TURTLERESCUE
Emma became aware of a slick of plastic and organic debris at the surface .
Carried by the current and faltering amid the debris was an adult hawskbill turtle , an endangered species with the unfortunate habit of mistaking plastic debris for its preferred diet of jellyfish . Surrounded by old bottles and flip-flops that had drifted across the Indian Ocean , the male turtle was drained of energy and appeared to be having difficulty breathing at the surface . “ It just hung in the water with its head down ,” Emma said “ I knew it was barely alive so I screamed at Pash to come over and help .”
Pash , 48 , from Worthing , helped to stabilise the turtle so that it could regain its breath . Normally , a wild turtle would react defensively if handled by a person – they have a powerful bite and can easily take off a finger . However , either due to exhaustion or sensing that it was being helped , the turtle settled and managed to keep breathing . “ We were in the plastic slick ,” Pash said . “ It was pretty disgusting , a mix of plastic , flip-flops and organic matter . I was holding it [ the turtle ] the whole time ; touching one of his front flippers seemed to calm him down . It was as if he sensed he was being helped and didn ’ t fight me at all .”
At this point , the rescuers were out of their depth , though wearing long fins that helped propel them through the water . They decided to swim the turtle into a nearby lagoon , where the shallow water would allow them to stand and hold the turtle steady at the surface .
Pash Baker holds the turtle steady at the surface
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