ANNA MARIA, Fla. — Beachgoers and conservation workers gathered Monday morning on Coquina Beach to bid farewell to Esther, a massive, 250-pound loggerhead sea turtle.
The nesting mama, who was described as 3 feet in shell length, was tagged with a satellite tracker and sent to crawl up the sand and into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy, along with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Waterline Resort, hosted the release as part of the 15th Annual "Tour de Turtles" event.
"Tour de Turtles" is a tracking program that records the migration of sea turtles released from Costa Rica, Panama, Nevis and Florida using satellite telemetry. The participating turtles, like Esther, are tagged and tracked over the course of three months.
The event was launched in 2008 as a fun way for researchers to learn more about turtles' nesting, foraging and migratory patterns so they know how to best protect the animals.
"Since most research conducted on marine turtles has been carried out on nesting beaches and well over 90% of a sea turtle’s life is spent in the water — feeding, mating, migrating and doing whatever else a sea turtle does when no one is watching, we are missing important information that can help us better protect sea turtles," the organization's website reads.
This year's "marathon" was divided into two groups, leatherbacks and non-leatherbacks. The leatherbacks began their competition on June 16, World Sea Turtle Day. The non-leatherbacks, or chelonians – like Esther – will be off to the races on Aug. 1.
You can learn more about the science behind the project and track which turtles are in the lead on the "Tour de Turtles" website.
Watch Esther's release into the Gulf of Mexico below.