“We were so shocked to see anything alive in there at all.”
While kayaking on the Lake of the Ozarks, Carolina Diz and her partner, Brittany, spotted a strange-looking box protruding from the muddy shore. Intrigued, they paddled closer, not expecting to find anything unusual.
As they peered inside, they noticed movement in the shallow water. To their surprise, a turtle was trapped inside the box. But as they prodded the box with their kayak paddle, an even bigger revelation emerged—the turtle wasn’t alone. Three more turtles were stuck inside with him.
“We were shocked to see anything alive in there at all,” Diz said. “When we realized there were four, we were determined to get them all to safety.”
Carefully, the couple transported the turtles back to the water’s edge. The moment they were freed, the turtles instinctively knew what to do.
“They immediately walked straight toward the water—very slowly but surely,” Diz recalled. “It was amazing to see their natural instincts in action.”
Rescuing turtles wasn’t part of their kayaking plans, but the unexpected experience turned out to be deeply rewarding.
“I felt so much joy watching them go, knowing we had done the right thing and that they were returning to safety for the rest of the winter,” Diz said.