Florida Volunteers Save 59 Sea Turtles in One Year

When a 172-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Bowser got hooked on a fishing line, Scott and Cheri Dexter had just 25 minutes to save his life.

Eight volunteers gripped a rope and hauled the thrashing turtle 35 feet up the side of Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Bowser fought them every step of the way, which turned out to be a great sign. "If they're lethargic or just laying there, that's a bad sign," Cheri said after the rescue.

Bowser was the 26th turtle rescue of 2025 from this single pier. By year's end, the Dexters and their volunteer team had saved 59 turtles, mainly loggerheads and green sea turtles.

The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center runs on pure dedication. Twenty-six volunteers certified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff the pier during morning and evening hours when turtles are most active. They watch, they wait, and when a turtle gets hooked, they spring into action.

Scott designed a specialized hoist just for these rescues. The team recruits nearby fishermen and observers to help pull turtles to safety. Once rescued, turtles are rushed to approved rehab facilities where they receive medical care before being released back into the Gulf.

The timing matters more than ever. All five sea turtle species found in the Gulf were pushed to the brink of extinction by hunting and fishing nets. Today they're listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The Ripple Effect

The rescue efforts in Navarre Beach mirror a bigger success story happening across Florida's Gulf Coast. From 2000 to 2022, volunteers rescued 452 turtles from fishing pier entanglements. An impressive 85% were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

These numbers represent more than just rescued turtles. They show how a small community can make a massive difference for endangered species. Santa Rosa County, where Navarre Beach sits, accounted for more than half of all Gulf Coast pier rescues during that period.

The work is far from over. About 38% of hooked turtles at the pier break free before volunteers can rescue them, swimming off with potentially dangerous fishing gear still attached. But the volunteers keep showing up, keep watching, and keep saving lives.

Bowser spent time recovering at a rehab facility after his rescue. Like the hundreds of turtles saved before him, he'll eventually swim back into the Gulf thanks to strangers who refused to let him become another statistic.

Small communities with big hearts are proving that species on the edge of extinction can make a comeback.

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