In a heartwarming display of compassion, a South African yacht crew went above and beyond to rescue a sea turtle entangled in a potentially fatal mess of plastic and fishing line.
South Africa (06 August 2025) – One precious shelled creature, caught in plastic and fishing line, is now swimming freely and breathing easily after being spotted and rescued by a South African yacht crew who dropped everything to help him out.
Durban Captain, Warren Garmany of the Motor Yacht Daybreak, initially mistook the turtle for trash when he caught a glimpse of it in the water. Realising it was a sea turtle in distress, he dove into the rough seas and fought against a strong current to reach the turtle, which was struggling to surface for air.
A captivating video shared on Instagram shows Warren swimming to the yacht after retrieving the turtle as the crew helps bring them both safely onboard.
“Then everyone rallied. Knives. Scissors. Bare hands.
“The line was wrapped tight around its neck, tethered to a heavy chunk of plastic. The scars indicated it had been trapped for days,” the post was captioned.
After carefully removing the line and plastic, the guys checked the turtle for other injuries before gently lowering it back into the sea, letting it float, recover, and find its strength.
“Just before it disappeared into the blue, it surfaced beside the yacht as if to come back and say thank you. It pulled at our heartstrings,” the crew said.
In the clip, Warren added that the incident was a reminder to all of us to dispose of our trash responsibly.
Their post was met with a wave of love and praise from social media users who were in awe of their chance rescue and dedication to releasing a sea creature from struggle and pain.
For this crew, yachting isn’t just about luxury; it’s about responsibility to the oceans they sail.
“We may be just one yacht, but on Motor Yacht Daybreak, we’ll always try to protect what we love.”
For all the good you do, and the voiceless marine life you look out for along the way, Good Things Guy team salutes you!
Watch the rescue below.
View this post on Instagram
Sources: Motor Yacht Daybreak
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