CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The weather Tuesday morning was brutal, Sea Tow Owner Brandon Upton said. However, that didn’t stop him and Scott Gunvordahl from searching for cold-stunned sea turtles.
“Brutal. Not so bad when you’re going with the wind, but coming against the wind at 30, 35 miles an hour and then driving another 30 miles an hour head onto it, it’s a little nippy,” Upton said.
As common as it is to see cold-stunned sea turtles in freezing temperatures, it’s become just as common to see the guys of Sea Tow out rescuing them.
“Thankfully we have the assets and resources available to be able to do this type of work. Since we bought, my wife and I bought in 2017 this has been kind of a passion project so to speak,” Upton said.
Three years ago KRIS 6 News' Eran Hami set out on the water with Sea Tow and experienced them in action, rescuing turtles during a freezing event.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21 Upton and Gunvordahl were able to find and rescue 15 turtles from the Laguna Madre. They delivered them to volunteers at the Texas Sealife Center.
“It means a lot. It means sacrificing our body and our equipment for it. It’s worth it," Upton said.
If anyone comes across a cold-stunned turtle, they're advised to call 1-866 TURTLE-5 to get in touch with the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore
The Sea Tow crew plans to be back on the water for the rest of the week, trying to rescue as many sea turtles as they can.
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