Why did the turtle cross the beach?
To get to the pool of course.
Peter Bay residents Andy and Joy Stillman woke up to a 200 pound turtle in the pool at their beachfront villa one morning this week. They figure she came on the beach to lay eggs, maybe got confused by the big swells, and somehow ended up taking a dip in their saltwater pool.
But that’s only half the story.
Peter Bay neighbors, using a tarp, helped get her out of the pool and back to the beach. Where she happily swam away. Joy tells us the turtle was calm and not at all distressed. (Of course she was relaxed! She was in a salt water pool in Peter Bay! They should have just brought her a daiquiri.)
The happy but hungry volunteers celebrated with hearty turtle egg omelets. (Kidding.)
(Photos courtesy Joy Stillman.)
May 17th, 2008 02:04
God bless those conservationists at Peter Bay!
May 17th, 2008 06:11
wow…that’s certainly a surprise to see. Beautiful turtle. Kudos to Andy and Joy for getting her back to the beach safely!
May 17th, 2008 06:29
Too cool for words…
May 17th, 2008 06:59
What an awesome story. I am so glad that there were people around to give her a helping hand. I bet she’s told all friends about living the high life in Peter Bay!
May 17th, 2008 07:17
WOW
May 17th, 2008 07:39
The first question that comes to my mind is whether there are lights that are kept on all night in the Peter Bay area that might have contributed to this turtle becoming disoriented.
May 17th, 2008 08:02
I heard she was looking for KC’s house. Something about wanting him to sing at her wedding on STJ next year. Hope someone told her he sold that house and moved on.
May 17th, 2008 08:22
good morning,
i don’t think that has ever happened on stj.
that was an awesome tale. now that belongs on
the animal planet, discovery channel or something.
have a great weekend.
May 17th, 2008 08:23
hmmm. . . . so getting caught in a Peter Bay pool only results in being asked politely to leave. . . . sounds like pool crashing is in order this weekend!
That is a really great photo story, amazing pictures.
May 17th, 2008 09:18
So cool. Thanks for sharing.
May 17th, 2008 09:28
We find the occasional frog in our pool but that’s it. I’d say that if I found a sea turtle in our pool I’d be more than a little shocked.
Pretty cool though
May 17th, 2008 11:32
Too funny! My girls are going to love those pictures. Not too shabby a landing for a confused turtle.
May 17th, 2008 12:19
We don’t want turtles that taste good, we want turtles with taste.
May 17th, 2008 12:37
You brought tears to my eyes! That is great!!!
May 17th, 2008 12:39
what a GREAT story…..
and PLEASE don’t suggest that the turtle was lookin’ for Kenny Chesney !!!!!!…..I really LOVE the stone tile around the pool…..
May 17th, 2008 12:49
Great story. Andy and Joy are great people, I am not surprised the turtle picked their house.
May 17th, 2008 14:01
FANTASTIC!!!!! How far is the pool from the beach?? Did she have to travel far to get to the pool?I’d think after laying 100+ eggs the female turtle is allowed to have some quiet “me” time!!!!
May 17th, 2008 14:08
oops………….
so sorry Pam….didn’t realize you beat me to a Kenny Chesney joke!!!!!
May 17th, 2008 19:17
No problem Linda. I’m glad you explained. I thought you were a rabid fan fussing at me for making a KC joke.
May 17th, 2008 22:07
Great story, great photos! That turtle has some class checking into Peter Bay
May 17th, 2008 23:37
That’s so cool! How convenient that they have a saltwater pool for wayward turtles!
May 18th, 2008 14:10
I do not suspect that big swells caused disorientation - turtles are certainly used to all kinds of sea conditions and they are antanomically made for the ocean! The reason this turtle became disoriented is most likely due to inappropriate coastal lighting. First, there should be a vegetation barrier maintained between coastal homes and beaches. Additionally, if you can see your lights from the beach, there’s a good chance they will negatively impact nesting turtles and hatchlings. There are a number of methods to keep beaches turtle-safe and to keep homes well-lighted and safe for people at the same time. Lights can be turned off, shielded, or redirected downward. There is tons of info online on how to make your lights turtle-safe. I’ve seen hatchlings disoriented by lights and end up squashed in parking lots or roads, eaten by mongoose, fire ants, cats, cooked by the sun the next day, etc. . . Also have seen adult females lost in the bush, run over in the road, stuck in fences and attacked by dogs. I’m glad that this endangered species returned to the sea and hope that you can work with your neighbors to help keep your beach safe for turtles!