One of the neatest things were able to do while we were in French Polynesia was visit the Turtle Rehabilitation and Preservation Center.We were able to witness everything from a regular feeding, to the care of sick turtles and lastly the opportunity to swim with them. We were cautioned to not stress the turtles by touching them or getting to close and we learned how in a turtle's lifetime they will flip flop between a vegetarian vs. a meat diet over the years. I was surprised how quickly the turtles grow as most of these turtles were somewhere between 1-3 years old.
Above is where they housed the sick turtles, there was everything from injury to lack of appetite held within these pens. It was heartbreaking to watch the sick turtles as they administered food to them. It was much like you would force feed medicine to a sick child, they literally pried open their mouths and using a syringe forced the food in. I am grateful for all the biologists who commit their lives to helping these adorable creatures and the enormous strides they are making in the preservation of such a beautiful species.
Cameron happily waiting to catch the boat back to our hotel.
On our trip I became obsessed with these bikes. Every time I saw one I wanted to snag it and ride around for the day.
Several of the hotels had these ponds with the most vibrant purple water lilies.
I loved how they had these longitude and latitude signs throughout the property. This is the closest I have ever been to the equator.