Post by Dive Bunnie on Apr 7, 2007 11:24:55 GMT
Here is a story to warm your heart… well it is not over yet, but fingers crossed.
There is a turtle that lives here in the Ras Mohammed area that has become recognisable to divers due to a small section of shell missing from just above his rear right flipper, however due to an unfortunate encounter with a boat propellor, he will now bear another scar to make him even more recognisable underwater.
Some time ago, he was spotted by divers, with a large gash in his shell, which was still bleeding. Cutting a long story short, a local guide James was brought on board, together with the Sinai Protectorate Wildlife Unit who together with vets and volunteers sought to nurse the turtle now known as Dave, back to good health.
A fibreglass patch was made and put on his shell in order to protect the delicate tissues underneath while his shell could heal. They also made good use of the infamous Dolphinella pool (better known for its "swim with the dolphins" activities") to provide a clean home for him where he was less likely to get his wounds infected. Unfortunately the temperature would drop too low for him at night, so with permission, a netted off area was created for him nearer to home in Ras Mohammed itself.
There he stayed, being nurtured back to strength until later being released into the wild once again. He has mostly been spotted skulking in a small cave, I guess still building up his strength.
I had not even heard of this story (much to my shame) until yesterday, on a dive, I saw Dave! What caught our attention most of all was his position… he was in a kind of yoga position resting head down on his chin and front flippers with his rear end up at a 45º angle (rather like an inverted fin pivot). I must admit, at first I though that he might have been dead, but we could see a small up and down movement and surely he would have been belly up and looking a lot worse for wear had that been the case.
Of course we did not want to disturb his sleep, so after hanging around for a few minutes, we went on our way.
It was only when I got back and told friends about our encounter, and about the strange patch he had on his back, that I realised I had seen the famous Dave! How excited was I, especially when I was able to pass on the news to my divers (one of whom was called Dave) that this was no ordinary turtle that we had met yesterday. You can read even more about Dave's story here.
Anyway, should anyone see Dave again, please do let us know. And if you get photos, that would be even better, as James would really like to see any progress in his healing.
There is a turtle that lives here in the Ras Mohammed area that has become recognisable to divers due to a small section of shell missing from just above his rear right flipper, however due to an unfortunate encounter with a boat propellor, he will now bear another scar to make him even more recognisable underwater.
Some time ago, he was spotted by divers, with a large gash in his shell, which was still bleeding. Cutting a long story short, a local guide James was brought on board, together with the Sinai Protectorate Wildlife Unit who together with vets and volunteers sought to nurse the turtle now known as Dave, back to good health.
A fibreglass patch was made and put on his shell in order to protect the delicate tissues underneath while his shell could heal. They also made good use of the infamous Dolphinella pool (better known for its "swim with the dolphins" activities") to provide a clean home for him where he was less likely to get his wounds infected. Unfortunately the temperature would drop too low for him at night, so with permission, a netted off area was created for him nearer to home in Ras Mohammed itself.
There he stayed, being nurtured back to strength until later being released into the wild once again. He has mostly been spotted skulking in a small cave, I guess still building up his strength.
I had not even heard of this story (much to my shame) until yesterday, on a dive, I saw Dave! What caught our attention most of all was his position… he was in a kind of yoga position resting head down on his chin and front flippers with his rear end up at a 45º angle (rather like an inverted fin pivot). I must admit, at first I though that he might have been dead, but we could see a small up and down movement and surely he would have been belly up and looking a lot worse for wear had that been the case.
Of course we did not want to disturb his sleep, so after hanging around for a few minutes, we went on our way.
It was only when I got back and told friends about our encounter, and about the strange patch he had on his back, that I realised I had seen the famous Dave! How excited was I, especially when I was able to pass on the news to my divers (one of whom was called Dave) that this was no ordinary turtle that we had met yesterday. You can read even more about Dave's story here.
Anyway, should anyone see Dave again, please do let us know. And if you get photos, that would be even better, as James would really like to see any progress in his healing.
