Tracking our turtles: Nobomvu is exploring the continental shelf!

Can you believe it’s been 600 days since Nobomvu, our fiery loggerhead turtle, returned to the ocean after two gruelling years of rehabilitation?

Fondly known as the Red Lady after her unusually red colouration when rescued in 2021, Nobomvu made her mark on our Turtle Conservation Centre team. She was found completely entangled in an immense, heavy fishing net. The trauma caused by the net had huge repercussions for her rehabilitation process, but, after a few years of resilience and hard work, Nobomvu was finally well enough to return to her ocean home.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about her a lot. Her story came rushing back to me as I watched Habanero, an adult male loggerhead turtle, being introduced to the I&J Ocean Exhibit. Habanero has faced so many of the same hurdles that Nobomvu once did. And what a story it is: 600 days post-release, she’s already covered an extraordinary 23 500km. That’s almost 40km every single day!

Her journey hasn’t been a straight line. Nobomvu has been a true explorer of Cape waters. She’s ventured as far north as Namaqua National Park, and as far east as Gqeberha. Much of her time has been spent slipping in and out of South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), weaving back and forth across the continental shelf, gliding over seamounts, and passing through multiple Marine Protected Areas.

Since early June, her travels have taken a more southerly turn. In just two weeks, she covered the 370km from St Helena Bay to the southwestern edge of our EEZ. Then, in true Nobomvu style, she doubled back towards the Cape Peninsula, looped north and then west before heading south again. This time, she sliced right through the Southeast Atlantic Seamounts Marine Protected Area. Most recently, she’s 270km south of Witsand and Infanta, balanced right on the southern tip of the continental shelf.

Nobomvu’s satellite transmissions are starting to come less frequently now – perhaps the battery is beginning to fade. We know that our time tracking her will eventually come to an end. But right now, all we feel is gratitude for her courage, fiery spirit, and for the privilege of being able to witness and share this extraordinary journey of strength.