Valusia, a teenage loggerhead, was found injured and floating in the water off Anna Maria Island near Florida. The poor little sea turtle suffered from pneumonia and a buoyancy disorder. Rescuers didn't think she'd make it.
"She was struggling while we were in the car. She was very quiet," said Suzi Fox, the Director of Anna Maria Island Sea Turtle Watch and Shorebird Rescue.
But, luckily, that all changed when she was brought to the Clearwater Aquarium, where she spent weeks being rehabilitated. Two months after her rescue, Valusia was ready to swim in the water again, just like the precious sea turtle rescued after being caught in rope.
The video below shows the moment Valusia was able to feel the ocean again. Staffers from the Clearwater Aquarium took the sea turtle to Coquina Beach in Florida where she slowly walked on the sand towards the water.
Just wait til the moment she touches the water at 1:20. It's an incredible thing to see!
"She was a little slow to start, which is a little typical, getting used to the sand, being back out," said Cassie Seebart, a sea turtle biologist at the Clearwater Aquarium. "But once she noticed the water, she just went straight out and that's what we like to see."
Watch the video below, and please SHARE this beautiful moment with your friends!
