Machalilla Bay, Ecuador

The crescent bay of Los Frailes beach, in the Machalilla National Park of Ecuador, is a beautiful place. Straddled by sunbaked cliffs, lapped by turquoise breakers, dotted with small craggy islands, it contains all the qualities that one would want to exploit with say, a large all-inclusive resort done in tasteless carribean colors, but with the added benefit of being immune to such exploitation as it is on protected land. (read more)

Imagine my delight then, when I stumbled upon an adorable sea turtle swimming out through the small breaking waves and grabbed my underwater camera to get a closer look. This place was just so darn neat.

The turtle however, was moving erratically and having some difficulty swimming to deeper water. A closer look at the pictures revealed an amorphous blob trailing below it. A bag woven of plastic fiber had become entangled around it´s neck and front legs.


I informed the ranger at the park entrance who assured me that he would then call another available ranger to attend to the turtle. Not knowing whether to expect help or indifference, I was impressed by his efficiency.

The ranger, of course, did not show up so fifteen minutes later I found my self walking into the surf with a borrowed pocket knife, wondering whether a three foot sea turtle can bite off finger as a small crowd began to gather on shore.

The bag was a tangled mess and there was nothing to be done in chest deep water, so I grabbed the sides of it´s shell and led the turtle towards the shore until I could carry it over the cresting shorebreak and onto the beach. Luckily the turtle seemed to oblige, and showed little interest in nipping off my extremities.

As the bag was freed by an onlooking taxi driver, the owner of the knife, I noticed two more bags entangled in the turtles back legs. Lifting the back of his shell I realized that they were not entangled, but had been eaten and now were being passed. The sight was heart wrenching, this majestic and gentle animal was being ravaged inside and out by simple, stupid carelessness.
I removed as much of the plastic as possible and carried the turtle back into the water.

The turtle seemed to have more energy and flapped it´s flippers in anticipation of diving back into the water.
I set it loose past the breakers and it disappeared under the surface.