stardom. Sadly this was due to an injury that he suffered when he came off worse in a battle with a propellor and ended up with a nasty gash in his shell.

A local guide here James got involved and with help from the Sinai Protectorates Wildlife Unit got him treated. After tests xrays and the fitting of a fibreglass temporary patch to his shell, he has since been re-released into the wild of the Ras Mohammed National Park. You can read the whole story in Diver Magazine and no doubt shortly on their web-site. The whole thing took some time, with the guys actually making good use of the Dolphinella pool in which he recuperated for a while before being put into an enclosed area off a Ras Mo beach.

He is now out and about in the wild, however has mostly been seen nestling in a small cave near the Shark and Yolande reefs.

We saw him out on a sandy patch yesterday, however he was asleep in a bizarrely head down position. Maybe the patch has made his rear end a touch buoyant, or maybe turtles do actually sleep resting on their front flippers and neck with their bums kind of floating??? Anyone who knows for sure, do let me know.

If anyone else happens to come across him, please do let us know. Whilst I was not involved with his rescue or recovery, as a local guide I dive these reefs every day, so it means a lot to me when I hear stories like these. So next time you dive anywhere near Anenome City, Shark and Yolande reefs, keep your eyes peeled for a large turtle bearing a strange greyish patch on his shell.

[Mal Bridgeman]

Hi

He's quite famous "over here" too as he was the subject of a feature in Diver Magazine this month.....

Rgrds
Mal

[divebunnie]

Yeah, when I came back to the dive centre, I had the Diver magazine given to me. There is more about him on the following link too:Go Red Sea

[B]

Read about "Dave" in the magazine too.. great job in saving him, shame I am not planning any trips to Sharm, or I would have been out looking especially...

Well done to all who were involved... that is what it is all about

B x