APOLLO BEACH, Fla — The Florida Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center is on the cusp of another success story as one of its turtles, a 262-pound loggerhead with missing flippers, appears to be rising to a crucial challenge: diving and swimming in deep water.
The trial began last week when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission temporarily moved the turtle from Tampa to The Florida Aquarium's facility at Apollo Beach. Divers and biologists brought the turtle to an 11-foot-deep dive pool to see if, even with its physical challenges, it could navigate the pool and become accustomed to swimming in deep water after 30 years of living in shallow habitats.
According to a press release from the Aquarium, the turtle is estimated to be more than 40 years old and needs a permanent place to live. The data FWC gathers from two weeks of deep-dive testing will help determine exactly where the turtle will call home.
The Florida Aquarium's deep-dive program has been in action for four years, beginning at the same time the aquarium opened its Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in 2019.
The loggerhead is one of five species of sea turtle native to Florida. It is federally recognized as a "threatened" species, while the other four (green, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, and hawksbill) are all considered "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. Heavy beach tourism, pollution, and climate change have been the greatest threats to the sea turtles' well-being.