Caretta Caretta in Hydra Harbour

Sadly this sea turtle had the misfortune to swim into Hydra Harbour this evening with a nasty bash on the head. It's not clear if the poor turtle was hurt in the harbour or not. Visiting yachties and concerned Hydriots were determined to rescue it. It was heartwarming to see so much genuine concern. The island's volunteer emergency services along with the Port Police got the sea turtle out of the water and kept it safe overnight so it could be transferred to the wildlife sanctuary on Aegina the following morning.

The sea turtles are an endangered species. Their latin name is Caretta Caretta, more commonly known as Loggerhead Sea Turtles. It's rare to see them swimming near Hydra. Even though they are reptiles and need to surface to breathe air, sea turtles spend all their lives in the sea. Only the females come onto land to lay their eggs each year. The island doesn't have any beaches suitable for laying eggs. There are a number of managed breeding sites on the Peloponnese mainland. For more information about them please visit: https://www.hydradirect.com/ caretta-caretta-sea-turtles