On August 8th the dive team was invited to help
out the release of the first sea turtle to be released on the Jersey shore.
This turtle was rehabilitated by Brandi Biehi and Bill Dear of the Sea Turtle
Recovery located at the Turtle Back zoo in West Orange NJ.
Humphrey, the
turtle was stranded in Virginia back in December of 2016 and do to overcrowding
in a facility there he was shipped up to Sea Turtle Recovery to recover from a
respiratory infection and get some weight back on him.
With help from
mayor Stephen Reid of Point Pleasant Beach and Jenkinson’s Aquarium and the
Point Pleasant First Aid Dive Team the release was set for Aug, 8. Because of
the many news releases many people showed up to help send Humphrey back home
and even the TV show The Cake Boss made a turtle cake for Humphrey’s big day.
On release day the
skies were overcast and it looked like it would rain at any minute but that
didn’t stop many of Humphreys fans from showing up and as the beach filled with
news crews and cameramen it took on a life of its own. Some speeches were made
and many pictures were taken, with the dive team, the Cake Boss and the guy in
the turtle suit and the young girls with the “We love you Humphrey” sign.
Then Humphrey was
driven onto the beach and was unloaded. He was carried down the beach and laid
down just short of the wet sand. Then he was released and he started for the
water. The crowd remained pretty quiet and just watched. Humphrey stopped and
turned around like he was looking at the crowd and then turned back and kept
going towards the water. He turned one last time and then headed right into the
water.
With the first hit
of the water he start really moving into the waves and after two or three waves
he was gone and for just a moment it was so quiet and then the cheers started.
There were cheers
and yes there were some tears. But Humphrey was home with a second chance.
Now the Cake Boss
took over and started filming for his show. The turtle cake came down the beach
on a trailer and was placed in front of the crowd and the Boss said a few words
and then it was time to cut the cake and enjoy it!
It was a great
job by everyone and even the weather held off. To get more information on the
Sea Turtle Recovery check out their web site at www.seatertlerecovery.org. To see a
short video of the release check out www.youtube.com/chiefdiver34/humphreygoeshome
