A Sea Turtle picture a day #31

Welcome back to a Sea Turtle Picture A Day. Tomorrow I am going to be go on a trip to San Diego to help with a research project that will have me making fiberglass molds of Sea Turtles that will eventually be used in a wind tunnel experiment. I will post pictures that show the work in progress. My photography of Sea Turtles over the years has been fun and I not only have pretty Sea Turtle pictures I also have been involved in some scientific projects and have some awesome photos of some of the work we have done.

I would like to know from you the readers if it is OK for me to post some of these pictures as well? I don't know about you guys but the thing that I love about taking pictures of Sea Turtles other than the flooded cameras and the sand that somehow gets into all the gear that I use.Is being able to see how they really live and how they interact with each other and their environment.I would love to share these pictures with you as well.

Please post your comments and let me know if it is OK.

Today's picture keeps us at the beach. Here a Green Sea Turtle(Chelonia mydas)is basking. What struck me about this scene is one Sea Turtle is using another as a pillow.I was fun to sit there and watch these two turtles sleep in the sun.

This picture was taken with a 70-200 mm lens
See you tomorrow from San Diego

A Sea Turtle picture a day #29

Welcome back to a Sea Turtle Picture A Day. Today we are heading back above the surface of the ocean and heading to one of my favorite places to see Sea Turtles above the water. Koloko State park in Kona Hawaii is one of the best places to see turtles basking in the afternoon sun. This picture is of a Green Sea Turtle(Chelonia mydas) and was taken right as the sun was setting.
This picture was taken with a 20-200 mm lens
See you tomorrow

A Sea Turtle picture a day #12

Welcome back to A Sea Turtle Picture a day. Today we are off to the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.This picture is of a Leatherback Sea turtle(Dermochelys coriacea)hatchling that is making its way down to the ocean after coming out of its nest.
When I took this picture I was on a trip to video and photograph Leatherback hatchlings as they emerged from their nest. I was following this particular hatchling with both a video camera and my still camera alternating between the two.
The lens I used was a 60mm macro lens
See you tomorrow

A Sea Turtle picture a day #9

Happy new year everyone. I hope that everyone is doing well and ready for an exciting new year. Welcome back to A Sea Turtle a day.As I was looking thru my Turtle pictures this morning i was thinking about which pictures moved me the most as I was taking them.In the last 3 years I have been on more then 10 dedicated turtle adventures and have seen a lot of really great Sea Turtle behaviour but the thing that really gets me is watching a nest of hatching's emerge from the sand and get their orientation to the horizon and quickly move towards the ocean.
The photo trip that I was able to see this behaviour was in the British Virgin Islands.I was hired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp to go to the BVI and get some Leatherback sea turtle footage for a special segment that they were working on.I also brought my cameras as well as their video equipment.
I was staying in a beach side home that had known Leatherback sea turtle nest right in front of it.My assignment was to catch the hatching's on camera when they emerged,Sounds easy right? The only problem is that the hatching's usually come out after 7pm or before 7am. That meant that I spent a lot of sleepless night alone with my camera gear on the beach. I am not complaining I was able to get some great photos and video.
This picture is of a Leatherback Sea Turtle emerging out of the sand
Taken with a 60 mm macro lens
See you tomorrow.

a turtle photo a day: Day #4

Welcome back. Today we are going to be heading back down to Mexico to a little town called Rocky Point.It is about 2.5 hours south of Phoenix Arizona.
The reason I was there was for a turtle release. This was not just a regular release. This female Hawksbill( Eretmochelys imbricata)
was caught by local fishermen 8 years earlier. She has been held at a local school.
The release of this female turtle was a historic one. She is the first adult Hawksbill sea turtle to be released with a satellite transponder in the Eastern Pacific.
As you can tell by the photo there were a lot of people in attendance for her release.

a turtle photo a day: Day #3

This is was a really fun photo to take.It was taken at a sea turtle hatchery in Colima Mexico.I was volunteering there in August of 2008 and as part of my duties I had to release the hatchlings along the beach that had hatched the night before. This photo was taken right after I placed them in the sand.
They are Olive Ridleys(Lepidochelys olivacea)They are one of the most common sea turtle seen in and around Colima Mexico
A 60 mm macro lens was used to get this shot