Force Blue. Turtle Tamers

Team Force Blue have been busy Saving Sea Turtles.

Frogmen meet Sea Turtles in the Florida Keys 𓆉 Saving the world in #Sungas one sea turtle at a time with fellow 🔱🐸 @kajlarsen

The Force Blue team have been incredibly active these past weeks battling Fibropapillomatosis in the Sea turtle population in the Florida Keyes. FP, as it is commonly know, causes growths around the eyes and mouth of some turtles leading to them not being able to search for food.

The Force Blue team members stand on the boat spotting turtles in the water while the boat patrols. Once spotted the Force Blue member dives in to capture the sea turtle by the back of the shell, wrestling it to the water line to be received by other team members. Which sounds easy, when forget that some weigh up to 250 pounds, are made mostly of muscle and actively trying to get away.

The scientists remove tumors and growths from those effected turtles and after 6-9 months of rehab the turtles are released to live functional lives that, without this surgery would not be an option for them. The tumor free turtles are tagged to check migration and population growth.

Force Blue is instrumental in helping the scientific community learn more about this disease and how we as a planet can help prevent its growth within the turtle communities.