A small crowd watched as three rescued loggerhead turtles disappeared into the waves Jan. 4 at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The sea turtles were released into the Atlantic Ocean by officials from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a nonprofit organization located on Jekyll Island, nursed them back to health after they were rescued in cold waters off Cape Cod in December. Rehabilitation coordinator Michelle Kaylor said the sea turtles were “cold stunned” when rescued, because New England water temperatures were in the 40s.

The water at Guana was about 73 degrees.

Sea turtles forage for food in the summer around Cape Cod, and then, normally, swim for southern waters.

“But when the water temperature drops, sometimes they get trapped in the sound,” Kaylor said.

The bay is shaped like the letter “J” and, she said, every year some turtles get confused and can’t find their way out.

The New England Aquarium, which rescued quite a few turtles this year, sent them to various sea turtle rehabilitation facilities, including the Georgia center, Kaylor said. The Georgia center still has three more rescued loggerheads that are still on antibiotic medication and are being treated for skin conditions. Kaylor said they will be released as soon as they are completely well.

Additionally, the center is expecting six more to arrive soon, based on the availability of volunteer pilots to transport them from New England to Georgia.

Kaylor said hopefully the three rescued sea turtles headed south, “but we never know.” They were not fitted with satellite trackers, but they swim long distances, she said.

Maggie FitzRoy can be contacted
at (904) 302-3394.