Swimming the Gauntlet

摘要

For sea turtles that nest on coral cays, the most dangerous time in their life is the first few minutes of swimming across the fringing reef while making their way out to the open ocean.rnAll sea turtle species have a similar life history pattern. They emerge from nests on their natal beach after 6-8 weeks of incubation and frantically scramble down the beach into the awaiting sea. They then enter a "swimming frenzy" where they swim almost non-stop for approximately 24 hours in order to reach currents that will take them out into the open ocean hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometres offshore.