Video: Loggerhead turtle wedged between rocks rescued on Florida beach

Sea turtle rescued from Florida beach

FWC officers and first responders with Martin County Fire Rescue helped free a sea turtle that weighed more than 200 pounds from a pair of rocks on a beach.

STUART, Fla. - A loggerhead turtle was returned to the ocean after getting wedged between rocks on a Florida beach, being rescued by first responders.

The backstory:

Suzanne Cosme with DeVine Portrait was taking photos of the sunrise on House of Refuge beach in Martin County this week when she found a loggerhead sea turtle wedged between two rocks. 

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Cosme called the non-emergency phone number for the sheriff’s office and was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which sent out officers to help rescue the reptile. 

The turtle weighed between 200 and 300 pounds. 

Cosme said she was afraid that the turtle wouldn’t make it back home to the ocean because it looked exhausted and there was some blood on the rocks. 

FWC officers and first responders from Martin County Fire Rescue arrived to assist the giant reptile, and Cosme captured video of the crew lifting the sea turtle and freeing it from the rocks. 

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Her video then shows the loggerhead walking down the sand and into the ocean. 

Cosme said she has lived in Florida her whole life and though she often visits the beach she has never seen one on the sand before. 

What you can do:

Anyone who sees an injured sea turtle is urged to call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).