Can you guess what it was?
A few years ago, Simon Lorenz, owner of the marine tour company Insider Divers, was leading a group through the vibrant waters surrounding Sri Lanka. The group was searching for whales when something unexpected caught their attention — a floating pile of debris drifting in the current.
Whenever Lorenz encounters ocean trash, he makes a point to stop and investigate. Debris often attracts marine life seeking shelter. But this time, something unusual stood out.
“There was this huge shell in there,” Lorenz recalled in a video for The Dodo.
Looking closer, he realized it wasn’t just a shell — it belonged to an olive ridley sea turtle. As he observed the turtle’s flippers splashing at the surface, he could tell immediately that something was wrong.
The turtle was hopelessly entangled in a thick fishing net, a tragic yet common sight in today’s oceans. These “ghost nets” — discarded fishing gear — ensnare thousands of marine animals each year, often leading to devastating injuries or death.
But this turtle was lucky. She had been spotted in time.
Lorenz quickly asked one of the tour guides to dive in and try to cut her free using his knife. The net was tightly coiled around the turtle’s body, making the task incredibly difficult. Still, even as the guide carefully sawed through the tough ropes, the turtle seemed to understand what was happening.
“She was very calm,” Lorenz said. “It felt like she wanted our help — she wasn’t too stressed.”
Realizing the guide couldn’t manage alone, several guests on the tour volunteered to help. They jumped into the water and gently held the turtle steady while the guide continued to work.
After nearly 40 minutes of careful cutting, the turtle was finally free.
“He made sure there were no nets left and no injuries — and off she swam,” Lorenz said, watching her disappear into the open ocean.