Howdy ya’ll! I’m Shelby! My friends at SEA LIFE chose me to race in this year’s Tour de Turtles marathon to raise awareness about something super frightening called Coastal Armoring. As I’m sure ya’ll already know, sea turtles like me come back to the same beach year after year to nest, and I’ve noticed my beach has started to look different lately. Just recently, I came ashore near my usual spot to nest and ran into a big wall that I swear never used to be there! STC told me that coastal areas are considered prime real estate and many of the world’s beaches are being heavily developed. Coastal property owners along beaches threatened by erosion often build armoring structures such as vertical seawalls, like the one I ran into, to help protect their land from erosion. How dare they! Sea walls can take many forms and be constructed from wood, steel, concrete and even hundred ton bags of sand known as geotube armoring. I’ll need your help during the race to raise awareness about this important issue facing Florida’s beaches and sea turtles. Cheer me on so we have something to shell-ebrate when I reach the finish line!

I was named by my Sponsor, Sea Life Trust. Check out my marathon migration map, where you can follow along as I swim to raise awareness about the threat of Coastal Armoring to sea turtles. Please help me raise awareness about my cause by supporting me!

Learn more about loggerhead sea turtles.