Turtle: The Incredible Journey (Rhoades)

"Turtle” Takes You On An Incredible Journey

 Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Have you ever visited the Turtle Hospital up in Marathon? There you will find recuperating loggerheads (Caretta caretta) and other sea turtles, victims of accidents, spear fishermen, tangled nets, and boat propellers.

I’ve been there – so I was particularly interested in seeing a new documentary called “Turtle: The Incredible Journey.” It’s now playing at the Tropic Cinema.

Narrated by Miranda Richardson, this co-production of SeaWorld Pictures and Tradewind Pictures follows a female loggerhead turtle from a beach in Florida to the North Atlantic to the coast of Africa and back to the very beach where she was born.

Guided only by instinct, the turtle covered more than 9,000 miles. The loggerhead turtle has one of the longest migratory paths of any marine animal. Just one in 10,000 survive the journey.

The camera crew spent two years trailing along. Director Nick Stringer captured on film the remarkable life cycle of this beautiful creature

A threatened species, loggerheads struggle to survive in today’s dangerous environment. From oil spills to ingestion of trash, bullet wounds to boat strikes, turtle are threatened by humankind. 

We watch as our turtle loses her brothers and sisters in the Sargasso Sea, nearly dies at the hands of fishermen, and comes face-to-face with strange sea denizens – from a helpful sunfish to a humpback whale who shows her the way north.

“Turtle: The Incredible Journey” is exactly what the title promises: an incredible journey.

srhoades@aol.com
[from Solares Hill]