Tracking Bob: 41 days at sea!

Update #7: 9 March 2023, by Talitha Noble

This week, we are celebrating our wonderful Bob on his 41st day at sea! 

When we last checked in with Bob, he had started to move in a westerly direction after his speedy journey south in the Agulhas Current. During this time, Bob stuck to the edge of the continental shelf. At 200km south of Cape Agulhas, we were very curious about what Bob's next steps would be!

Over these 41 days, Bob has travelled on average 54km per day - our fit boy is doing an ultra-marathon per day.

In the last seven days, Bob has continued to move along the continental edge, staying on the outer edge of the Agulhas Bank and moving in a northerly direction - towards the Cape Peninsula! 

Bob is moving in the same direction as the current, which is moving at about 1.5km per hour. However, he is sticking to a slower-moving part, possibly to stay within the boundary of the continental shelf. Currently, he is swimming over waters about 200 meters deep and about 22 degrees.

The edge of the continental shelf, where the shallower waters allow sunlight to reach marine life, is abundant in nutrients and fish species. Perhaps Bob is enjoying the delicious algae and saying hello to all the fish along the shelf!

Most lately, Bob is only 85km offshore from Hermanus, where our turtle team is based for the Turtle Rescue Roadtrip!

If Bob decides to continue northward, he may bump into Turbo and Pan soon! How amazing would that be? 

Pan is a special loggerhead turtle who spent three years in our Turtle Rehabilitation Centre before being released off Cape Point in 2022 with a satellite tag. He has enjoyed the West Coast, spending lots of time there before heading offshore into the Atlantic Ocean. Turbo, released in December 2022, is a green turtle  - he's spent solid time hanging out around the West Coast National Park and the broader west coast waters. 

Is Bob keen to head in the direction that many of our turtles have taken before? Does he also want to go to the colder waters of the West Coast for abundant food? 

Bob stats:

Days since release: 41

Distance travelled: 2 000km

Distance from shore: 85km

Nearest town: Hermanus

Water Depth: 600m

During his eight years at the Two Oceans Aquarium, Bob inspired hundreds of thousands of people to love the ocean and its abundant life just that little bit more. Now that Bob has returned to the ocean, he'll continue to be an incredible turtle storyteller as he sends back data about his adventures. Meanwhile, we'll do what we can to protect his ocean home.

If you missed out on any part of Bob's story, you can catch up here:

• View all previous Bob updates here
• What did it take to release Bob safely?
• How do tracker tags work?
• Why was Bob at the Two Oceans Aquarium?