Thanks to a swift response, a mother-daughter duo is safe and an injured turtle is on its way to recovery.
The first rescue occurred during the late afternoon hours on Feb. 21, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers were dispatched to a 911 call of two female paddleboarders in distress a mile-and-a-half offshore of Indian Key near Islamorada. Responding to the call was Officer Bobby Dube as he launched a vessel during a small craft advisory.
Dube communicated with MCSO and FWC dispatches on the updated location of the two paddleboarders until the 911 call was dropped. Dube was able to get a general location, and after a lengthy search, and a good samaritan boater and he were able to locate the mother and daughter who were clutching onto one another.
The mother-daughter duo were uninjured but they were scared, cold, wet and relieved that they had been rescued. The mother told Dube on the way back to shore that they wanted “quality mother-daughter time together.” Dube said the two were lucky they had a cellphone on them to call 911 when they could no longer paddle against the high winds, as they were drifting out to the sea.
Just last week, FWC officers were called near Alligator Reef Lighthouse for the report of an injured turtle. The call came from a couple who were on their personal watercraft and discovered the sea turtle struggling to swim. The couple subsequently called the Turtle Hospital, which then contacted FWC.
Officers responded and rescued the turtle, bringing it to shore to meet up with staff from the hospital. The green sea turtle, named “Aldo Leopold,” was transported south for treatment and rehabilitation until it makes a full recovery and can be released back to the ocean.
