"So I started to walk into the water...

...I won't lie to you boys I was terrified. But I pressed on and as I made my way past the breakers a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things but I tell you Jerry, at that moment, I was a marine biologist.

.....the sea was angry that day my friends.....

I got about fifty feet out and then suddenly the great beast appeared before me.

I tell ya he was ten stories high if he was a foot.

As if sensing my presence he gave out a big bellow. I said 'Eaaaasy big fella!'..."

- G. Costanza, Seinfeld, The Marine Biologist episode



Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, this morning
Back to reality. Part of our duties here is to conduct an entrapment walk on a rotational basis, every morning, whether the work week or not. The picture above a reason why.

This particular member of the Elders of the Planet is of the submariner chapter. A young(ish) Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, for they grow much bigger, much older. A threatened population of the Green Sea Turtle.

During this time of the year, high tide easily pushes over whats left of a seawall on a northeast portion of the island. That allowed a turtle of this size to get through and then become trapped when the tide began to lower. Coincidentally, the erosion caused by such a tide to push through during the night, also erodes enough sand and coral rock to leave a pit with enough depth that this turtle can swim around unharmed for awhile. Those pools will lower during the day. It swims incredibly fast. There is alot of power in those flippers.

When a being of this vessel makes it to this stage in its life, it has come a long way against absolutely remarkable, nearly im'p'ossible odds. The path, still very long, must look so much brighter, promising and fulfilling. I was in complete admiration holding this creature, and was honored letting it go back where it belonged.

The experience immediately reminded me of all the past little hatchlings I had picked up and flipped back into the water, knowing full well that not one of them had much of a chance to make it. But the above was once a hatchling like the below:


The Green Sea Turtles' family has been around much longer than ours. And some representatives may be around well after ours. Letting that Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle out of entrapment and back to the open ocean I couldn't help to meditate a bit.

To this threatened population, I am sorry. Some of us will do what we can, and in our short time, while we can; to help.
To help back.

Why do I get up early in the morning?

Well...

-mwyork