WWF’s Jessica Sotelo had the chance to travel on Natural Habitat’s Classic Galapagos Adventure and travelers had several wonderful and rare encounters with the wild marine life teeming throughout the Galapagos Islands. While snorkeling on Isabela Island, travelers were delighted to share the waters of Tagus Cove, near Isabela Island, with tens of green sea turtles, including this this fearless one.  Swimming alongside these graceful creatures instilled a deep passion within each traveler for protecting this species.

The green sea turtle is considered endangered, threatened by the over-harvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites. WWF continues to work hard to protect sea turtle habitat by understanding their migration patterns, establishing marine protected areas, and encouraging fisheries to use turtle-friendly fishing hooks to eliminate turtle bycatch.

By Jessica Sotelo, WWF